NOVEMBER NIGHT WORK KEEPS RUNWAY SAFE AND RELIABLE FOR BHX CUSTOMERS

November night work keeps runway safe and reliable for BHX customers 

Birmingham Airport (BHX) carried out £2.8m of essential maintenance work on its runway and taxiways overnight in November. 

The purpose of the work is to ensure the runway and taxiways are safe and reliable for BHX customers. It included: 

• removing rubber scuff marks on the tarmac left by landing aircraft 

• runway electrical kit maintenance 

• drainpipe lining and repairs 

• replacing areas of taxiway that are worn 

James Gordon, Head of Airfield Infrastructure at BHX, 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.” 

BHX 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.