Todays newspapers are saying that the British have become aware of ancient irrigation channels known as qanats underneath the runway, they are concerned that these could impair the runway strength!
Sounds like utter tosh~!
As for the closure of the airport, I would agree with 7x7, I believe that it has more to do with the fact that the airport was built by a foreign consortium who were going to operate it for X years before handing it back to the country. As the airport is now going to be operated by a local airline consortium, I would be interested in knowing if the foreign group got refunded for their initial investment?
Mutt.