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Queenstown Airport is set to be the first in the region to install aircraft-stopping engineered materials arresting system (EMAS) beds on its main runway.
The works, expected to cost over NZD$20 million, will begin in spring and be undertaken at night to avoid disruption. The EMAS beds are tipped to be fully installed by the end of summer.
“There will be no disruption to flight schedules and no change to the types of aircraft that may land at Queenstown Airport,” the airport said in a press release.
Made of energy-absorbing cellular cement blocks, EMAS beds are designed to slow aircraft that overshoot the end of a runway by crushing under their weight, bringing them to a controlled stop while causing as little damage as possible.
The airport has chosen Runway Safe’s EMASMAX for the project, which uses prefabricated 1.2m x 1.2m cellular cement blocks. The bed at the western end of the runway will be 73m long, with a 70m bed at the eastern end.
According to Queenstown Airport board chair Adrienne Young-Cooper, 128 EMASMAX beds have been installed at airports around the world to date, including JFK and London City, and have safely stopped 22 aircraft up to the size of a 747 with a 100 per cent success rate.
“Our decision to use this innovative technology is evidence of our proactive approach to risk management,” she said.
“This is the first project arising from the Master Plan we completed last year, which will guide significant investment in infrastructure this decade.
“We are prioritising improvements to safety, operational efficiency, resilience, customer experience, and sustainability, while ensuring we protect what makes Queenstown Airport unique.”
Todd Grace, acting chief executive of Queenstown Airport, said the beds will provide the same level of safety as a 240m runway end safety area (RESA); Queenstown currently operates with a 90m RESA under civil safety regulations.
“Runway overruns are rare, but the consequences can be catastrophic, so we want to do everything possible to mitigate that risk here,” Grace said.
Queenstown Airport, located on New Zealand’s lower South Island, is the fourth busiest airport in the country, serving a catchment of around 70,000 people.
