Friendly, local service… nationwide
Bristol Airport ATC, South West England
Project details:
- Lift Replacement
Bristol Airport Lift Replacement Project
By passenger volume, Bristol Airport is the UK’s eighth-largest airport and the principal airport in the Southwest of England, with planes flying to 117 destinations across 34 countries. Like many UK airports, Bristol Airport is undergoing a multimillion-pound development project to improve and enlarge its passenger services. Alongside this, the airport recently completed a £3.5 million project to improve the aesthetics, functionality, and energy efficiency of its twenty-year-old air traffic control (ATC) tower.
Supporting steelwork in the lift shaft
Towards the latter part of 2023, Jackson was approached to tender for the contract to replace the ageing, hydraulic, six-stop passenger lift in the ATC with a more energy-efficient MRL (Machine Room-Less) gearless traction lift. The specifications required the new 630kg lift to be compliant with emergency
evacuation and firefighting regulations.
Following a detailed site survey by one of our Sales Engineers (operating from our Bristol office) and various conversations with the client’s lift consultants, we submitted our tender response along with a projected timeline for the project’s completion.
After the client reviewed our tender response, we were delighted to be informed that we had been awarded the lift replacement contract, with a start date yet to be confirmed.
Lift car top
Relined lift car, new architrave and globalisation
Jackson has a long-standing and positive record of working in some of the UK’s largest airports, so we fully understand the health & safety and security requirements placed on us when working both airside and landside. This includes rigorous security clearances for all employees tasked with working on or visiting the ATC during the project, or while maintaining the new lift under warranty.
With the project start date confirmed, our first task was to remove the existing hydraulic lift installation, including the lift car, hydraulic ram, tank, and associated shaft equipment. As with all removed and redundant equipment, Jackson follows a strict process to ensure all materials (including oils) are collected by registered waste recycling organisations.
With the lift shaft cleared, we began by installing sound-absorbing hoardings around our work areas—a particularly important measure in the tower’s control room. With this in place, we installed the supporting steelwork in the lift shaft along with new guide rails. Following this, we installed the MRL motor, shaft wiring, doors, control system, car, car operating panel, and signalisation.
View of shaft with MRL motor
The project spanned approximately twelve weeks. On completion, we fully tested and certified the lift before handing it back to our client in full service.
The lift is now under a twelve-month warranty and maintenance plan, which is being undertaken by our local lift maintenance engineers working from our Yate office in Bristol.