Zurich Airport (ZRH) Runway and Other Aviation Surfaces

Runway Rehabilitation 10/28

The civil engineering project "Runway Rehabilitation 10/28" includes the refurbishment of the central strip, the construction of new transformer stations, and the replacement of the runway and approach lighting system with LED technology. The runway lighting system, last fully renewed in 1985, has reached the end of its lifecycle and no longer meets current technical standards. As part of the runway rehabilitation, it will be completely replaced as well. In 2021, preparatory work for both the runway rehabilitation and the lighting system was carried out. New cabling was installed beneath the concrete pavement, and a total volume of approx. 1,800 m³ of concrete slabs was renewed using Concretum^® Q-FLASH 2/20 rapid-hardening concrete. In addition, approx. 4 tons of Concretum^® Q-CON rapid-hardening mortar were applied. To maintain uninterrupted flight operations and avoid blocking critical traffic areas, the construction work was carried out in around 40 night shifts. The runway was closed at approx. 11:00 p.m. and had to be operational again by 5:30 a.m., leaving only a limited time window for construction.

Enhanced Maintenance of Airfield Pavements

The civil engineering project "Enhanced Maintenance of Airfield Pavements" at Zurich Airport involves annual maintenance of operational surfaces. This includes the full or partial replacement of concrete slabs as well as local repairs to edges, joints, and corner breaks. All work is performed during the night to maintain uninterrupted flight operations. Each night shift allows approximately 5.5 hours of working time before the airfield surfaces must be released again in the early morning. The concrete must reach the required strength within the limited time window. Setting and hardening times are critical. Within the remaining approx. 3.5 hours, the following work was completed this year:

• Application of approx. 150 m³ of Concretum^® Q-FLASH 2/20 rapid-hardening concrete to replace full or partial slabs
• Application of approx. 23 tons of Concretum^® Q-CON rapid-hardening mortar for edge repairs, joint restorations, corner breaks, and minor surface damage

Conclusion

The use of Concretum^® Q-FLASH 2/20 provided a concrete mix that reaches the required strength of 16 N/mm² in just 2 hours, while still offering a working time of 60–90 minutes with a consistent flow spread of approx. 45 cm. These properties ensured reliable execution of the runway works—even under extreme temperatures and with long transport distances.

For smaller construction sections, Concretum^® Q-CON was used—a rapid-hardening, easy-to-handle dry concrete mix with a maximum aggregate size of 16 mm. These characteristics significantly accelerated the construction process and allowed completion by 4:45 a.m., enabling runway reopening by 5:30 a.m.