Zurich Airport is renovating the runway during ongoing flight operations
With the start of the summer flight schedule, hustle and bustle returns to Zurich Airport. The airport is starting to renovate runway 10/28, mind you during ongoing flight operations.
A few months ago, Innsbruck Airport had to completely cease flight operations due to extensive runway renovation. Runway rehabilitation is now also imminent at Zurich Airport, but flight operations will not be suspended, as our colleagues from abouttravel.ch to report.
Slope rehabilitation takes place at night
Zurich Airport is facing a logistical challenge that is linked to a number of variables. The rehabilitation work on runway 10/28 at Zurich Airport will begin with the start of the summer flight schedule. The runway, completed in 1948, was extended to its current length of 2,500 meters between 1959 and 1960. It was built with a concrete superstructure that has a durability of around 30 years, depending on the intensity of use. After the runway was last renovated in 1985, the concrete superstructure is now approaching the end of its service life, so that the renovation work must now begin.
However, the renovation of a piste is not uncommon in the recent past. Extensive renovation of piste 14/32 took place in 2014. Therefore, the necessary knowledge for operation-friendly renovation is sufficiently available. Runway 10/28, like runway 14/32, will be renovated during ongoing flight operations. This means that a complete closure of a runway does not occur. Therefore, the remedial measures take place during the nightly breaks in operation. During the renovation work, the median strip of the slope will be given a new three-layer asphalt surface in stages. A special low-temperature asphalt is used, which quickly creates load-bearing capacity. During the day, the runway has to be ready for use again, as aircraft take off and land regularly on the runway.
In addition, the runway lighting, i.e. the approach, runway and taxiway lighting, will be completely renewed. From now on, the airport will have new, communicative LED lights installed. Previously, halogens were used.
Weather as a challenge – noise protection as a duty
However, two variables stand in the way of the remedial measures. For one, the weather. Dry nights are one of the basic requirements for being able to work on the concrete runway. Every night on which bad weather cannot be written must be made up. The renovation work is scheduled to take between 70 and 80 nights, so the work could be completed before the start of the summer holidays. If the work is delayed due to bad weather, the completion of all measures can be delayed until September.
Since the work takes place at night, noise protection for residents is high on the agenda. In order to ensure a night’s sleep, some measures have been introduced with the renovation work. Construction transports are allowed to drive through neighboring residential areas at night. Meanwhile, no work takes place on the nights from Friday to Saturday and from Saturday to Sunday. If noisy work takes place during the week, mobile noise protection turnaround will ensure appropriate noise insulation.
Conclusion on runway rehabilitation at Zurich Airport
The upcoming runway renovation poses logistical challenges for Zurich Airport. However, the airport is very familiar with them, and the renovation of runway 14/32 was unspectacular. Let’s sincerely hope for dry weather so that the slope renovation can also take place without any disruptive noise.
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