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It’s equipment Auckland Airport hopes it never has to use, but its own aircraft recovery kit is now at-the-ready in the event a plane is damaged or goes off the runway.
The $4 million disabled aircraft recovery kit (DAR) can lift and tow large passenger aircraft if immobile.
Until now, the equivalent kit would have been called on from Sydney or Singapore while the single-runway airport could effectively be closed, with ramifications across the economy.
Auckland Airport chief operations Officer Chloe Surridge says “As the gateway for 70-80 per cent of people travelling into and out of New Zealand, closing our single runway impacts the country as a whole, with flow-on effects to travel, trade and business,”
“It’s kit we hope we don’t have to use in a real-life scenario, but it’s important we continue to invest in the resilience of Auckland Airport’s operations. It’s fit-for-purpose-equipment, with a highly trained team on standby to swiftly clear the runway and get airport activity back to normal in case we need it.”
How the disabled aircraft recovery kit works
Manufactured in the Netherlands, the DAR is the first of its kind in New Zealand.
“It looks a bit like a giant, plane-sized version of the jack you have in the boot of your car for when you get a flat tyre,” says Chloe.
It consists of three sets of high-pressure airbags that can lift six metres high and 30 tonnes each, and two sets of low-pressure bags that lift 40 tonnes each, an aircraft lifting beam with strops and a recovery trailer.
Nineteen people from Auckland Airport’s emergency services, engineering services, airfield and operational excellence teams underwent a week of intensive training at the Resqtec training centre in the Czech Republic on how to use the kit.
“I was proud to learn that our team now holds the unofficial record for safely completing the final training scenario, recovering a Boeing 737 aircraft, in the fastest time to date, shaving ten minutes off the previous best,” says Chloe.
“As an airport, we work together with agencies, airlines, engineering services and ground handlers within a broad emergency services group and this equipment further supports our aviation community. Auckland Airport’s DAR kit can be transported by air so it can be moved nationally if required.
The Disabled Aircraft Recovery Team (DART) will undertake ongoing training to keep up the skills needed to use the kit by using a decommissioned Boeing 737 freight plane relocated to the team’s aircraft search and rescue training area.
Auckland Airport Emergency Service (AES)
Around the clock, Auckland Airport Emergency Service (AES) are first responders to any medical, fire or rescue situation at the airport precinct, as well as being available for marine rescues on the Manukau Harbour.
More than 60 firefighters are in the team, working across four shifts 24/7 and the AES crew are trained in aviation firefighting, industrial firefighting, marine response, and medical emergencies, making them key to ensuring Auckland Airport keeps operating safely and efficiently.
