Polderbaan Runway Closed for 13 Weeks Due to Major Maintenance at Schiphol Airport
From 25 January to 26 April, Schiphol will be carrying out major maintenance on the Polderbaan Runway (18R-36L). During the activities, the runway will not be available for air traffic. This will affect aircraft noise in the surrounding area.
Major maintenance is being carried out on Polderbaan Runway. An area of 600,000 square metres is being renovated. 150,000 tonnes of asphalt will be supplied and processed for the maintenance of the runway and surrounding taxiways. 60% of the asphalt that is removed and recycled in the same batch of maintenance work will be reused. In addition to surface renewal, other activities include installing 70 kilometres of cabling and replacing 2,100 runway lights with a more sustainable LED variant with a longer service life. The activities will be carried out in collaboration with Heijmans.
Air Traffic Control the Netherlands (LVNL) will also take advantage of this period of major maintenance on Runway 18R-36L to replace the runway’s Instrument Landing System (ILS). An ILS helps aircraft to descend to the runway at a gradual angle.
During the maintenance period, the Polderbaan Runway will not be available for air traffic. Zwanenburgbaan Runway (18C-36C) will be used more in a southerly direction (for aircraft landing from the north). Zwanenburgbaan Runway cannot be fully used as a runway in a northerly direction during the maintenance, as the taxiways and access runways on the south side of this runway are not available due to work on the completion of the dual taxiway system. During the day, in the event of northerly winds, air traffic will therefore take off from Zwanenburgbaan Runway if possible, depending on current circumstances (such as air traffic, traffic composition and weather), or from Buitenveldertbaan Runway (09-27). For night flights during this period, an exemption has been requested for take-off from Zwanenburgbaan Runway. Occasionally, in the event of strong northeasterly winds, Kaagbaan Runway (06-24) to the northeast (direction 06) can be used for take-off.
A number of activities can only be carried out on the ILS after the major maintenance has been completed. During the 6-week period after the major maintenance comes to an end, it will therefore not be possible to use Runways 18R-36L and 18C-36C in all visibility conditions due to the work on the taxiways (26 Apr – 17 May) and maintenance on Runway 18C-36C itself (17 May – 6 June).
This article was originally published by Schiphol.
