Article from BTNews 21 NOVEMBER 2016
Runway upgrade for Dublin
Almost 695,000 extra seats across the route network have joined the roster at Dublin Airport this winter season, just as the airport last week launched a major upgrade for its main runway.
The work, which includes a complete resurfacing and installation of new ground lighting systems and has created 150 construction jobs, is being carried out at night and will take 18 months.
The extra seats represent a 6% increase in capacity compared to last year. Four new services coinciding with the winter season have seen Flybe starting service to Doncaster, Ryanair adding Hamburg and Sofia to its network and KLM flying to Amsterdam.
Seven services which started during the summer will operate this winter schedule for the first time. Capacity and frequency will also increase on a number of other routes, making this Dublin’s busiest winter season yet.
The overhaul of Runway 10/28, which opened in 1989 and typically handles 95% of all flights at Dublin Airport, can be undertaken only at night as it requires the full closure of the facility.
The window for construction is only about 4hr per night, due to the set-up process required and preparations for returning the runway to normal operations every morning in time for the airport’s busiest time of the day.
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