A $4.8 million project to resurface the runway at LF Wade International Airport has been completed in less than three weeks.

Crews laid down 2,500 tons of asphalt on 7,000 feet of runway — but were only able to work at night when no flights were scheduled.

The project was led by contractor Lagan Aviation and Infrastructure Ltd and the East End Asphalt Company.

Malachey Doyle, Lagan’s project director, said that work teams faced a number of challenges.

He explained: “There is only one runway servicing the country which meant we had to wait for the last flight to land each evening, then mobilise our team to complete the milling and asphalting.

“The goal each night was to be off the runway shortly after 4am to ensure the airport was ready to receive the first flight each day.

“High winds and rainy conditions caused some delays but we were still able to meet our targets.

“Partnering with East End Asphalt has proven extremely productive as they were able to provide us with over 175 tons of asphalt each evening, which equated to 2,500 tons for this phase of the project.”

Randy Rochester, the chief executive officer of East End Asphalt, praised his staff for working around the clock to ensure that supplies of asphalt never ran out.

Mr Rochester said: “This was certainly a team effort with personnel coming in during the day to service the plant to ensure it was ready to be fired up at 7pm each evening.

“The plant performed extremely well because of their efforts, which was reflected in the quantity of asphalt produced each night and its high quality, having been certified for use on a heavily regulated international runway.”

Mr Rochester added that 25 trucking companies were hired to ferry the asphalt from East End Asphalt’s plant to the airport.

Skyport, the airport’s operator, has invested $16 million in upgrades at the facility since the new passenger terminal opened in 2020.

Aaron Adderley, the president of Skyport, said: “Earlier this year, Skyport completed the $4 million refurbishment of the air cargo facility and invested $5.5 million to upgrade the airfield runway and taxiway lighting system.

“This latest $4.8 million investment to resurface the runway is another major step in the transformation of our airport infrastructure.

“Lagan and East End Asphalt have done a fantastic job to successfully deliver what was a major and complex project, helping to ensure the runway continues to meet international standards for years to come.”