COMPLETES RESURFACING OF RUNWAY 05-23
Earlier today, Malta International Airport successfully concluded the resurfacing of
Runway 05-23; the airport’s 2.4 kilometres-long secondary runway, which was
originally constructed as an air force base when Malta was under British Rule. While
the runway has re-opened to General Aviation, it is expected to be fully
operational by the end of 2023, with minor infrastructural works due to take place
in early January.
Runway 23-05 is generally limited to use by General Aviation aircraft and aviation
training institutions, however the runway also carries 9% of the airport’s commercial
movements. Apart from providing the airport with additional operational flexibility,
the resurfacing of this runway was critical to ensure that rehabilitation works could
be undertaken on the primary runway, Runway 13-31, over the coming years.
“We set the ball rolling on this €14 million project in the first week of October and
saw the project through to completion in under three months. This rehabilitation
project formed part of our airport’s €250 million capital investment programme for
the period covering 2023 until 2028, which will deliver significant upgrades aimed
at improving the safety and efficiency of airport operations while developing the
airport further,” said Malta International Airport’s Chief Executive Officer Alan Borg.
The Director General for Civil Aviation at Transport Malta’s Civil Aviation
Directorate, Capt. Charles Pace, said that he is pleased to see that the timelines
for the project have been kept and that restrictions imposed on the General
Aviation community will be lifted. “I acknowledge that the restrictions were tough
on the General Aviation community, but the works were necessary, and it was
difficult to find the right balance at what has become a very busy airport all year
round,” said Capt. Pace.
Due to the scale of the infrastructural works required, the phasing of the project
was meticulously planned, with the excavation, build-up and reconstruction of
sections of the runway taking place at all hours to ensure that the programme of
works was completed as quickly yet safely as possible. Key highlights of the project
are detailed below.
Mr. Borg extended his gratitude to the 400-strong team involved in the project,
saying “I would like to take this opportunity to thank the airport team for working
against the clock to carry this complex project over the finish line before the end of
the year. I would also like to express my gratitude to our numerous stakeholders,
including the Malta Air Traffic Control Services, the Ministry for Transport,
Infrastructure, and Capital Projects and Transport Malta’s Civil Aviation
Directorate, as well as our contractors and sub-contractors, for their cooperation
throughout the duration of the project, and for the pivotal role they played in the
successful rehabilitation of Runway 05-23.”
PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS
The resurfacing project, which commenced in the first week of October and wascompleted by the last week of December, entailed a series of meticulousinterventions to reinforce and modernise the infrastructure of Runway 05-23.
Key highlights of the mammoth project include:
• The application of approximately 35,000 tonnes of special asphalt.
• The replacement of approximately 3,000 square meters of damagedconcrete sections were replaced with durable concrete blocks to bolster thestructural integrity of the runway.
• The installation of 50 kilometres of cable ducts along the sides of the runway,together with 35 kilometres of cables. 100 new manholes were alsointroduced to facilitate seamless cable routing.
• The installation of over 2.4 kilometres of stormwater pipework to mitigate therisk of water accumulation on the runway.
• The application of paint markings, covering 6,500 square meters.
• The integration of state-of-the-art lighting control systems to complementthe installation of 300 new light fittings along the runway.