News & Highlights
Airport To Maintain International Compliance With Runway Revamp
- Created on Friday, 22 April 2011 23:59
Signing in progress between the Ministry of Communications and local Brunei engineering firm Jurutera Tempatan, witnessed by the Minister of Communications (C) as the guest of honour.
Image plan of the runway system outlines the several steps of the airfield rehabilitation project at the Brunei International Airport.
To accommodate the increase in flights, well-conditioned and safe runways for both the departure and arrival of aircraft at the airport are necessary for the airport to satisfy the requirements set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in Annex 14 (Aerodromes) to the Convention on International Civil Aviation.
In this regard, the Ministry of Communications through the Department of Civil Aviation (DCA), in realising the need to raise safety standards of the runway system in line with the current development of the aircraft industry, has appointed local Brunei engineering firm Jurutera Tempatan (JT) as the Civil Consultant to carry out rehabilitation and maintenance works to the runway and movement area of the Brunei International Airport.
The contract signing ceremony for the "Consultancy Services for Pavement Rehabilitation Works" on the Brunei International Airport runway system took place yesterday, at the Asy-Syuura Conference Room of the Department of Civil Aviation at the Brunei International Airport Terminal.
Present to witness the signing as guest of honour was the Minister of Communications, Pehin Orang Kaya Hamzah Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Awg Hj Abdullah bin Begawan Mudim Dato Paduka Hj Bakar.
Signing the memorandum of agreement on behalf of His Majesty's Government was the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Communications, Dato Paduka Hj Awg Alaihuddin bin POKDSL Dato Seri Utama Hj Awg Mohd Taha, with the Director of Civil Aviation, Hj Omarali bin Hj Jaafar as witness.
The Director of Civil Aviation, in his welcoming remarks said that the Brunei International Airport has undergone numerous developments to accommodate the increase in passenger numbers, cargo volume and aircraft operations since it began operation in 1974. These included infrastructure developments such as improvement and upgrading works on the runway, taxiway and apron so as to meet the requirements of ICAO.
Hj Omarali added that in meeting the set requirements, various projects such as resurfacing works have been carried out twice - in 1987 and 1999. Other projects included further increasing space at the passenger terminal building, developing the airport's services and facilities and introducing state-of-the-art air navigational aids from time to time.
Yesterday's contract signing marked the start of the outcome of research done in 2008 on the evaluation of the runway surface, which is the implementation of the pavement rehabilitation works. The work is scheduled to be completed in 30 months' time.
At present, the Brunei International Airport can accommodate up to 1.5 million passengers annually. Its existing infrastructure includes eight aerobridges, a 3,650-metre runway, three parallel taxiways and seven apron parking spaces for cargo aircraft.
The Department of Civil Aviation will continuously monitor the project to ensure the safety of flight operations and comfort of passengers and airport users are not affected.
Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin