Night work keeps airport runway safe and reliable

The purpose of the over night work was to ensure the runway and taxiways are safe and reliable.

The work included removing rubber scuff marks on the tarmac left by landing aircraft, runway electrical kit maintenance, drainpipe lining and repairs and replacing areas of taxiway that were worn.

James Gordon, head of airfield infrastructure at the airport, said: “Each year we have more than 100,000 aircraft movements, some with the weight of 23 tonnes per wheel, which takes its toll on our runway and taxiways.

“That is why we close the airfield at night in November, when customer volumes are typically at their lowest, to carry out our essential maintenance to ensure it remains safe and reliable.

“So, while most people were sleeping in November, we were removing rubber scuffs from the runway, repairing tarmac, refreshing paint markings, maintaining ground lighting systems, cleaning our drains, along with a host of other tasks.”

Maintenance teams removed aircraft rubber tyre deposits equivalent to an area the size of two football pitches. They refreshed approximately 2km of paint markings, cleaned 12km of drains, and made various other repairs within areas of the airfield.

This work will ensure the runway and taxiways are in good, safe condition for at least the next 12 months.