CH2M HILL Celebrates Opening of New Runway at Sharjah International Airport

SHARJAH, United Arab Emirates, November 3, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --

CH2M HILL Halcrow, a global full-service consulting, design, construction, and operations firm, last week celebrated the opening of a new runway at Sharjah International Airport. With the presence of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qassimi, UAE Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, the runway was officially opened on 22^nd October 2014.

CH2M HILL delivered the design and supervision for this milestone project.

The project, which consists of the main runway spanning 4,060 meters and a width of 60 meters, has two taxi ways and ten connecting corridors, which will secure the landing aircraft out of the main runway in the shortest time. The project also includes the implementation of a 15 km services road, and the construction of a security fence extending for 10 km, as well as implementation of the rain water drainage network.

Completed in two years using international aviation infrastructure experts, the runway is built to the highest international standards and allows for an increase in passenger and cargo capacity. This new state-of-the-art runway reinforces Sharjah International Airport's role as a gateway to the Emirate of Sharjah and the United Arab Emirates.

The new runway will allow for unrestricted operations of the largest aircraft including Airbus A380, Boeing 747-800, and Antonov 124/225 type aircraft. Eight new link taxiways and two high-speed runway exits were constructed as part of the same project. These additions will increase the connectivity between the runway, passenger terminal, and cargo aprons.

The new runway also equips Sharjah Airport with modern aeronautical lighting and airfield systems, which will increase safety standards and allow operations in reduced levels of visibility, allowing aircraft to land in foggy conditions. The installed infrastructure has built-in allowances for equipment to be easily upgraded to allow operations in further reduced levels of visibility in the future.

Neil Reynolds, CH2M HILL's Regional Managing Director for MENAI, said: "Having worked in the Emirate of Sharjah for over five decades, we are proud to have had the opportunity to play a significant role delivering this new runway in Sharjah. It marks another milestone in our long-standing relationship with this key client and also furthers our record in delivering complex aviation infrastructure."

Joe Stratford, CH2M HILL's Project Director, said: "The excellent collaboration between Sharjah Airport Authority, Department of Civil Aviation, and the General Civil Aviation Authority enabled smooth project execution without any disruption to existing flight operations. This iconic infrastructure project at Sharjah International Airport will allow the airport to cope with the increasing growth in passenger numbers and aircraft movements."

Headquartered near Denver, Colorado, USA, employee-owned CH2M HILL is a global leader in consulting, design, design-build, operations and program management for government, civil, industrial and energy clients. The firm's work is concentrated in the areas of water, transportation, environment, nuclear, energy, facilities and urban environments.  

With US$ 6.6 billion in revenue and 26,000 employees, CH2M HILL is an industry-leading program management, construction management and design firm, as ranked by Engineering News-Record and named a leader in sustainable engineering by Verdantix. Visit us at ch2mhill.com,twitter.com/ch2mhill and  facebook.com/ch2mhill. Search for jobs at  ch2mhill.jobs.

Contact: Raeda Al Sarayreh / Avnish Raichura
Phone:  + 971-50-557-0105 / +974-3376-5474
E-Mail: raeda.alsarayreh@ch2m.com / avnish.raichura@ch2m.com