Knock airport appoints contractors for €11.2m runway overlay

A company connected with Northern Ireland construction magnate Michael Lagan is part of a joint venture that has won the contract for work on Ireland West Airport Knock's runway.

Following a tender process, a joint venture comprising Lagan Airport Maintenance and Clare Civil Engineering Company Ltd won the €11.2 million contract.

The project to resurface runway 26/08, which opened in 1985, is getting the majority, or 75 per cent, of its funding from the Department of Tourism, Transport and Sport, with the airport funding €2.8 million of the project.

Preparatory works are due to begin “immediately”, a spokesman said, with the main resurfacing works scheduled to begin in May.

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The work includes a complete resurfacing of the existing runway and taxiway surfaces, the removal and reinstallation of the runway edge, centre line and touch down lighting. This overlay represents the first time in Knock airport’s 34-year history that the runway has been fully refurbished.

It’s expected the resurfacing works will take place overnight outside of operational hours over a three-month period. The construction window is up to six hours per night given the set-up work required and the preparations needed to return the runway to normal operations every morning.

"The project is an essential investment in the future of Ireland West Airport in safeguarding the operation of the airport for the next 15 to 20 years," said Arthur French, the airport's chairman.

“Runway 26/08 which opened in 1985, has seen over 10 million passengers land and take off on it and it is a critical element of the airport’s infrastructure.”

Steve Turner, director of Lagan Airport Maintenance, said the joint venture company has an experiences and highly skilled team who are "looking forward to working collaboratively with the full project team to carry out the essential infrastructure works enhancing the lifespan of the runway for many years to come".

Knock airport is the State's fourth-largest and in 2018, more than 770,000 passengers travelled through it. The Co Mayo airport serves 23 international destinations with Aer Lingus, Ryanair and Flybe. Additionally, it offers services to continental and mainland Europe routes through TUI Holidays.