An Italian Romance

Increased demand in Italy for the TrackJet® System is being reported by its German manufacturer Weigel, particularly when rubber deposits or paint markings need to be removed from airport runways.

One such example is the runway at Cagliari, which was cleaned for the first time in May this year. The resulting friction values of over 0.8 and the efficient, trouble-free performance of the system elicited abundant praise from the engineers at the airport.

In July the TrackJet® was deployed in Rome Ciampino and Fiumicino. Even at the major Leonardo da Vinci airport, where high volumes of air traffic cause large rubber deposits, very satisfactory results were achieved. The greatest challenge was posed in Venice where the paint markings on the main landing area as well as an apron had to be removed in just 24 hours. This was handled without any problems acknowledged Tommaso Brescac, the engineer responsible there. 

The airports of Turin, Bologna, Naples, Brescia, Treviso and Bari also applied TrackJet®, after other methods proved ineffective.

What is more, the advantages of TrackJet® are obvious:

• the runway surface and markings are not damaged, but the runway lights are simultaneously cleaned during the process
• the system leaves a dry, residue-free runway, which can be immediately used by air traffic
• minimal staff costs (1 person / 1 machine for entire shift)

It is not surprising that further inquiries for TrackJet® have been received from Italy and that the romance continues.