Refurbishing critical infrastructure with limited disruption to air traffic.
Runway 14R/32L at Toulouse-Blagnac airport in France is a vital piece of infrastructure in the airport’s operations for two key reasons. Firstly, it’s the most frequently used runway for Airbus, where ultra-high capacity aircraft with heavy weights operate and where unusual operations take place for test flights.
It is also a Cat III runway which enables precision instrument approaches and landing operations in all weather, with centreline and side aeronautical ground lighting (AGL) embedded in the pavement. The runway also has a famous pedigree – it’s where the first Concorde test flight took off from back in 1969.
Although regular maintenance is carried out on airside infrastructure, in 2019 runway 14R/32L and the related M11 and S11 taxiways all needed refurbishment and so did the airport ramps. This was a EUR 13 million investment by the airport operator to renovate infrastructure, lighting and wastewater drainage.
