Commissioned by EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg, the joint venture between WALO and TRBA renovated a major section of runway 15/33 between 15 April and 16 May 2026 – so just 31 days in total – all while flight operations continued on the east/west runway. Demolition, footings, concrete pouring, surface markings and lighting: all completed on schedule.
The assignment
The joint venture WALO–TRBA (50:50, Switzerland/Belgium) took on responsibility for the complete renovation of runway 15/33: heavy demolition, 3D milling of the foundation layer, footings and concrete pouring, modifications to the visual guidance system and surface marking work. The construction project was managed by Artelia and Sogeti Ingenierie Airports. For the heavy demolition of the central section, the team worked closely with Eberhard and Reproad.
The project required seamless coordination with the airport, which was still actively operational: every machine movement, shift handover and material flow had to be coordinated with the airport operators.
“Working on airport infrastructure of this scale means operating in an environment where everything happens at maximum intensity. It requires precise coordination between the different trades, meticulously planned construction phases and strict requirements concerning operation, safety and quality.” Ivan Richon, project manager at WALO.
Demolition work
More than 38,000 m² of runway was demolished in under 29 hours, working in a two-shift pattern. For the centre section (over 33,000 m²), two 100-tonne hydraulic excavators with special shovel buckets were used, with assistance from more than 25 dumper trucks (A30–B50) and around 30 more hydraulic excavators (14–86 t) for the sections along the sides. The foundation layer was then 3D milled using two milling machines. Special noise barriers were installed to reduce the effects of noise on the surrounding villages.
Concrete laying
Slipform pavers worked in succession across a paving width of 12.10 m: double layer with automatic dowel insertion (31 cm), finisher layer with automatic surface flattening (7 cm), surface treatment with automatic sprayer equipment A reserve unit was kept on standby for all concrete-laying equipment. Two mixing plants installed directly on the construction site supplied up to 250 m³ of concrete per hour. The side sections (7,500 m²) were finished using 9-metre slipforms and a 12-metre screed on foundation layers that had been laid beforehand.
The result
Runway 15/33 was put back into operation on 16 May 2026 as planned. The WALO–TRBA team would like to thank EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg for its trust and the construction management team of Artelia and Sogeti Ingenierie Airports for coordinating this ambitious project.
Tobias Markert, CEO EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse: " A clear schedule and the highest quality standards were crucial for the renovation of the main runway. WALO and TRBA met both of these requirements and played a key role in ensuring that the work could be completed earlier than planned. "
