Wellington Airport has finished a major runway safety upgrade by installing new safety zones at the end of each runway.
The work was completed in Wellington after months of preparation, and airport leaders say it will make flying even safer. The new zones use special energy-absorbing blocks called EMAS, which are designed to stop an aircraft safely if it accidentally goes past the end of the runway during take-off or landing. This is very unlikely to happen, but the new system adds extra protection.
The project has also increased the usable length of the runway. Airport officials said this gives planes an extra 143 metres for landing and 37 metres for take-off. Wellington Airport chief executive Matt Clarke said the work was difficult and was mostly done between 1am and 6am so normal flights would not be disturbed. He said the most complicated part happened overnight on Monday, when about 80 people took part in the final changeover.
Clarke explained that all the runway line markings had to be changed at the same time. He said 15 line-marking trucks were used, which meant nearly every available crew in the lower North Island was involved. The airport carefully planned and practised the work so flights could begin using the new runway settings from 6am that morning.
The airport says the new runway dimensions mean it could now handle widebody aircraft flying non-stop from major hubs in Asia and North America. Clarke said this could also allow planes leaving Wellington to carry full passenger loads on routes that were previously too difficult.
