The second taxiway constructed with the support of the Cohesion Fund (CF) has started its work at Riga Airport.
The first aircraft to use the new taxiway was the national airline “airBaltic” aircraft arriving in Riga from Turku on an early Thursday morning, 9 September.
Lidostā “Rīga” ar ES fondu atbalstu izbūvēts jauns ātrās nobraukšanas manevrēšanas ceļš
The taxiway allows for a shorter aircraft movement path for runway departures and the manoeuvring area. This will reduce the amount of fuel and time spent on ground manoeuvres at the airport, thereby reducing emissions of pollutants such as CO2, hydrocarbons and particulate matter.
The construction works were carried out by the road construction company “Binders” Ltd, which was selected in the tender, and the total project cost is EUR 2.6 million. The building operations were carried out under a specific work organisation regime to avoid disruption or other difficulties to the operation of the airfield. Therefore, all construction technological processes on the airfield took place at night, between flights. During this period, the delivery of materials, the logistics of construction equipment and machinery were also organised.
Within the framework of the Cohesion Fund project “Development of Safe and Environmentally Friendly Infrastructure at Riga International Airport”, Riga Airport is carrying out major infrastructure development works on the airfield and the airport area. The airport’s taxiways are equipped with axis lights, marking the first step towards the introduction of the airport’s innovative “follow the greens” aircraft management system, as well as helipads for emergency medical services and air search and rescue, as well as for military, government and other helicopters.
The CF also supported the reconstruction of the access roads to the public part of the airport, the modernisation of the rainwater drainage system and the lighting infrastructure.
The support for the modernisation of the airport is part of the EU funds programme “Promoting Safety and Environmental Compliance at Riga International Airport”.
The total available eligible project funding is EUR 23,049,010, including CF funding of EUR 10,774,241 and SJSC “Riga International Airport” funding of no less than EUR 11,564,245.
