Taxiway Foxtrot and de-icing facility for London Luton Airport

Fjori’s involvement with this new taxiway project at London Luton Airport started in 2012 when the company carried out feasibility designs as part of the airport masterplan. In 2017, Fjori was again commissioned to update the designs to RIBA Stage 3 and carry out an option study to create a centralized deicing facility for the airport, including 4 de-ice pads along the new taxiway.

  • London Luton Airport and Ryebridge Construction
  • Fjori Ltd
  • Luton, UK
  • 2012-19
  • Design and build design for new Code D taxiway and centralised de-icing facility
  • Pavement engineering
  • Earthworks engineering
  • Drainage modelling and engineering
  • AGL coordination
  • Site supervision
  • CAA compliance
  • Airport liaison
  • The only taxiway in the UK constructed above a former landfill site
  • Use of Rapid Impact Compaction to enable re-use and non-disturbance of landfill materials
  • Fjori developed designs for unique in-line de-icing pad, providing central facility for the airport
  • Use of FAARFIELD and DMG27 modeling for pavement designs
  • New areas of taxiway immediately adjacent to the runway and exiting taxiway, Alpha, have been designed to enable nighttime construction prior to handback to the airport operations staff
  • All new drainage is designed to integrate with the wider airport masterplan which results in the need to capture and recycle de-icer
  • All designs are ICAO/EASA compliant

The taxiway includes complex ground engineering as it is partially situated over a historic landfill site. This has required significant ground investigation and the evaluation of compaction methods in order that removing old landfill materials from site is avoided, with significant environmental benefits. The process of Rapid Impact Compaction (RIC) has been used to render the ground suitable. The taxiway incorporates concrete pavements in order to both providing additional support across the old landfill materials, but also to provide enhanced resistance to de-icer on the de-icing pads.

Working as Contractor’s designer for Ryebridge Construction, Fjori provided tender designs and commentaries for this design and build bid. De-ice pads are sized for the A321-Neo. The in-line de-icing facility arrangement is unique for the UK.

The designer/contractor team has experience of well over 20 projects at the airport, allowing designs to be tailored with a high degree of familiarity to the airport and its operational procedures and constraints. The project is due for completion in 2019.