Netherlands, Amsterdam Airport major maintenance & renovation Runway 18L-36R (Aalsmeerbaan)

Runway 18L-36R (Aalsmeerbaan) is one of the six runways of Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. The runway was initially opened in 1950 and was expanded in 1967 and is 45 metres wide and 3400 metres long. Major maintenance of Runway 18L-36R was carried out between 1st April and 1st July 2022. Initially, the runway was to remain closed until mid-July, but the work was completed earlier.

During the maintenance and renovation period, the upper asphalt layers on most of the runway (153,000 m2) were replaced. This involved reusing the old asphalt from the runway in the new polymer modified asphalt containing 60% recycled asphalt (RAP). In addition, the asphalt on the connecting taxiways was also replaced. For this about 1000 MT of Sealoflex® polymer modified bitumen SFB 5-90 (LT) was supplied. With SFB 5-90 (LT), it was possible to meet the strict requirements for fracture toughness of the asphalt even with 60% RAP.

All the different activities were combined as efficiently as possible during the three months of major maintenance. By carrying out maintenance in this way, the runway only must be taken out of use for a long time once every seven years.

Schiphol regularly carries out maintenance and other works to keep the six runways and taxiways safe and in good condition.