SLO airport will close for repairs next week. How will flights be affected?

The San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport will be temporarily closed to commercial flights next week as it undergoes three days of routine maintenance.

The airport will close on Monday, June 5, at 7 a.m. and re-open on Thursday, June 8, at 7 a.m., according to Craig Piper, deputy director of the San Luis Obispo County Department of Airports.

During the closure, the airport will repair its terminal apron, which is the area where commercial airplanes park between landing and takeoff, Piper said.

The concrete, which was installed in 2010, requires certain maintenance to stay sturdy, according to Piper.

The airport will replace sealant between joints in the concrete panels to prevent moisture from seeping in and damaging the pavement, he said.

The asphalt between the concrete parking area and the plane taxiway will also be repaired “to extend its useful life,” Piper said.

In addition, the airport will repaint the markings on the surface of the terminal apron, he said.

“It’s a maintenance upkeep process that we’re trying to do,” Piper said. “No time is really the best time .... but we had to rip the Band-Aid off.”

Will there be plane flights during SLO airport closure?

The airport planned the closure months ago, so no regular flights were scheduled during the maintenance period.

“We didn’t displace any passengers,” Piper said.

A handful of flights will depart from the SLO airport on Monday before 7 a.m., but there will be no other commercial flight activity until the airport re-opens on Thursday, Piper said.

Private aircraft will still be allowed to land on the runway during the three-day maintenance process, Piper said.

The rest of the airport will be open Monday to Wednesday, with some staff members taking vacations and others engaging in training, Craig said.