The government plans to carry out repair and reinforcement work on the runway at Muan International Airport by the second half of next year after inspections confirmed deterioration in parts of the pavement.
South Korea's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said durability problems were detected during an ongoing runway pavement assessment that began in June, prompting the decision to proceed with repairs.
Inspections found delamination and separation between layers in the upper roughly 15 centimeters of the asphalt layer at the center of the runway — the section that bears the direct load of aircraft. The cement subbase beneath the asphalt layer was found to be in good condition.
The inspection team concluded that rainwater seeping into the pavement through surface cracks and construction joints had failed to drain properly, weakening the adhesion between materials.
The plan calls for removing the damaged asphalt to an appropriate depth, repaving with moisture-resistant materials, and removing part of the cement subbase near the runway shoulder to improve drainage.
Korea Airports Corporation has begun follow-up work, including design, and plans to complete the repairs by the second half of next year. Options to shorten the construction period as much as possible are also under review.
The ministry said Muan Airport will reopen once both the runway repairs and safety measures at the Jeju Air crash site — where a re-search operation is currently underway — are completed, including improvements to the localizer.
The ministry also plans to fully transfer domestic routes from Gwangju Airport to Muan Airport by the end of next year to keep the southern semiconductor mega-project on track.
However, the ministry decided against a proposal from local governments to temporarily assign international routes from Gwangju Airport to Muan Airport.
husn7@heraldcorp.com
