A specialist asphalt mix design, partly produced in Cumbria, has been used to resurface the runway at Carlisle airport.

Hanson Airfields is a hard-wearing material for runways, which can be used in both the binder and surface courses.

It is manufactured by Hanson UK, a leading supplier of heavy building materials to the construction industry, which has an asphalt plant in Shap.

Unlike most traditional methods used for UK runways, the 15,000 tonnes of Hanson Airfields was produced off-site, saving the time and costs associated with having to establish an on-site asphalt plant.

Hanson worked with bitumen supplier Shell on testing and approving two versions of the surface and binder course design mixes for the contract, which also included supplying 8,000 tonnes of standard heavy-duty binder course to main contractor John Hopkins Contractors.

Hanson technical services manager Jon Sharp said: “Hanson Airfields was laid with conventional equipment by the contractor.

"Tight technical controls at our asphalt plants and on site ensured all material was supplied and laid in line with airfield specification requirements.

“The result is a durable alternative for airfield surfacing with the added benefits of being produced off-site.

The success of the Hanson Airfields contract has resulted in further tenders for similar surfacing work in north Wales and London.

Mr Sharp added: “The project has been quite an achievement and led to us breaking our own production record by supplying more than 900 tonnes of material on three consecutive days out of our Keepershield plant in Northumberland.”

Following delays, the runway at Carlisle airport opened to restricted air traffic after the Civil Aviation Authority gave special approval to operate the 1,799m, 30m wide runway within the stated operational procedures.

The airport is due to open to commercial flights, operated by LoganAir, in the Spring of 2019.