Belfast International Airport Case Study - AGL
CLIENT
Belfast International Airport is the main airport for the city of Belfast in Northern Ireland. Until 1983, it was known as Aldergrove Airport, after the nearby village of Aldergrove.
The majority of flights from Belfast International are operated by easyJet, Northern Ireland's biggest airline. It features flights to some European metropolitan and several leisure destinations.
Belfast International has a CAA Public Use Aerodrome Licence that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction. The airfield was previously shared with the Royal Air Force base RAF Aldergrove, which closed in 2008. The base is now known as Joint Helicopter Command Flying Station, Aldergrove, and both runways are now owned by the airport. The airport is owned and operated by Vinci Airports.
CHALLENGE
The Taxiway Charlie Rehabilitation Project in 2019 involved undertaking surfacing patch repairs to the existing taxiway along with AGL upgrade and associated electrical works.
LAML were contracted to undertake saw AGL cable chasing, saw cutting and AGL seating pot installation. The works were carried out under limited airside possession periods.
Works carried out by LAML over four months included:
• Installation of 68 No. 8” AGL sealing pots
• Completion of 68 No. 500mm stabilisation cores and 68 No. 107mm centre cores
• 1500m of 16mm saw cutting and sealing for secondary cables using N2 hot applied joint sealant
• 3000m of saw cutting to pavement edges.
BENEFITS
As part of the Taxiway Rehabilitation project the airport needed to upgrade their existing AGL lighting provision. The AGL seating pot stabilisation process ensures that the AGL seating pot has a solid foundation for the bedding mortar that is used to secure the seating pot in place. This prevents any movement or sinking of the light once it is installed and trafficked by aircraft.
Cable chasing is undertaken in the binder course layer of the pavement. The chases are installed as a channel to lay the AGL electrical cables into. The cables are overlaid with joint sealant paper backer rod to firmly hold the cable in the bottom of the chase. The cable chase is then sealed with joint sealant material to secure the cables in place and cover the cable chase. The cable chases are then overlaid with the new surfacing materials.