Scotland

Take off at Inverness Airport

A multi-million pound plan to upgrade Inverness Airport airfield is underway.

Regional airport operator Highland and Islands Airports Limited (HIAL) is investing £1.4 million on a resurfacing project on the airport’s mile long runway. The project will also see £1.2 million invested in a taxiway extension which will provide a link from the main runway to the site of the Inverness Airport Business Park.

The taxiway will open up the area for future development, including the opportunity for maintenance, repair and other aircraft facilities. The runway resurfacing works are required as the airport sees around 31,000 flights a year pass through it.

Airport operators HIAL is a public corporation company which operates and manages Barra, Benbecula, Campbeltown, Dundee, Islay, Kirkwall, Stornoway, Sumburgh, Tiree, Wick John O’Groats and Inverness. Inglis Lyon, Managing Director of HIAL said:

“The resurfacing of the main runway is a challenging and complex project, particularly given the volume of traffic Inverness Airport handles. However, the runway is one of our most important assets and this essential work will help extend its lifespan and ensure the airport is able to accommodate the forecast growth in demand for air travel.

“The extension of the taxiway system to Inverness Airport Business Park is also a significant investment for the future. It will allow aircraft access to the emerging business park and enable the development of key maintenance, repair and other ancillary facilities on the site.

“We will do everything we can to ensure that both projects are completed on time and do not disrupt normal airport operations.”

The work being carried out by the main contractor Colas Ltd is programmed to take up to 12 weeks. The runway resurfacing will largely be undertaken at night to avoid disrupting the airport’s scheduled operations with the connecting taxiway extension being constructed simultaneously by way of night and daytime activity, which again will not affect normal airport operations. The resurfacing project will involve replacing 1800 metres of existing tarmac and will extend the life of the runway for a further 20 years.

Colas Ltd is an experienced contractor with over 20 years offering services to the waste, industrial, energy and water sectors. They offer many services including highways maintenance programmes, airport construction projects to maintenance, surface treatments, construction projects, vehicle maintenance, road lighting solutions and landscape design.

David Hastings, chairman of Inverness Airport Business Park Ltd, said:

“We welcome this investment in the airport’s infrastructure, which will enhance Inverness Airport Business Park’s appeal to companies looking for an airside base. It will also underpin the business park’s locational advantages to companies across a range of sectors which simply want to benefit from great connectivity.”

The latest investment in the airfield follows the completion last year of an £850,000 project to upgrade the airport’s south apron, essentially the main parking area for passenger aircraft. The investment means that larger aircraft types, such as the A319 used by easyJet, can now park next to the airport’s arrivals area, allowing passengers to disembark much closer to the terminal. The project also enables the airport to accommodate more long range aircraft such as the Boeing 757.

Around 130 staff are employed by HIAL at Inverness Airport, which is located 15 kilometres east of the city of Inverness and is just a 20 minute drive from the city centre. Many of the Highlands major attractions are situated within one hour’s drive of Inverness; this makes Inverness Airport a superb access point for all visitors.

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Roma Publications