The first phase of the Airport Runway Project has been completed on time and within the estimated budget,

Minister of Tourism Development and Transport, Shawn Crockwell has announced.

It took seven months and cost $4.9 million, said the minister. “The result is a first class airfield infrastructure that meets advanced safety requirements.”

Phase two of the project which calls for improvements to the Approach Lighting Barrettes at the Clearwater end of the runway, will commence in the middle of next year.

Following the introduction of new regulations by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) in 2009, physical objects including roof tops, hills and trees along a portion of Ferry Reach that fell within the final approach path to Runway 12, were classified as obstacles that needed to be addressed within a multi-year timeframe.

“Demolishing homes and removing hilltops on arable land was clearly not a viable option, so we looked at increasing the descent angle of approaching aircraft thus elevating them slightly higher as they fly in over Ferry Reach. This essentially takes those physical objects outside of the approach cone and they’re no longer considered safety obstacles,” said L.F. Wade International Airport General Manager, Aaron Adderley.

By increasing the descent angle, planes will now touch down further along the runway meaning that all of the lighting systems and runway markings that guided approaching aircraft to the original touch down zone had to be relocated and the threshold displaced and repositioned 587 feet further down the runway.

The project also called for the installation of enhanced taxiway and runway signage; and high intensity, LED runway centreline lighting. According to Mr. Adderley, use of LED lighting satisfies two of the Airport’s business objectives.

“It helps realise energy savings and perhaps most significantly, gain a higher regulatory certification with an increased safety factor.”

International weather minima criteria set by aviation regulators, ICAO and the FAA, the airport is now equipped with the necessary lighting and navigational aid equipment to qualify as having a Category One Approach for the first time ever.

“Prior to the completion of the upgrades, our navigational aids and minimal lighting capability dictated that an arriving aircraft would have to circle until visibility on the approach improved to at least 1,200 metres. If conditions failed to improve, the aircraft would have to divert to an alternate airport along the East Coast resulting in flight cancellations,” said Mr. Adderley.

“With the new runway centreline lighting, aircraft can now safely land at our airport with a minimum visibility of 800 metres, the type of conditions one could expect during a heavy thunderstorm for example, and not have to divert,” said Mr. Adderley.

Once phase one was completed, the airport was required to carry out a flight inspection to certify the new approach. Bermudian carrier, Longtail Aviation, was commissioned to conduct the work, marking the first time local resources were used for such a task.

“Longtail Aviation is honoured and pleased to have been asked to assist with this project,” said Martin Amick, Longtail’s CEO and Head of Flight Operations.

“Mr. Adderley and his team did an excellent job managing a very complex undertaking. The result is a safer, more modern, more energy efficient airport. We are proud to call this airport our home base.”

Mr. Adderley added that while flight arrivals into airport are affected by low visibility conditions only a few times a year and the Category One status would resolve most of these occurrences, the new certification is a prerequisite for the recently announced airspace initiative that the airport is pursuing.