Runway revamp ready for take-off

The runway has opened ahead of schedule

A multi-million pound project to resurface Scotland's busiest airport runway has finished ahead of schedule.

Work to upgrade Edinburgh Airport's main runway, which handles 115,000 flights a year, began in April this year, at a cost of £16m.

The project was due for completion at the end of November, but the runway is now operational.

The work was carried out at night, with flights using the airport's secondary runway while work was carried out.

The switch to the secondary runway resulted in night time flights operating over areas not normally subject to aircraft noise, including parts of south and west Edinburgh, Midlothian and West Lothian.

We have made every effort to minimise disruption to local communities by completing this project as quickly as possible Gordon Dewar Edinburgh Airport

The eight-month project involved workers laying 25,000 tonnes of asphalt and replacing more than 1,000 runway lights, and will renew the life of the runway for a further 15 years. The runway was last resurfaced in 1991.

Airport managing director Gordon Dewar said: "This has been a complex and challenging project, involving a number of organisations and many hundreds of airport workers.

"I am delighted that, working together, we have completed the resurfacing work on time, and on budget."

He said he was grateful to residents in the affected areas for their "patience and goodwill" over the past eight months.

"We have made every effort to minimise disruption to local communities by completing this project as quickly as possible and keeping affected people informed about the progress of the works," he said.

Meanwhile, work is about to get under way on a £40m project to extend Edinburgh Airport's departure lounge, as part of BAA Edinburgh's plan to invest £250m over the next decade.