Football Teams Find Monroe Airport Out Of Bounds

MONROE, La. (AP) — The $7 million renovation of the Monroe Airport forced officials to close the main runway last week, but airport manager Ron Phillips said all airlines were notified of the inconvenience that will likely last about a month.

Commercial airline passengers will not be affected because of the secondary runway, but college football teams on chartered flights are making alternate travel plans, which started this past weekend with LouisianaTech.

Athletics director Bruce Van De Velde told The News-Star the team rode a bus to Shreveport to charter a flight for its game in Charlottesville, Va., and ULM will do the same Friday when traveling to Murfreesboro, Tenn.

Van De Velde said other sports teams aren't affected because they fly on commercial planes.