and Airport hours have been cut back as a result.

Mr. John Williams, Airport operations manager, said that for much of the time between now and next summer, the runway would be closed to all but emergency traffic between 8.30 p.m. and 6 a.m. on weekdays.

Regularly scheduled flights would not be affected, since they normally operated within those hours anyway, but private aircraft would be, Mr.

Williams told The Royal Gazette .

He estimated that two to three private flights a week normally came in after 10 p.m. Such arrivals would have to be rescheduled.

Patching and crack filling, which began in late September, was completed in early November, Mr. Williams said.

On December 2, work starts on putting a protective coating called a "slurry seal'' over the runway. That work is expected to continue until the end of February.

The current phases will cost about $450,000, with much of the work done by East End Asphalt Co. Ltd. and supervised by Serco Aviation Services Ltd.

Once the coating is placed on the runway, work could start on covering the runway with a two-inch-thick petroleum-based asphalt surface, Mr. Williams said.

That work, which is still subject to Government approval, would be divided into three sections and take about three years.

A notice has gone out to pilots about the Airport's reduced hours, Mr.

Williams said.

But in the event of an emergency, equipment would be cleared from the runway and aircraft would be allowed to land.