MANILA, Philippines - In 2013, the International Air Transportation Association (IATA) reported that air passenger traffic surpassed 3.1 billion people. With more frequent flights and larger, more sophisticated aircrafts such as the Airbus A380 — which weighs almost 400 tons or the equivalent of over 400 cars — airport runways at major international hubs need to withstand an enormous amount of weight, friction and heat.
So when Dubai International Airport, the world’s second busiest airport, put its 4,000-meter long northern runway up for resurfacing in May, Shell Bitumen was tapped by contractor Al Naboodah Construction Group to provide its bitumen solutions for the project. Shell’s bitumen solutions have been used in airports since 1968, backed with Shell Bitumen’s technical expertise and supply base spread out across the globe.
“Our top-notch bitumen solutions and expertise in the airport sector has been stellar for over four decades. Our dedicated Shell Bitumen Solution Centres work with our customers to develop solutions that suit their needs, not only in airports but also in other infrastructure projects,” stated Nick Chong, vice president of Shell Bitumen.
Over the past decade, Shell Bitumen has provided solutions for over 100 of the world’s busiest airports, including Heathrow in the United Kingdom, Charles de Gaulle in France, Schiphol in the Netherlands, the Hong Kong International Airport, Changi in Singapore, the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia, Frankfurt in Germany, and Suvarnabhumi in Thailand.
In the Philippines, Shell bitumen solutions have been used at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila, Diosdado Macapagal International Airport in Clark, Iloilo International Airport, Mactan Cebu International Airport and Subic Bay International Airport.