WORK is to get underway on a £1.3 million project to resurface the runway and apron at Shetland’s Tingwall Airport.
Shetland Islands Council said the work is expected to take around four weeks and will be carried out by the local authority’s roads service team – with some additional plant being hired for the work.
The project will place a ‘heavy demand’ on the council-run Scord Quarry to supply the estimated 3,500 tonnes of asphalt that will be laid on the 805 metre-long main runway and apron.
The quarry will prioritise the supply of asphalt to the project to ensure the works are completed on schedule. The local authority added that any contractors requiring asphalt during this time are asked to contact the quarry to discuss availability, depending on the quantity they may need.
The resurfacing work is needed to improve the integrity of the runway, which has deteriorated in recent years – seeing the need for increasing maintenance. The essential work is also required for flight operations to continue for years to come and for continued licencing by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
Moraig Lyall, chair of Shetland Islands Council’s environment and transport committee, and ZetTrans, said, “Resurfacing the runway at Tingwall Airport represents a major investment by the council to support the communities in Foula and Fair Isle who rely on lifeline flights for many aspects of island life. Tingwall Airport, in the central mainland, is an important component of our resilience as an island group and this investment in the infrastructure will enable it to remain an important hub for inter-island flights.”
