The main runway RWY 14L/32R for taking off and landing at Cologne Bonn Airport (FKB), which is 3,815 meters long and 60 meters wide, dates from the 1960s. 21 years after the last refurbishment, the runway showed heavy wear and tear in the form of cracks, spalling, surface deterioration and water ingress, so it had to be refurbished again to ensure safe and uninterrupted flight operations.

Flight operations at Cologne Bonn Airport were permitted for 24 hours per day, so the work was carried out in the period from April to November 2018 during the defined non-operating times from 12:00 hours on Saturday to 18:00 hours on Sunday (30 hours) on almost all weekends. Where flight operations permitted, some individual work tasks were also carried out on weekdays. This involved the refurbishment of the runway structure with the binding material and the top surface, including the installation of new markings, LED runway lighting which was integrated into the asphalt and the entire measurement technology for a new runway condition monitoring and alarm system.

Beforehand, a new cable protection conduit was installed parallel to the main runway RWY 14L/32R outside the 70 meter safety zone to provide access for maintenance even while air traffic is operating.