A vital regional airport on the remote island of Benbecula has become the first civil airport in Scotland to have its runway fully-lit by LED ground lighting. The £150,000 improved lighting system provides greater illumination for incoming and outgoing aircraft, while simultaneously reducing the airport’s energy consumption. Benbecula airport is also the first airport in the HIAL network to have its runway entirely fitted out with the energy-efficient lights.
To date, the newest generation of LED lighting is only in service at a handful of large airports in England, including Manchester and Heathrow. Station manager Roderick MacKay said: ‘Benbecula is the first airport in Scotland to have its runway fully-equipped with LED lighting. So far, they have helped us greatly when visibility is bad due to cloud cover, which is particularly beneficial with the mixed weather we have on our island.
These LED lights are using 65 watts per unit of energy instead of 150 watts, which is a massive saving over the length of a runway. The lights are incredible. We knew they were going to be good, but we didn’t think they would be this good. HIAL have invested a six-figure sum into this critical community link to the mainland. These lights will help us continue to improve our service and reliability for all passengers to and from Benbecula.
