Royal Engineers help on runway project

Friday 20 February 2015

Jersey Airport could get an upgrade to the emergency area used by planes that overshoot their landing – courtesy of the Royal Engineers.

Airports have an area called a RESA – which stands for Runway Emergency Safety Area – that is used when take-offs or landings go slightly wrong, and the pilot needs more room to slow down or manoeuver.

Jersey’s RESA meets all the relevant international standards, which require at least 90 metres on either end of the runway – at the St Peter’s end they have 260 metres of room, but at the end leading out into St Ouen’s Bay they have only just over the 90 metre threshold.

Ports of Jersey chief executive Doug Bannister said that no actual work would be happening, but that the Royal Engineers would be in the Island to do some community work and had asked if there were any projects they could help with.

And he said they asked the troops to have a think about the RESA, and how it could be extended.

He said: “It’s a training exercise for their engineers. There’s no structural work going on, it’s a table top exercise.

“Because they’re here we’re taking advantage of their expertise, but it’s more a training exercise for them really.”