Pollite were delighted to be working alongside three respected global companies on an order for frangible approach masts at Birmingham Airport’s Runway 33 extension.
The project saw us working alongside design consultants Halcrow, the main contractor VolkerFitzpatrick and AGL installers Precision ATM Ltd to design and manufacture our FAA and ICAO compliant frangible approach masts for Runway 33.
The project saw the runway length increase to 3,003 metres and gave aircraft unlimited range from the West Midlands. By extending the existing runway length by 405 metres, aircraft can now take off from Birmingham Airport with more fuel and fly non-stop direct to destinations currently out of reach, such as China, South America, South Africa and the West Coast of the USA.
As with any ambitious runway extension, runway safety remains a top priority. All of our frangible products break, yield, or distort on impact with aircraft ensuring minimal damage in the event of an overrun or undershoot.
The extension gave Birmingham Airport a capacity of 27 million passengers per annum, enabling it to make a bid to potentially become the biggest aviation hub in the world. Plans are currently in place to complete expansion of Birmingham Airport by 2032 when the new high speed railway network from Birmingham to London will be fully operational.