The first crack in the Kona International Airport’s sole runway started out small — just 3-by-10 inches on Monday afternoon; but by the time a repair crew arrived later that day, it had eroded into a 3-foot hole, “smack dab in the middle” of the runway, said Gov. Josh Green. Then a second small crack was discovered, at 2-by-8 inches. Repairs shut down the runway overnight Monday, disrupting 26 flights.

Now a third crack’s been found, with work scheduled overnight Wednesday. State officials project these repairs will keep the runway functional until a previously scheduled, $120-million reconstruction and improvement project gets going this fall. Let’s hope so.