Nearly three years after they first appeared, the cracks in Long Island MacArthur Airport's concrete apron have been fixed, airport officials said.

The cracks, first reported by Newsday in June 2006, posed a potential hazard because they could have collected debris that could have been sucked into plane engines.

The fissures developed in November 2005, a year after a new concrete apron was laid next to Gates 5 through 8 as part of Southwest Airlines' $82-million expansion at MacArthur.

Airport officials stressed that airport and Southwest staff inspected the tarmac daily to ensure that it was clear of debris.

Southwest paid to repair the concrete at Gates 5 through 8 and is laying new concrete at Gates 3 and 4, said Islip Supervisor Phil Nolan.

The apron next to Gates 3 and 4 showed no cracks, but was laid at the same time as the area that developed problems, airport officials said.