The Kaagbaan Runway will undergo extensive maintenance next year. From Monday 19 February 2024, we will be working hard for more than nine weeks to bring the runway back to perfect condition. We would like to explain what we will be doing and what the consequences will be for air traffic.
Every year, one of our runways undergoes major maintenance. This is necessary to carry out large-scale work that does not fit within the (minor) maintenance we carry out every year. Next year it is the Kaagbaan Runway's turn for so-called 'medium' major maintenance. This means that we are not renewing the entire runway, but that we are, for example, maintaining frequently used parts. The following list gives an example of tasks that will take place during the maintenance:
Replacing the asphalt of the Touch Down Zone (the part of the runway where landing aircraft make first contact with the runway) and of other parts of the runway, such as towards the taxiways
Replacing parts of the concrete at the head of Kaagbaan Runway
Replacing the asphalt of the service roads near the Kaagbaan Runway
Replacing the luminaires of all LED lighting systems and other work on the lighting systems
Work on the runway station
Work on the rainwater drainage pipes
Work on the surrounding grass fields.
Besides the maintenance of the Kaagbaan Runway itself, we also take on a number of projects that are in the so-called area of influence of the runway. We call these interface projects. For example, we are working on turning Quebec into a dual taxiway, making a new crossing and carrying out work on the Kaagbaan tunnel, which lies under the Kaagbaan Runway. We are also installing new electricity cables. This is necessary to electrify processes on airside, which in turn contributes to our sustainability ambitions.
Carrying out these interface projects will result in the maintenance on the Kaagbaan Runway taking a little longer than strictly necessary. But by including these works now, we avoid having to take the runway out of service again (several times) at a later date. In the long term, this will be beneficial and prevent unnecessary additional disruption.
In total, we are going to be working hard for 9 weeks and 4 days in order to carry out all the work. We will use our time as efficiently as possible and, if the work and circumstances permit, we will continue working at night and during weekends. But we'll also keep some moments free to catch up on any delays.
During this period of works, the Kaagbaan Runway is not deployable. This means that air traffic will use other runways. As we'll also be using runways we do not normally use, we have applied for an exemption from the Ministry of Infrastructure & Water Management. Depending on weather conditions, the following runways may be used.
For departing traffic:
Polderbaan Runway towards the north (runway direction 36L);
Zwanenburgbaan Runway towards the north (runway direction 36C) and towards the south (runway direction 18C);
Aalsmeerbaan Runway towards the south (runway direction 18L);
Buitenveldertbaan Runway towards the east (runway direction 09) and towards the west (runway direction 27).
For landing traffic:
Aalsmeerbaan Runway from the south (runway direction 36R);
Zwanenburgbaan Runway from the south (runway direction 36C) and from the north (runway direction 18C);
Polderbaan Runway from the north (runway direction 18R);
Buitenveldertbaan Runway from the east (runway direction 27)
In exceptional cases, the Schiphol-Oostbaan Runway can be used at night for landing traffic from the northeast (runway direction 22).
We realise that this maintenance may cause additional nuisance in the surrounding area. We will therefore keep you informed in the coming months about the work, the impact on air traffic and on our surroundings. Keep a close eye on schiphol.nl/kaagbaan and the neighbour newsletter.