Thanomwongse Services, a subsidiary of the Tipco Asphalt Group in which Colas holds a 31.09% stake, recently successfully completed the third runway and two new taxiways at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok, Thailand, in collaboration with Thai company Nawarat Patanakarn PLC. This major project, worth a total of €230 million, was carried out on behalf of Airports of Thailand PLC (AOT) and aims to consolidate Bangkok airport's position as a major air hub in South-East Asia. 

The construction of this 4,000-metre-long and 80-metre-wide runway involved almost 1,000 employees, 25% of whom were women. Nine million hours of work were completed without a lost time injury.  

Tipco Asphalt and Colas SA worked in synergy throughout the job. Teams from Tipco Asphalt were responsible for supplying the 35,000 tonnes of bitumen required, while teams from Colas' Major Projects Division drew on their expertise in managing major projects, rolling out an application that enables the production of 800,000 tonnes of asphalt to be monitored in real time (costs and stocks). 

To consolidate the soil, a ‘Vacuum’ pumping process was used over an area of 800,000 m², speeding up earthworks and guaranteeing the stability of the runway before completion. It is the largest airport project in the world using this technique. 

This project required the installation of 2,800 airfield lights, linked by 700 km of electrical cables, as well as a new lighting control system to coordinate the signage between the new runway and the two existing ones.  

Finally, in order to maintain airport activity during the job, the construction of the taxiways connecting the new runway to the rest of the airport was carried out at night by teams from Thanomwongse Services.  

"This emblematic project demonstrates our ability to mobilise our international expertise to build complex and strategic infrastructure. It illustrates our commitment to contributing to the sustainable economic development of the regions in which we operate, while maintaining the highest levels of safety and quality", explains Frédéric Roussel, Colas’ Executive Vice President, Asia/Pacific.  

The opening of this third runway will enable the airport to increase its capacity from 45 to over 60 million passengers per year, with a target of 68 to 94 flights per hour.