Logan Runway 9-27 Closure: Why Boston Flights Are Delayed (October 2026)

Matt — Founder & Airline Pilot. Published October 20, 2026. 8 min read.

Last updated October 20, 2026

Figures checked against FAA Command Center advisories, the FAA construction outlook, NBC Boston (quoting Massport) and DelayGuard BTS tables on 2026-10-20. Canonical page: Boston Logan (BOS) flight delays.

Short answer: Boston Logan is running with one of its runways, Runway 9-27, closed or very limited while Massport finishes a safety system at the end of Runway 27. With less runway, Logan can land fewer planes an hour, so the FAA uses ground stops and ground delay programs whenever low clouds, wind or the schedule push demand above that lower rate. The FAA construction outlook lists August 31 to November 15, 2026. The Command Center plan in effect this morning lists Runway 9-27 as limited until October 31. Massport, quoted by NBC Boston, says the work must be done before Thanksgiving (FAA construction outlook, FAA ATCSCC advisory 057, NBC Boston).

Why Are Flights Getting Delayed in Boston?

Massport is building a deck at the end of Runway 27 to support an Engineered Material Arresting System (EMAS), a crushable surface that stops an aircraft that overruns the runway. To build it, Runway 9-27 is in a 75-day closure (NBC Boston). The FAA's outlook calls it Phase 2 of the Runway 27 safety area project, on a pile-supported deck (FAA construction outlook).

The FAA's construction outlook for Logan spells out the cost in capacity. With Runway 9-27 out, landing on Runways 4L/4R gives an arrival rate of 42 an hour in good weather, 34 in marginal weather and 32 in cloud, and the FAA "expects GDPs, GS, MIT throughout the project" (ground delay programs, ground stops and miles-in-trail spacing) (FAA construction outlook, copy hosted by OpsGroup).

What has happened at Logan this month

FAA Command Center advisories show the pattern:

• October 8: ground delay program for BOS from 1:30 p.m. Eastern (FAA ATCSCC advisory 029).
• October 12: ground stop from 4:54 p.m. Eastern for low ceilings, inside a delay program that ran from early morning (FAA advisory 094).
• October 14: ground stop from 3:37 p.m. Eastern with the impacting condition "RWY-TAXI / CONSTRUCTION"; the FAA's average delay in the program rose to 86 minutes (FAA advisory 083).
• October 16: ground stop from 3:11 p.m. Eastern for low ceilings (FAA advisory 126).
• October 18: the morning operations plan still listed a Boston ground stop or delay program as expected after 11 a.m. Eastern (FAA ATCSCC advisory 021). No Boston ground stop or ground delay program advisory was issued that day.
• October 19: Boston issued a scheduling and arrival-delay advisory, not a ground stop or ground delay program. It called for 30 to 45 minutes of departure scheduling delay and up to 30 minutes of airborne holding, from 12:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Eastern (FAA ATCSCC advisory 038).
• October 20: the operations plan for today, issued at 7:23 p.m. Eastern on October 19, again lists a Boston ground stop or delay program as expected after 11 a.m. Eastern. No Boston ground stop or ground delay program advisory was on the October 20 list through advisory 011, sent at 2:56 a.m. Eastern (FAA ATCSCC advisory 057).

A pilot's take

A runway closure rarely shows up on a clear, calm day. It bites when the wind or cloud forces Logan into a runway layout that needed the closed runway. Then the arrival rate drops, and the FAA holds flights at their departure airports rather than have them circle Boston. If your Boston flight is in the afternoon, when most of these programs start, check the FAA status page before you leave home.

When Will Runway 9-27 Reopen?

The closure is 75 days, and Massport says it must be done before the Thanksgiving rush (NBC Boston). Two FAA sources still give different end dates. The Q2 2026 construction outlook lists August 31 to November 15, 2026 (FAA construction outlook). The Command Center operations plan for October 20 lists Runway 9-27 limited until 10/31/2026 0900Z, which is 5:00 a.m. Eastern on October 31, and Runway 15R-33L limited until 11/01/2026 2300Z, which is 6:00 p.m. Eastern on November 1 (FAA ATCSCC advisory 057). Dates can move; check before you fly.

