The latest lot of repair work to Alderney Airport’s runway was due to be finished overnight – with the bill for this year alone reaching almost half a million pounds.
Patches have been added to the asphalt runway and taxiway as part of its ongoing maintenance programme that’s needed to keep the airport open.
The work began last Tuesday with Aerodrome pavement specialists AMCO Giffen carrying out the repairs.
A specialist assessment was carried out ahead of the works, to identify the priority areas of requiring attention. The contractor then worked to a targeted repair scheme, which involved cutting out failed asphalt sections of the runway and taxiway and reinstating them using specialist materials.
Guernsey Ports said the work was part of Alderney Airport’s commitment to maintaining safety, reliability, and integrity of its aerodrome infrastructure.
It also said the latest work would bring the total spent on repairs this year to approximately £460,000.
Guernsey Ports is also currently developing designs for an extensive rehabilitation of the asphalt runway, taxiway and apron. This will help to inform longer-term proposals that the Policy & Resources Committee will present to the States of Deliberation.
The States had previously agreed to spend up to £24million redeveloping Alderney’s airport and runway, but the cheapest tender came in at £13m above that so the plans were scrapped.
Instead, the States are now looking at alternative options with a focus on a cheaper, practical runway, suitable for smaller planes.