Runway LED lighting upgrade cost
 

Hi everyone,

I currently have an assignment and I'm doing mine on upgrading an airport to LED lighting. In terms of pricing I can't find much info on how much it costs to upgrade a whole runway and approach lighting system for an airport. I am just looking for a ball-park figure or if anyone has any better links to pricing it would help a lot.

All I have been able to find so far is the price of individual components from an American website but if anyone has an idea of the total cost for an airport, I know airports will differ a lot by design but a general figure which I could use on the assignment would be a big help and any links to get that figure.

This is what I have at the minute https://www.kljeng.com/news/airfield...placement-cost

I am doing my assignment on a European airport.

Any help or advice is much appreciated,

Thank you.

One would assume that an LED upgrade would pay for itself eventually?

Most importantly is brightness! At night, on minimum brightness EGCC's L.E.D. taxiway lighting requires me to wear sunglasses! Far too bright. Let's hope the system you are planning has sorted that issue out.

There is a real downside to LED runway lighting for some of us. EVS systems in the biz jet world (Gulfstream, Global and Falcon) all rely on traditional lighting frequencies to show up on the EVS. LED lights emit light that the EVS can't 'see', so the EVS system is far less effective :-(

This article has some reference airports that you could look up the contracts or costing:

https://tulsaworld.com/business/led-...8cffda58c.html

https://www.aviationpros.com/aoa/art...ng-maintenance

FAA Land: https://skybrary.aero/bookshelf/books/3524.pdf
Land of Oz: https://airports.asn.au/wp-content/u...Essentials.pdf

RVF750

Totally agree! LED lighting sucks at night!

Some of that may be down to the use of standard CAP 168 settings, which personally I feel are often too high. However, you don't depart from the standard now, unless you have good reason. Also, nothing stops aircrew asking for them to be set down a notch.

Another minor snag with LEDs is that you don't get an indication of where the runway edge is after a snowfall.

If you want to support EVS operations, then it might be necessary to install a heating element in the LEDs. It depends on the level of EVS traffic you have and its commercial importance.

turbidus

Thanks, some very helpful info in there.

Have you thought to direvtly contact any of the European airports who have undergone such an upgrade, or a lighting contractor to ask them for a figure?

Here in Oz, Far North Queensland the brilliant new led airfield lights all had to be replaced after lightning strike.
Thus no night arrivals for about 3 months as new bulbs had to come from Germany,
.Those that hadn’t read the notam flew around in circles... swearing no doubt the PAL wasn’t working !
Uh Ho..where to go next? Only option YCNS... in one case there was a very spectacular Son et LUmiere CB in action.

golfyankeesierra

Seriously. What are you talking about. In the Uk 80 - 90 % of railways signalling has been replaced by LED. No dim signals. Consistently bright illumination of correct colour lights that last for year after year. And (not no 1 priority - but important nonetheless) low energy money saving lighting.

Railway signals are not runway lighting - but common - they suck?

If you are saying they do not perform adequately on landing then that is a lens issue rather than the lights themselves.

Side note:

Not an expert here, but a problem when using LED lights for common automobile roadway traffic lights versus incandescent bulbs is that in the winter when there is blowing snow, the incandescent bulbs usually generate enough heat to melt the snow and keep the lights visible. The LED lights, which waste little energy as heat, can get covered up by snow to the point where it becomes impossible for the automobile driver to have any idea what color traffic signal is lit, so they proceed through the intersection at their own risk.

This risk can be minimized by having an extra long shield over and around the traffic light, minimizing the chance that snow will cover it up.