hours a day -- so the runway can be resurfaced.

Only pilots signalling Mayday are cleared to land at the Airport between 8.30 p.m. and 5.30 a.m.

The decision just to accept the midnight maydays was made as work began last week on an $850,000 project to lay a new asphalt runway.

The Airport is scheduled to return to 24-hour flight operation by the end of June.

Maintenance and engineering manager Marshall Minors said: "We've started preparation work to resurface the runway, which involves milling off old asphalt to put down a new top layer.

"The surface condition of the runway has deteriorated because of age and there are minor cracks in it. Basically, it's the same thing that happens to a road when it gets old.

"This means the airfield is having to close, except for emergencies, between 8.30 p.m. and 5.30 a.m.

"There are no scheduled flights during those hours but we have put the airlines on notice that late flights cannot be accommodated.

"We are also not in a position to accept medical emergencies for the time being because the work on the runway will not make it that safe for them to land.

"But the contract should only last two months and then we will have a brand new runway.'' He said the NOTAM warning -- which stands for Notice to Airmen -- had put airline executives on alert that the airport would be closed during the hours of darkness.

Job contractors, from East End Asphalt, are also relying on weather conditions so no definite end date has been put on the project.

Airport chiefs revealed the latest improvements in their $20 million redevelopment scheme to The Royal Gazette yesterday.

The Customs "long room'' -- where paperwork is checked before importers can collect their parcels -- has been temporarily moved into the cargo terminal from Customs offices.

Bosses opted to shift the room because of renovations in the arrivals area. It also means people collecting their packages now have a "one-stop shop'' to clear their duty and pick up their goods.

Work on a new $130,000 taxi drivers' lounge, on the site of the present long-stay car park, is also scheduled to start next week, after two weeks of delays caused by clearing car park space.

Three new baggage conveyor belts -- costing $300,000 -- will have been shipped in from Ontario and in place by the end of May.

The refitted baggage hall will be open for the first time by the end of this month, once the first conveyor belt has been installed.

And new children's libraries have been built in both the international departures lounge and the US departures area.

Airport terminals manager Mike Osborn said: "We've had some very favourable feedback about the improvements we are making.

"There is so much going on and even though it may appear we're not making much progress, the airport is changing every day.'' Airport Customs collector Brenda Raynor said around 50 people used the cargo terminal every day.

She added: "We've had some very positive comments about a reduction in the delay and how much easier the entire process is now.'' And Tina Minors, who coordinated work on the children's libraries, said: "They've proved so popular that one passenger had difficulty getting their child onto a plane! "We have children using the libraries every day now and we're always appealing for more books, games and puzzles. So if anyone can donate some, please get in touch with us.''