Runway

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First seen

"The Glass Ballerina"

Last seen

"The End"

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Constructed by

The Others

Controlled by

None

Connection

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Number

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Purpose

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Status

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Discovered by

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DHARMA Initiative Stations
The Hydra • The Arrow • The Swan
The Flame • The Pearl • The Orchid
The Staff • The Tempest
The Looking Glass • The Lamp Post

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Theories

The Others constructed a runway or landing strip on Hydra Island by clearing a straight path of vegetation and rocks.

PurposeEdit

In 2004, Kate and Sawyer were captured by the Others and forced to remove large rocks and debris from the field as hard labor. ("The Glass Ballerina")  ("Every Man for Himself")  ("I Do")

Juliet previously claimed she did not know the purpose of the runway, but offered one (probably tongue-in-cheek) possibility: ("Through the Looking Glass, Part 1")

According to the Official Lost Podcast of March 19, 2009, Jacob ordered the runway to be built. It seems highly probable that Jacob was expecting the arrival of Flight 316.

HistoryEdit

Construction (2004)Edit

Overhead shot of the runway taken from the "deleted scenes" on the Season 3 DVD

Sawyer and Kate were abruptly taken from their cages by a group of Others, under the leadership of Danny and Tom. They were assigned different tasks by Danny, who appeared to be the site's supervisor. Kate was forced to break apart rocks while Sawyer wheeled them away. There appeared to be a number of other people performing similar jobs. ("The Glass Ballerina")

Danny also employed a very strict system of rules and punishments at the runway; he used a taser, previously employed by Juliet, to help keep Sawyer and Kate quiet and obedient. Juliet appeared to hold equal, if not greater, authority than Danny, as freely she offered Sawyer a drink from her canteen without any objection from Danny. ("The Glass Ballerina")

Alexandra Rousseau sneaked into the work site in order to ask Kate about Karl. ("The Glass Ballerina")

Alex sneaked into the runway site a second time, attempting to free Kate and Sawyer. She inadvertently set off an alarm and was quickly captured by Danny. Before being taken away, she managed to tell Kate, "Don't believe a word they say. They'll kill your boyfriend just like they did mine." ("I Do")

Later that day, Kate was brought to Jack in an attempt to convince him to perform a surgery on Ben. During their meeting, Jack asked her what they were doing at the work site. Kate responded that she did not know, "But it's something big". ("I Do")

After a deal was made that allowed Sawyer and Kate to escape, the Others evacuated Hydra Island and ceased work at the runway.

Emergency landing of Ajira Flight 316 (2007)Edit

An enhanced image of Ajira 316 beside the runway.

The runway spotted on approach ("Namaste")

Ajira Airways Flight 316 used the runway to land after the co-pilot spotted the strip. ("The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham")  ("Namaste") It proved not to be long enough to accommodate the landing of Ajira Airways Flight 316 at such a high landing speed, and the plane veered slightly off the strip into the jungle near the end of the strip. The runway seems considerably more complete than it was in 2004, suggesting the Others have been working on it in the interim.

Later Sawyer visited the runway when The Man in Black sent him to Hydra Island. ("Recon")

The runway was finally used by Frank to take off from in Ajira Airways Flight 316. The runway was shown cracking as the island is being destroyed. ("The End")

Notable VisitorsEdit

• Jack Shephard - Went to escape on Ajira 316, but left after finding out about the C4.
• Kate Austen - Was forced to build it. Went to escape on Ajira 316, but left after finding out about the C4; but returned and escaped.
• James Ford - Was forced to build it. Went to escape on Ajira 316, but left after finding out about the C4; but returned and escaped.
• Hugo Reyes - Went to escape on Ajira 316, but left after finding out about the C4.
• Sayid Jarrah - Went to escape on Ajira 316, but left after finding out about the C4.
• Jin Kwon - Went to escape on Ajira 316, but left after finding out about the C4.
• Sun Kwon - Crash landed there. Went to escape on Ajira 316, but left after finding out about the C4.
• Claire Littleton - Went to escape on Ajira 316, but left after finding out about the C4; but returned and escaped.
• Ben Linus - Presumably helped build it. Crash landed there.
• Juliet Burke - Helped build it.
• The Man in Black - Went there to collect C4 from the Ajira plane.
• Miles Straume - Went to escape on Ajira 316.
• Richard Alpert - Went to escape on Ajira 316.
• Frank Lapidus - Crash landed there. Went to escape on Ajira 316.
• Alex Rousseau - Went to help Sawyer and Kate escape and find Karl.
• Charles Widmore - Set up a camp near the runway and most likely planted the C4.
• Danny Pickett - Helped build it.

Trivia Edit

• The purpose of the Others' work on Hydra Island was originally intended to be revealed as early as "The Cost of Living": Danny Pickett asks Sawyer if he knows what they're working on, and then reveals that it is going to be a runway. However, the scene was ultimately cut from the final episode, so Juliet answers Sawyer's question in "Through the Looking Glass, Part 1" instead.