Belfast International Airport - Phase 1 Taxiway Rehabilitation
CLIENT
Belfast International Airport is the main airport for the city of Belfast in Northern Ireland. Until 1983, it was known as Aldergrove Airport, after the nearby village of Aldergrove.
The majority of flights from Belfast International are operated by easyJet, Northern Ireland's biggest airline. It features flights to some European metropolitan and several leisure destinations.
Belfast International has a CAA Public Use Aerodrome Licence that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction. The airfield was previously shared with the Royal Air Force base RAF Aldergrove, which closed in 2008. The base is now known as Joint Helicopter Command Flying Station, Aldergrove, and both runways are now owned by the airport. The airport is owned and operated by Vinci Airports.
CHALLENGE
Charles Brand, a company within the Lagan Group, had been appointed Principal Contractor on Phase 1 of Taxiway Charlie Rehabilitation Project in 2018/2019. The rehabilitation project involved undertaking surfacing patch repairs to the existing taxiway along with AGL upgrade and associated electrical works.
LAML were contracted to undertake saw AGL cable chasing, saw cutting and AGL seating pot installation. The works were carried out under limited airside possession periods.
Works carried out by LAML over four months included:
Installation of 68 No. 8” AGL sealing pots
Completion of 68 No. 500mm stabilisation cores and 68 No. 107mm centre cores
1500m of 16mm saw cutting and sealing for secondary cables using N2 hot applied joint sealant
3000m of saw cutting to pavement edges.
BENEFITS
The airport remaining operational is key for the Island so any downtime needs to be minimised. By investing in life-extending maintenance solutions such as overbanding and replacing joint sealant the end client is able to reduce disruption and prolong the life of their infrastructure. Overbanding reduces water ingress into the underlying pavement from cracking. In the colder weather water damage through the freeze-thaw effects can cause potholes and surface failure resulting in FOD (foreign object debris) issues. Overbanding helps prevent this from occurring. Joint sealing allows the pavement materials to expand and contract due to weather conditions without cracking or damage occurring.