Luton Airport celebrate completion of runway resurfacing programme

Luton Airport has celebrated the completion of programme to resurface the airport’s runway.

The £18million project was intended to upgrade the durability and performance of the runway, with the operators of Luton Airport saying the scheme ensures the continued long-term safety and efficiency of airport operations from a regulatory and safety viewpoint. 

Work on the project was completed late last month, with the complex project delivered over five months of night working by a 120-strong team of resurfacing experts. Luton Airport said the operation followed months of meticulous planning to ensure operational impacts were kept to a minimum level.

The runway resurfacing works commenced each night at 00:01 and were completed by 05:45 ahead of the first scheduled flight to depart. Each nightshift crew who worked on the 2.16km runway involved more than 120 plant and vehicles, and required detailed planning with airfield operations, Air Traffic Control and teams across the airport including health and safety, motor transport, technical engineering services and security.

Marc Wolman, Infrastructure Director at London Luton Airport, said, “The resurfacing of the London Luton Airport runway was an immense, once in a generation project – the airport’s largest airfield engineering programme in two decades. A complex project of this scale will always present operational challenges and we are delighted to have delivered this critical piece of infrastructure safely, on time, on budget and with minimal impact on airfield operations or our neighbouring communities. Now, after more than 18 months of meticulous planning and execution, LLA has a new runway in peak condition to ensure a safe, simple and friendly passenger experience for the millions of travellers who pass through the airport each year.”

Luton Airport confirmed that the full list of the works programme initiated included a taxiway extension, the replacement of over 1,000 halogen runway lights with more energy-efficient LED units, and the installation of a new weather sensor for enhanced forecasting accuracy.

Brandi Davey, Project Manager from Lagan Aviation, added, “Lagan Aviation and Infrastructure are pleased to have completed the resurfacing of the runway at London Luton Airport, with over 130,000 hours of work to replace 30,000 tonnes of asphalt, and upgrade over 1,000 lights to LED. LLA is a longstanding client of Lagan, having completed its last runway refurbishment in 2006. This project has demonstrated what can be achieved with a shared goal, and a collaborative approach to project delivery. We look forward to future opportunities to continue this successful partnership, with LLA and its shareholders, AENA and Infrabridge.”