What the Data Shows: When Boston Flights Run Late (BTS Data)

DelayGuard's BTS tables cover 418,699 Boston departures from January 2023 to December 2025. These years are before the current closure, so they show Logan's normal pattern, not the effect of the construction. A flight counts as delayed when it arrived 15 or more minutes late.

Source: DelayGuard analysis of BTS On-Time Reporting data, Boston Logan (BOS) flight delays.

Delays climb after midday, the same window in which most of this month's ground stops started. October (18.88%) and November (16.73%) are normally two of Logan's best months, so this fall's delays stand out more than they would in July (30.63%).

Other US Runway Closures This Fall

The FAA Command Center operations plan for October 20 lists these runway closures (FAA ATCSCC advisory 057, issued at 7:23 p.m. Eastern on October 19). No later operations plan was on the list by 2:56 a.m. Eastern on October 20. This is not a complete list; NOTAMs are the official source.

The FAA list is in UTC. Denver's closure runs until 0000Z on Nov 5, which is 7:00 p.m. Eastern on Nov 4. Hobby's Runway 4-22 runs until 0359Z on Dec 31, which is 10:59 p.m. Eastern on Dec 30. The other multi-week end dates in this table fall on the same calendar day in Eastern Time. The same plan's same-day windows are Teterboro 6/24 from 1000Z to 1600Z (6:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Eastern on October 20), Atlanta 10/28 from 1300Z to 1700Z (9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.), and Los Angeles 7R/25L from 2100Z to 2200Z (5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.). Los Angeles 6L/24R is 0730Z to 1700Z on October 21 (3:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Eastern) (FAA ATCSCC advisory 057).

Now off the list:

• New York JFK: the closure of the southeast part of Runway 13R-31L was on the FAA list on October 8 but is gone from the October 17 list, and it is still absent from the October 20 plan. It was listed "until 10/20" on October 8 (FAA ATCSCC advisory 029, FAA ATCSCC advisory 125, FAA ATCSCC advisory 057). Short overnight closures still appear in NOTAMs.
• Baltimore/Washington (BWI): Runway 10-28 reopened on October 15 after a full rehabilitation (BWI).

Note on San Francisco: the FAA list still shows construction on Runway 1R-19L and Taxiway W until November 15, but Runway 1R itself reopened in late September; see SFO Runway 1R Reopens.

What a Runway Closure Means for Your Flight

1. Fly earlier in the day. At Boston, 6 AM departures were delayed 11.38% of the time against 35.69% at 8 PM in our data, and most of this month's ground stops started in the afternoon.
2. Allow longer connections through BOS and the other airports above until their runways reopen.
3. Check the FAA, not just the airline app. FAA NAS Status shows ground stops, delay programs and the day's plan, often hours ahead.
4. Run your flight through the DelayGuard flight delay predictor to see its delay risk before you go.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are flights getting delayed in Boston?

Runway 9-27 at Boston Logan is closed or very limited while Massport installs a safety system at the end of Runway 27. With less runway, Logan lands fewer planes an hour, so the FAA uses ground stops and ground delay programs when weather or demand exceed that lower rate.

When will the Logan runway reopen?

Massport, quoted by NBC Boston, set a 75-day closure, to finish before Thanksgiving. The FAA construction outlook lists August 31 to November 15, 2026. The Command Center operations plan for October 20 lists Runway 9-27 limited operations until October 31.

What does it mean when an airport has a ground stop?

The FAA stops flights headed to that airport from taking off at their departure airports until the ground stop is lifted. Flights already in the air can still land. A ground delay program is milder: flights still depart, but with assigned later departure times.

Which US airports have runways closed right now?

As of the FAA Command Center operations plan for October 20: Boston, Miami, Denver, Seattle, San Francisco (construction), Washington Dulles, Houston Hobby, Nashville and Dallas/Fort Worth still had a runway closed, limited or under construction. The same plan lists same-day closures at Atlanta, Los Angeles and Teterboro, plus another Los Angeles closure on October 21. JFK's Runway 13R-31L work is no longer on the list.

Check your own flight A model probability for your Boston flight, separate from the historical rates in this article. Predict my flight

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