News
Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier gets in the groove
Aug. 30, 2013, Ottawa - The Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport has become the first major airport in Canada build a grooved runway.
August 30, 2013 By Carey Fredericks
The 2,400-metre runway was grooved as part of a full reconstruction of the east-west landing strip. The grooves are designed to improve drainage and provide increased friction to improve safety.
Prior to the runway reconstruction, the runway met Transport Canada's standards, and these changes brought the runway's standards in line with both the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the United States Federal Aviation Authority (FAA).
"The Ottawa Airport Authority is continuing its leadership and commitment to providing our passengers and crews with the safest possible environment", said Ottawa airport authority President and CEO Mark Laroche. "Grooving, which will be done to FAA standards, has received the support and praise of the major domestic airlines that serve Ottawa as well as their chief pilots. We are proud to be the first major airport in Canada to groove its runways."
The Ottawa airport's runway reconstruction was a multi-phased project that began in 2011. The final phase, which will reconstruct the airport's 10,000 foot landing strip, is scheduled to occur in 2014.
