Whether it is the single runway at San Diego or the eight runways at Chicago O’Hare, all must be regularly maintained. While it might seem self-explanatory, “runway maintenance” refers to all activity needed to keep the landing strip safe for aircraft use. This included the removal of debris, sealing cracks, repaving, and rubber and snow removal.
Regarding the airport pecking order, runways are an airport’s most valuable asset and must always be in tip-top condition. This is particularly true for airports that rely on a single runway, like London Gatwick Airport (LGW) or North America’s busiest single runway at SAN. Should an airport need to close a runway for maintenance, it can lead to traffic delays and affect the airport’s finances.
Runway maintenance is usually done at night
For practical reasons, nearly all runway maintenance occurs at night when the airport is closed or has alternative runways where planes can land. During the day, most airports have a constant flow of aircraft taking off and landing, so closing a runway down for repairs will impact the airport negatively.
Photo: Heathrow Airport
Doing the runway maintenance at night also allows the people conducting the work a longer, uninterrupted window of time to complete the job efficiently. When an airport schedules a runway for maintenance, be it overnight or for extended periods, it issues A Notice to Airmen/Notice (NOTAM) advising airlines and pilots that a particular runway will be out of service for a set number of hours or days.
As an extra safety measure when an airport closes a runway, two giant illuminated flashing X signs are erected at both ends. Certified for use by the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA), the flashing X symbol markers are bright enough to be seen by pilots from miles away both during the day and at night.
Repaving and painting
Besides repaving work, the runway needs to be repainted with visible markings to ensure the safe navigation of aircraft. The paint used is a special solvent-based acrylic line paint made especially for the job. Before commencing the work, it is vitally important to have enough paint on hand to complete the job.
Photo: Stansted Airport
Because of the massive scope involved in repaving a runway, the crews rely on heavy machinery to assist them. Tipper trucks, excavators, bulldozers, and heavy rollers are all involved, as are 3D milling machines that cut grooves in the runway to ensure rain runoff. Because the work occurs at night, they also require powerful lights and power from electric generators.
Rubber and snow removal
While repaving requires a runway to be closed, there are other occasions. When aircraft land and their tires contact the runway, the friction build-up causes the rubber to polymerize and harden to the runway surface. Over time, this creates a problem, especially when it rains, as it can affect how the plane lands.
To address the issue, airports use high-water pressure machines to remove built-up rubber. Again, this is a job done at night, and at especially busy airports, it can take place as often as three times per week.
Another task airports need to undertake is to ensure that the grass on either side of the runway is mowed regularly so that it is kept short. While it gives the airport a clean, tidy appearance, the main reason is to prevent the accumulation of birds.
Photo: Salt Lake City Airport
Before winter arrives, airports are busy ensuring that all the snow-moving equipment has been well maintained and is ready to go to work immediately. Airports also build up their supplies of chemicals sprayed on the runways to help prevent ice. Snow plows, blowers, and dump trucks are used during significant snow accumulations to ensure that runways remain open and operational.