TIMIŞOARA AIRPORT RUNWAY AND AIRCRAFT PARKING PLATFORM TO BE EXPANDED 20 million lei investment in overhauling the Timişoara International Airport

Eugen Chiosa,

TimiŞoara

The works for the extension of the runway and the aircraft parking platform of the "Traian Vuia" International Airport of Timişoara will begin on July 4th 2009. The investment will cost 19,655,000 lei, around EUR 5 million excluding VAT, approved by the Technical Economic Council of the Ministry of Transports and Infrastructure, with the entire amount to come from the public budget.

The designer is SC Iptana SA Bucureşti, whereas the contractors are SC. Icim Arad and S.C. I.C.C.O. - Electric S.R.L. Braşov (which will handle the beacon system).

The aircraft parking platform of the "Traian Vuia" Timişoara International Airport only has 17 parking spots for medium-sized aircraft, with a total area of approximately 50,000 sqm. The aircraft parking platform and the takeoff/landing runway will be connected by two taxiways: "A" and "B".

According to the director of the airport, Dan Idolu, "the current parameters of air traffic have revealed that the surface of the aircraft parking and service platform is congested in times of peak traffic, thus being unable to meet the needs for these operations, and the runway is busy most of the time, due to landing/take off procedures, which can lead to operating delays and therefore, large fuel consumptions and discomfort for passengers".

As air traffic has been increasing, in order to extend the surface available for aircraft moves, the works for the new "C-F" runway and for extending the aircraft parking platform towards the east.

The completion of the investment will bring the following benefits: streamlinedf air traffic, by reducing the time the landing strips are busy by 14 minutes, which will prove extremely beneficial especially during peak traffic, (in the 07.30-09.30, and 13.30-16.30 time frames, approximately 34 aircrafts take off or land), the creation of an additional 5 aircraft parking spots (up to 22) and the increase of air traffic safety.

Taxiway "C" has a length of 187 m, a width of 35 m and 39 m thick concrete slabs, and taxiway "F" is 836 m long, 25 m wide and m 39 m thick concrete slabs. The aircraft parking platform has been extended by approximately 20,700 sqm. The gross building area is around 59,000 sqm.