Jet setter

Air bridges coating system

Next time you're boarding a plane, spare a thought for the innovative air bridges that make air travel considerably easier than climbing an old fashion set of cabin stairs.

Commonly located by the seaside, airports are generally associated with harsh marine environments and complicated maintenance due to operational security issues and economics that demand air bridge structures remain in service to safely transport thousands of passengers day and night.

Airport Equipment Ltd and Resene started a collaborative working relationship a decade ago to develop a superior corrosion protection system for air bridges, comprising a low build duplex paint system incorporating all three methods of corrosion protection available – sacrificial, inhibitive and barrier. Using the three mode protection method seldom used at the time, thermal arc sprayed zinc metal was first applied at a film thickness of 100 microns followed by a 100 micron film of Resene Armourcote 220 topcoated with Resene Uracryl 404 low sheen urethane, developed to suppress reflection from lights at the airport to aid the pilot's vision when taxiing the aircraft to the bridge.

The duplex corrosion protection system demonstrates the cost benefits of innovative thinking resulting in a vastly superior predictive performance life with a system that meets essential operational reliability standards with reduced maintenance and replacement costs.

The first air bridge using this innovative system was installed at Wellington Airport in October 1997 and 78 air bridges have since been coated and supplied within the Australasian region. Nearly a decade on, the first air bridge coating system is performing with ease in the harsh conditions.

In a world of intense international engineering competition, Airport Equipment's continuous innovative thinking has given them the competitive leading edge in supplying high quality air bridges to service the Australasian region and they have many world leading innovative credits to their name, including the new multi air bridge system to service the massive new 555 passenger A380 super jet. Larger in stature than normal air bridges to provide efficient and comfortable plane boarding and alighting, the multi air bridge spans 8.2 metres off the tarmac providing access to the upper deck.

Next time you're boarding a plane, spare a thought for the innovative air bridges that make air travel considerably easier than climbing an old fashion set of cabin stairs.

Airport Equipment: Duncan McLennan, Managing Director
Resene: John Kilby, Corrosion Consultant
From the Resene News – issue 1/2007

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