Airport job is on final approach for finish
A £1.4m job at Sumburgh Airport is progressing well and is expected to be finished in July.
The AJE team has been working on three of four hangars at the Shetland-based airport.
Cladding repairs are being carried out on hangars one, two and four and hangars one and two will also become home to new bi-fold doors.
Being led by project manager James Attridge, he explained that communication has been key to the success of the project which began last August.
“The airport and the hangars themselves are still in use, so to ensure the safety of our own crews, but also that of the stakeholders, good, clear communication has been crucial. The working relationship with HIAL and the other stakeholders is very good and so far, we have been able to progress the project well.
“One of the hangars houses a search and rescue helicopter, so the reality for out team is that we can be working away, the claxon sounds and the search and rescue team need to get the chopper out. However, again by speaking with them directly, we have come up with systems if this should happen.”
He added: “The inclement weather has also been a challenge. The weather up there is so changeable. I was up there one day and it was blue skies and sun. Within an hour it had changed and it was like a hurricane. We have to take this seriously. For example, the cladding on the roof is 6m by 1m, and if the wind catches it, it acts like a sail. Also, we have to be very mindful of foreign object debris, as that kind of thing could play havoc with an aircraft engine.
“One of the advantages of the situation right now, is that although the airport is still active, the amount of aircraft coming and going has been massively reduced, so this has allowed us to crack on with the job and at the moment we are on target for a finish in July.”
