Work has begun on a nearly £7m Defence Infrastructure
Organisation project to extend the lifespan of the runway at the
Mount Pleasant Complex (MPC) airfield in the Falkland Islands.
The project includes repainting runway markings in reflective
paint, replacing airfield signage and adding lights, and coating
the runway asphalt with a layer of bitumen. This protective layer
will extend the life of the runway until it can be fully re-laid
in the coming years.
The £6.96m project was awarded to Mitie in June 2022 and will be
undertaken by sub-contractor Gatwick Construction.
The project team will work at night to add the protective layer
to the runway to avoid disruption. Importantly, the team will
liaise closely with MPC staff on a daily basis and the work has
been carefully planned to ensure there is no impact on airfield
operations and flights can continue as scheduled. This is
particularly important given that Mount Pleasant Complex is used
for the airbridge flights to and from the UK, for LATAM flights
connecting the Falkland Islands to South America, as well as by
the Falkland Island Government Air Service (FIGAS) which connects
MPC with the outlying islands of the Falklands.
DIO Project Manager Robert Handford said:
It’s exciting to begin this important work at Mount Pleasant
Complex. Infrastructure projects in the Falkland Islands are
complicated by the need to transport the necessary equipment by
air or container ship, adding complexity to the preparations and
requiring meticulous planning. It’s a testament to great teamwork
between DIO, Mitie, Gatwick Construction and MPC personnel that
everything is going according to plan.
Brian Talbot, Managing Director, Central Government &
Defence, Mitie, said:
As proud supporters of the British Armed Forces, we are delighted
to build on our long-standing relationship with DIO through the
refurbishment of the Falkland Islands runway at the Mount
Pleasant Complex. As a critical piece of infrastructure on the
estate, our work on this project will help protect and extend the
lifespan of the runway for years to come.
The project is expected to take about three months.
