Salzburg Airport transforms old runway into new runway

A major recycling project is underway at Austria’s second largest airport, Salzburg Airport. Over 8500 tonnes of runway is being decommissioned and recycled.

As we speak, demolition company Weickl Erdbau is crushing the last bit of a 2.75 km (1.7 mile) stretch of runway. The material is being processed and turned into a recyclable final aggregate that will can be used for the sub-structure of a new runway.

The original runway has been in operation for 60 years, was closed for five weeks while refurbishment works took place. By reusing the concrete layers from the old runway, Salzburg Airport can prevent 4000 truckloads of demolition materials from being transported off-site.

‘This job is a challenge due to its tight time schedule,’ comments Klaus Weickl, managing director of Weickl Erdbau. The crew only had four weeks to complete the work. Everything is runnning smoothly and on schedule, thanks to a Rubble Master compact RM 100GO crusher installed directly on-site.

Salzburg Airport counts as the ‘gateway’ to Austria’s numerous ski areas. It serves around 2 million passengers a year.