Airfield construction
Automagistral-Pivden has been engaged in the reconstruction of airfield infrastructure since 2017. Since then, the company has delivered projects at four international airports — Mykolaiv, Odesa, Kherson, and Satu Mare in Romania.
In Odesa, a completely new runway was constructed (2,800 m long and 45 m wide) using heavy-duty concrete with a thickness of 40 cm. For the first time, a unique Gomaco GP4 slipform paving system was used (capable of laying 8 meters in a single pass without formwork). The load-bearing capacity of the new runway nearly doubled, enabling the airport to accommodate medium- and long-haul aircraft such as the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320. Two taxiways and an apron in front of the new terminal were also built. The works were carried out without suspending airport operations — a rare achievement in airfield construction. In July 2021, the third phase of construction began in Odesa, involving a new main taxiway; the project has been suspended due to the war.
The reconstruction of the Kherson Airport runway included the rehabilitation of a 2,500 m section, extension of the runway to 2,600 m, and widening from 42 m to 60 m.
To enhance the pavement durability, Automagistral-Pivden developed a specially engineered high-strength asphalt mix. The new runway structure consists of five layers of different materials with a total thickness of 82 cm. As a result of the reconstruction, the airport was able to accommodate ICAO Code D aircraft, increasing its annual passenger capacity to up to 300,000.
At Mykolaiv Airport, the company installed a 7.5 cm thick asphalt concrete layer on the runway.
The runway of Satu Mare International Airport in Romania, originally commissioned in 1975, underwent major rehabilitation. A thin asphalt concrete overlay was applied to the central 45 m-wide cement concrete section. The company milled the existing pavement, installed a geosynthetic reinforcement layer, and laid three layers of asphalt concrete with a total thickness of 23 cm.
A key challenge was that airport operations were not suspended. Construction works were carried out at night — from 7 p.m. to 8 a.m. — and in the morning the airport resumed operations, with aircraft landing on the newly laid asphalt surface.
The company has also applied its civil engineering expertise to deliver infrastructure for the Ukrainian Air Force. In total, six such facilities have been completed, and the company’s work has been highly praised by the leadership of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.