Military and commercial aircraft are traveling to McGhee Tyson Airport as Hurricane Irene approaches the eastern seaboard.
According to the Tennessee Air National Guard, this is one of the largest air evacuations they have ever experienced. The Tennessee Air National Guard had more than 40 harrier ground attack planes as of Friday afternoon. The Tennessee Army National Guard had another 30 helicopters.
"We rarely have this many aircraft coming from one location for something like this," said Burl Lambert, Maintenance Group Commander of the 134 Air Refueling Wing.
He said the Tennessee Air National Guard is running out of space due to the sheer amount of aircraft that have come in.
McGhee Tyson Airport has only received a few commercial flights so far, according to Airport Spokesperson Becky Huckaby. But, she said they are expecting to see more canceled flights.
"As Irene moves through, we will have airplanes stationed here," Huckaby said.
She said airlines find McGhee Tyson to be an attractive alternative because of its proximity to the east coast, long runways and hotels.
Source: http://www.wbir.com
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