Practical completion milestone for Brisbane’s new runway is achieved

Brisbane Airport Corporation (BAC) and Skyway, a joint venture between BMD Constructions Pty Ltd and CPB Contractors Pty Ltd, have celebrated the practical completion of Brisbane’s new runway.

BAC’s CEO, Gert-Jan de Graaff, said: “In many respects this runway is symbolic of the very firm belief we have that aircraft will, in the not-too-distant future, return to the skies and our terminals will once again be full of people.

“The last few months have been difficult for everyone in the aviation and travel industries, as well as the whole community, but we have never lost sight of the fact that this project has been built for the long term. It will serve us well for many decades to come.

“This is a culmination of eight years of physical construction, many years before that in planning and foresight from nearly half a century ago for an airport with the growth capacity to meet the aspirations of the city and the state.”

de Graaff continued: “As we reach this historic milestone, I must commend the entire new runway team for putting their heart and souls into this project over the last 15 years. The BAC team has been supported by many partners, suppliers and contractors who have contributed to this project. This truly is a project built by the community for the community.

“This new runway is so much more than asphalt; it is an enabler for recovery and growth across all facets of business, with an estimated 7,800 new jobs created by 2035 and an additional €5 billion in annual economic benefit to the region,” he said.

“Now more than ever, it is crucial that we have the infrastructure and mechanisms in place to allow our great city and state to recover from the COVID-19 global pandemic, and Brisbane Airport, and this new runway will play a strong part in that.”

The new runway landed under budget at $1.1 billion, a saving of $200 million on initial estimates.

With practical completion now achieved, the detailed commissioning process for the new runway will continue as part of the wider Operational Readiness and Testing (ORAT) programme. Brisbane’s new runway will open on 12 July 2020.