Flightdeck Crews and Runway Contrac-Tor Crews Working Together Face to Face on the 5th Extension to Zurich Airport Switzerland

During the extension to Zurich Airport in northern Switzerland, the ‘Oberbau’ Civil Engineering Construction Consortium (Arbeits-Gemeinschaft) has probably been successful in completing the largest volume of concrete laying works in Central Europe by comparison with similar conversion undertakings. The works included the preparation and laying down of concrete runways, taxiways and aprons covering a surface area of some 600,000 square metres, in the record time period of thirty months. Not only the volumes of material involved were extraordinary in themselves, but also the framework- and background -conditions. As a result of the application of the latest measuring-, monitoring and information –technologies, it has been possible to increase the degree of services provided and civil engineering/building construction capacities to a far greater extent than originally thought. The introduction of a threedimensional civil engineering/building construction machinery guidance system enabled contractors to plan for optimal procedures coupled with the highest degree of precision. The ecological environment regulations concerning the equipping of the machinery was capable of being complied with as to one hundred percent. The ‘return load haulage’ concept, which called for return loads per trip, was introduced into Switzerland on the first occasion during the carrying out of these contract works.