Kaagbaan available for air traffic again after major maintenance
As of 19:00 on Thursday 25 April, the Kaagbaan Runway is available for air traffic again after a period of major maintenance. Over the past few months, a lot of hard work has been carried out to finish the maintenance project on time. The work that has been done on the runway means that it can continue to be used safely over the coming years.
The amount of rainfall over the past weeks had an impact on the schedule, and maintenance on the Kaagbaan Runway progressed more slowly. This was mainly because the asphalt layers needed to be applied to a dry surface. A lot of hard work was done, including at night and during weekends, to deliver on schedule. As of 19:00 on 25 April, the Kaagbaan Runway is available again for air traffic to and from Schiphol.
Large-scale maintenance on our runways is an important and major task each year. From working with large amounts of asphalt and concrete to replacing drainage systems and runway lighting. And from an infrastructure project with an extremely tight schedule and nighttime working hours to alternative runway use and its impact on our neighbours. It takes a lot of work every year and we take all the various interests into account. The renovation of our most frequently used runway means additional nuisance for our neighbours. That's why we pulled out all the stops to finish the work as quickly as possible. That was quite difficult this year due to the weather conditions but, with due pride, we can start using the runway again as of this evening. A big thank you to everyone who contributed to this project!
A review of the works
During this period of maintenance, extensive works were carried out that cannot be done during the (smaller scale) annual maintenance period. Work was carried out on the frequently used parts of the runway and 86,800 m2 of new asphalt was laid. There's also a new taxiway and a refurbished airport lighting system, as well as 1,500 metres of rainwater drainage system and 160 kilometres of electricity cables. We have worked hard on the Kaagbaan and several surrounding projects to keep the maintenance period as short as possible. In the coming period, work will continue to complete the surrounding projects.
Sweeping the runway and other projects
The runway still needs to be swept in the coming period so that it can be used safely and efficiently. While this is going on, the Kaagbaan Runway will be unavailable for a few hours at night. Read more about the sweeping works here. In addition, other surrounding projects are still being worked on, including Dual Taxiway Quebec. Some of these works need to be carried out close to the runway, meaning it cannot be deployed for landing traffic at times of limited visibility.
Following maintenance
Now that the major maintenance on the Kaagbaan Runway is complete, Schiphol is focusing on the regular annual maintenance of the runways and the major maintenance on the Buitenveldertbaan Runway (scheduled for 2025). In the preparations, Schiphol is considering the insights gained from the recent maintenance, including the work carried out, the extensive communication campaign, the compensation provided to local residents and the questions and reports received by the Local Community Contact Centre (BAS).