Rats to blame for CNMI airport lighting problem

7:21 pm on 23 December 2015

Authorities in the Northern Marianas have blamed rats for the suspension of night time flights at the CNMI's main airport.

Saipan airport

Saipan airport Photo: supplied

Saipan International Airport was limited to daytime flights over the weekend because only about a third of its runway lights were operational.

The system was shut down to avoid further problems.

The Commonwealth Ports Authority had difficulty pinpointing the exact cause of the problem but it thought rodents may have chewed through the cable insulation exposing wires and causing a short circuit.

Night time flights resumed on Monday morning after the authorities fixed the problem.