Long runway means business..........Possibility of wooing trans-Pacific carriers is greatly increased By Ann Imse, Rocky Mountain News June 24, 2003 Denver International Airport's new 16,000-foot-long runway breaks the technical barrier to fully loaded nonstop flights from Colorado to Asia.Now all DIA needs is an airline willing to fly trans-Pacific. The extra 4,000 feet of runway makes all the difference on such long-haul flights, the Boeing Co. confirmed Monday after the new runway was dedicated. From the airport's other runways, with 12,000 feet of concrete, a Boeing 777 bound for Tokyo or Beijing could take off only if 109 seats were empty, said Boeing's Samir Belyamani. To date, there has been no airline interested in flying a route that would be more than one-third empty. But with 16,000 feet of runway, that same Boeing 777 can depart DIA with a full load, at the same summertime average of 82 degrees, Belyamani said. DIA marketer Sally Covington said the new runway "helps us immensely with international air service."Whenever DIA has tried to entice airlines to fly long-haul routes out of the Denver mile-high altitude, "that was the one card they played in our face," said her colleague, Dan Melfi. The air is thin here, and summer's heat makes it even thinner. That makes it harder for large jets to take off, especially if fully loaded with passengers, cargo and fuel for an international flight. Covington said British Air was worried about the altitude when it started Denver-London flights, too. But the heat and altitude have forced it to off-load cargo only twice in five years, she said. Even with the technical problem solved, DIA still faces the challenge of persuading an airline that there is enough demand here to fill regular trans-Pacific flights. The payoff, though, could be huge. Denver Mayor Wellington Webb said Monday a flight to Asia would add $142 million to the area economy.Covington said she believed DIA was close to capturing a trans-Pacific flight, but then the economy and the SARS epidemic sharply curtailed travel to Asian destinations. Now, she's projecting DIA's first Asian nonstop flight in 2005. The Star Alliance, which includes United, ANA and Asiana, is the most likely to start such service, she said. In addition, Air France, Cathay Pacific and China Southern all have asked for more information, said DIA manager Bruce Baumgartner. *************************************************** The owner of Roger's Trinbago Site/TnTisland.com Roj (Roger James) escape email mailto:ejames@xxxxxxxxx Trinbago site: www.tntisland.com Carib Brass Ctn site www.tntisland.com/caribbeanbrassconnection/ Steel Expressions www.mts.net/~ejames/se/ Mas Site: www.tntisland.com/tntrecords/mas2003/ Site of the Week: http://www.carib-link.net/naparima/naps.html TnT Webdirectory: http://search.co.tt *********************************************************