Contract awarded for runway repairs at Mount Pleasant Complex in the Falkland Islands

The UK's Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) has awarded a contract to Mitie to carry out runway repairs at Mount Pleasant Complex, the RAF airfield in the Falkland Islands.

The work will be undertaken by Dyer and Butler, who also completed the resurfacing of the site’s Alpha Loop taxiway earlier this year.

The site is an important overseas base for the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and is run by UK Strategic Command. The £20 million project will replace 20,000m2 of airfield operating ground by resurfacing the Foxtrot taxiway and the threshold - the part of the runway where aircraft touch down when landing.

Construction will commence shortly, with equipment and material already making the 8,000-mile journey to the islands by ship from the UK.

Maj Brad Southall, DIO’s Project Manager, said:  "Working on the other side of the world requires even closer collaboration than normal. We are working closely with UK Strategic Command, British Forces South Atlantic Islands, Mitie and Dyer and Butler to ensure the success of the project.

We’re also lucky to have the support of 8 Engineer Brigade Royal Engineers, who have supplied military engineers. They will undertake quality control and liaise between the construction team and the airfield personnel so we can ensure that we can work effectively around continuing air operations."

Charlie Antelme, Managing Director, Defence, Mitie, said: "We are proud to support the UK Armed Forces in their crucial operations both at home, and overseas. Building on our previous successful refurbishment works at the Mount Pleasant Complex, we look forward to applying the same specialist expertise to this project, ensuring the safety of aircraft arrivals and departures for years to come."

The repairs need to be undertaken quickly so they are complete before the start of the South Atlantic winter, as poor weather conditions make construction next to impossible during the winter months. The work is therefore expected to be completed in March 2025. 

 

Work to refurbish Falkland Islands runway begins

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 a 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.