Ramstein airfield construction begins next week

Ramstein will close one of its two runways in support of airfield construction projects beginning Monday.

Due to the runway closure, the northern runway will be the single runway in use. Community members located in downtown Kaiserslautern and the Huetschenhausen areas may see changes to the arrivals and departures of aircraft, said Brig. Gen. Richard G. Moore Jr., 86th Airlift Wing commander.

“We appreciate the patience of our local community as we accomplish these projects,” said Moore. “Since we will only be using the northern runway during this time, there will be some minor changes to the flight paths of most of our aircraft. While we do not anticipate a change in the overall number of arrivals and departures, the change to using only the northern runway will increase the amount of traffic that overflies the City of Kaiserslautern and the village of Huetschenhausen.”

The first construction project will improve drainage on the airfield which will reduce the pooling of water following rain. The improved drainage will also reduce the threat to both the local bird population and aircraft, as birds are increasingly attracted to pooled water. The second project will upgrade parts of the lighting system on the runway, which is required maintenance to improve the safety of operations.

Quiet hours will remain between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. Monday through Saturday and until 1 p.m. on Sundays and German holidays. The 86th Operations Group Commander (or his designated representative) must approve arrivals and departures during those designated quiet hours.

The projects are expected to last approximately five months.