Runway extensions - Isle of Man

[Yarpy]

Ronaldsway Airport, Isle of Man, is completing a runway extension seemingly as a compliance exercise with international standards:

Runway Extension Study Approved - Airport Press Release

Runway Extension Study Approved - Isle of Man Airport News Release - Isle of Man Airport Website (http://www.gov.im/airport/news/ViewNews.gov?page=lib/news/airport/extension.xml&menuid=11570)

The project will entail designing a seaward extension to the main runway 08/26, primarily to provide a longer Runway End Safety Area (RESA) which will meet recommended International Standards. The extended RESA platform will also provide a useful increase in useable runway length, to ensure that the Airport can continue to accept aircraft upto 200 seats on 2000 n.mile European and Mediterranean destinations.

explaining that:

“We meet existing minimum standards for RESA length, but the new recommended standards mean that we either have to extend out to sea, or shorten our existing declared runway distances which would badly affect existing traffic. The Isle of Man Government has, in approving the fees for this project, recognised the importance of ensuring that we provide a safe Airport to operate from, catering for future aircraft types and facilitating expected growth in traffic;

I am curious as to why it is necessary for the Isle of Man to go ahead with this exercise but not, as far as I know, other airports like, say, Jersey and Guernsey. Presumably these (and some other) small airports, which are not going ahead with the compliance exercise, will have to have to reduce their landing distances.

Can anyone point me in the direction of the actual International regulation and explain what the legal imperative is and when it actually applies?

[hapzim]

The political debate is has been rumbling on in Guernsey for sum time now with a £80 million plus bill to upgrade and most of the shortsightedness will leave the island with a runway for smaller 70 seat turboprops and the likely hood of becoming even more of a back water, to the longer runways in the two similar financial jurisdictions of Jersey and the Isle of Man that we compete with for business.

[Tinwald]

I am curious as to why it is necessary for the Isle of Man to go ahead with this exercise.........Fella, sos the manx taxpayers whos footing a 40 million pound bill. The airport boss is a BIG girl and she seems to be able to roll over the clueless politicians any time she likes. After the twerp in charge of transport relaised that this recommendation was just that, they then put up an economic case that the airport would grow and grow which of course is cobblers as theres only so many who will ever use the airport...ever. So big waste of money and thats only half of it...........a new control tower twice as high as the old one that will be in clouds when the sea mist rolls in. I tell ye fella, lunies in charge of the IOM, yessir.

[Yarpy]

The airport boss is a BIG girl and she seems to be able to roll over the clueless politicians any time she likes. After the twerp in charge of transport relaised that this recommendation was just that, they then put up an economic case that the airport would grow and grow which of course is cobblers

I am local too so know what and who you are talking about. What concerns me is that they may be funding, as you suggest, just a recommendation. I say this because I cannot find any reference to other British airports who are also extending their runways. However, before wading in I want to know what the actual regulation is and who published it.

Is it ICAO? The CAA in response to ICAO? EASA? The UK DoT?

[Capt. Horrendous]

Past standards called for the RESA to extend only 60m (200 feet) from the ends of the runway. Currently the international standard (ICAO) requires a 90m RESA starting from the end of the runway strip which itself is 60m from the end of the runway, and recommends but not requires a 240m RESA beyond that.

The larger RESA is an ICAO recommendation, not yet a requirement. If there was an over run, then not complying even with recommendations could be damning in court. The works will ensure compliance with the recommendations - ie 300m at each end without sacrificing the existing TORA.

Googling ICAO RESA will highlight lots of articles on the subject.