AMAC Aerospace has opened its fifth hangar at EuroAirport in Basel, Switzerland. The new hangar is 4,850m² (52,205ft²) and can accommodate seven mid-size jets. It was constructed in only 12 months and has already welcomed its first aircraft. The investment also adds 30,000m² (322,917ft²) of apron space at the site.
“We are proud to have managed this project successfully in this demanding time,” said Bernd Schramm, group COO of AMAC Aerospace. “The hangar will be dedicated to mid-size jet maintenance and can accommodate up to seven midsize jets like the Bombardier Global or Challenger series, Gulfstream series or a combination thereof. Maintenance services for these types of aircraft were always high in demand and it is steadily increasing due to our highly recognised quality of work.”
The list of mid-size jets serviced in Basel include the Bombardier Global Express, Global Express XRS, Global 5000, Global 5500, Global 6000 and Global 6500 (with the Global 7500 to be added in April 2021); the Bombardier BD-100 series (CL 300/350) and CL-600-2B16 series (CL 604/605/650). Other types serviced include the Gulfstream GIV (G650/650ER), G450, GV series, G550, G650, GVI and GVII (G500/G600), as well as the Pilatus PC-12 and PC-24 series.
AMAC’s hangars are famous for their wooden structures. The solid frames consist of several layers of wood; they are specially laminated to increase rigidity and AMAC highlights their ecological credentials. The wooden bars were cut and shaped in a factory, so by the time they reached Basel, they were ready to be installed like Lego bricks. Transporting the massive wooden beams from Alsace, France, involved 11 special-purpose trucks.
A pneumatic crane was needed to build the hangar. Since it interfered with the safety distance of 7% to the runway, it had to be ready to be removed very quickly. Because the runway would have to be cleared in an emergency, it needed to be possible to deconstruct the crane within 20 minutes. Fortunately, this was never the case; the project was spared any accidents.
“Since Basel lies in a seismic area, safety comes first,” said Philippe Schurrer, project manager and director of safety and security, facility management. “Several columns were sunk 6m [19.7ft] down in the ground. The hangar is standing on these reinforced foundations, which are able to absorb any shocks or vibrations. Hangars two, three and four are built after the same principle, even going down to 8m [26.2ft]; hangar one has the same depth as hangar five.”
