Two new hangars at Galway Airport in Ireland have recently been installed, one of which will be used by Aer Arann. Aer Arann is a regional airline based in Ireland with domestic flights within Ireland and multiple routes between Ireland – UK and Ireland – France. These new hangars are part of a major investment programme by Galway Airport over the next 3 years. The combined floor space of the two new hangars of 30,000 sq feet will allow Galway Airport to offer maintenance and additional aviation facilities to their airline partners.
One of the toughest decisions when specifying the hangars and its associated products for Galway Airport, was to find hangar doors which would meet their tough requirements which included the doors being opened numerous times during the day. With a coastal location to contend with and time being of the essence to ensure large aircraft exit the hangars as quickly as possible, this was clearly a challenge that had to be overcome.
At the start of the project, Steve Cunningham Associates, who were Project Managers acting on behalf of Galway Airport, specified a solid door with panels. When Crawford UK Limited, the leading industrial door and docking system company in the UK, were asked to quote for the doors, very quickly they recommended that a fabric door would meet their needs and ensure the door could be opened and closed in a much reduced time.
Crawford suggested that they consider the Megadoor product which is ideally suited to this type of application as there is no need for floor tracks or out riggers. They also met the high wind load criteria, a low maintenance requirement and a non-standard colour could be supplied.
As the door opens vertically and not sideways they were also able to place two hangars side by side thus allowing for greater use of space on an airport, where land is at a premium.
Faster opening and closing times were able to be achieved due to vertical lifting, thus reducing heat loss from the buildings as well. Understandably both Galway Airport and the project team were wary of using a fabric door when previously they had used a solid door. Crawford, therefore, so convinced that this was the right product for this application suggested a team visit an existing airport where similar doors were being used every day for the same type of application.
Having seen the Megadoor in operation and liking the ease of operation of the doors the team were fully convinced and placed the order for 2 Megadoors for installation in April 2007.
The electrically operated Megadoor is split in three door leaves, separated by swing-up columns, which enables a full width of 32 m. The two outer door leaves are 6.5 m high, the centre is 9.5m, when fully opened. For full flexibility the door leaves can be individually opened. But the supply and installation of the product wasn’t the only key requirement for the project. A reliable and efficient after sales service providing both preventative maintenance and repair facilities on an ongoing basis was also a prerequisite. Crawford UK was happy to give a 5 year warranty on both doors so convinced are they of the Megadoor product.
Administration Director at Aer Arran, Peadar Conroy has commented on the doors: “We are pleased with the new hangar and all its facilities including the three-section Megadoor.
“From our experience to date, it provides a good seal against the weather, operates quickly and without difficulty, and maximises the width of the frontal entrance for moving aircraft in and out.”
Crawford is a leading international provider of door and logistics solutions.
Its carefully selected programme of doors and dock loading equipment, combined with profound application know-how and an unparalleled service offering, is the reason why more than a million customers have chosen Crawford as the preferred supplier for trouble-free operation around the clock.
Crawford UK Ltd
Tel: 0114 257 4330
Sales email: sales.uk@crawfordsolutions.com
Service email: service.uk@crawfordsolutions.com
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