Gary Ryan of Ryan Road Planing checking on progress on the main runway. Works are very much underway on the reconstruction of a new runway at Cork Airport on Thursday 16th September 2021 with planing crews stripping off the old surface. Pic: Larry Cummins. Ref Eoin Enlish news story. Cork Airport managing director, Niall MacCarthy, said the main runway is now at the end of its operational life. He said the rebuild, a critical element of an overall €40m investment in the airport’s infrastructure over the next two years, represents the largest single investment in the airport since the new terminal, multi-storey car park and internal roadways were built in 2006. “The rebuilding of the runway will extend the life of the airport’s infrastructure for another 20 years,” he said. The upgrade work will involve: a structural reconstruction of the main runway, an upgrading of aircraft ground lighting to energy efficient LEDs, the installation of runway edge and centreline lighting, the replacement of secondary cabling and transformers, the construction of a new electrical pit and duct system, upgrading of primary electrical circuits in place since the 1980s, and the construction of a new electricity substation to provide back-up for the current substation. They said doing the work during a short, sharp 10-week closure will discommode fewer passengers over the next 10 weeks than it would if it was done as was initially planned over a much longer period next year. The main runway at Cork Airport has been in operation since 1961. It was built originally at 1,883m in length and was extended by 300m in 1989. The overlay project in 1999 was completed on the original runway element only, which means the pavement on the original runway is now 21 years old and the extension is 31 years old.