London Luton Airport (LLA) has invested £18m (US$24m) to resurface its runway.
The works are expected to upgrade the durability and performance of the runway while bolstering the long-term safety and efficiency of airport operations from a regulatory and safety viewpoint.
The project was delivered over five months of night working by a team of 120 resurfacing experts, following months of planning to ensure operational impacts were kept to a minimum.
Work on the 2.16km runway commenced each night at 00:01 and completed by 05:45, ahead of the first scheduled flight to depart. Each nightshift involved more than 120 plant and vehicles, and required detailed planning with airfield operations, Air Traffic Control and teams across the airport including health and safety, motor transportation, technical engineering services and security.
Marc Wolman, infrastructure director at London Luton Airport, commented, “The resurfacing of the London Luton Airport runway was an immense, once in a generation project – the airport’s largest airfield engineering program in two decades.
“We are delighted to have delivered this critical piece of infrastructure safely, on time, on budget and with minimal impact on airfield operations or our neighboring communities. Now, after more than 18 months of meticulous planning and execution, LLA has a new runway in peak condition to ensure a safe, simple and friendly passenger experience for the millions of travelers who pass through the airport each year,” he added.
The program of works included a taxiway extension, the replacement of over 1,000 halogen runway lights with more energy-efficient LED units, and the installation of a new weather sensor for enhanced forecasting accuracy.
Brandi Davey, project manager from Lagan Aviation & Infrastructure, added, “Lagan Aviation and Infrastructure are pleased to have completed the resurfacing of the runway at London Luton Airport, with over 130,000 hours of work to replace 30,000 tonnes of asphalt, and upgrade over 1,000 lights to LED.”
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