Doubling of taxiway Bravo

Design: 2025 - ongoing

The project under consideration had as its main objective the increase of the operational and capacity efficiency of the movement area, partly already achieved with the duplication of Taxiway Bravo in the south-western section of runway 07/25 (year 2019).

The construction of the duplication of Taxiway Bravo represents, for Leonardo da Vinci International Airport, an opportunity to optimize aircraft ground movements and to ensure greater flexibility in the management of transit flows, with a consequent improvement in the quality of the service provided.

For this purpose, a geometric-functional layout was developed in line with the airport’s capacity requirements and compliant with EASA CS-ADR-DSN, Issue 7 regulations.

In particular, in the eastern section, while maintaining the current Taxiway Delta with capacity “up to F”, the replacement of the existing Taxiway Bravo included the construction of two new taxiways named Bravo and Charlie, respectively, the first “up to E” and the second “up to F”, simultaneously usable. The two new infrastructures, extending for more than 2 km, are bounded to the south by runway 07/25 and to the north by Taxiway Delta. In order to guarantee the maximum possible space for an aircraft holding at the runway entry point with a Code E aircraft taxiing behind along Taxiway Bravo, the alignment was positioned as close as possible to Taxiway Delta. This made it possible to include one Category E and one Category F rapid exit/connecting taxiway between the runway and the existing Delta connection.

The geometric design of the infrastructure was carried out in accordance with EASA regulatory provisions.

Along the straight sections, different overall widths were adopted depending on the aeronautical code assigned to each taxiway:

• Taxiway Bravo: total width 38 m;
• Taxiway Charlie: total width 44 m.

Considering a structural pavement width of 23 m, determined on the basis of a maximum outer main gear wheel span (OMGWS) of 15 m, the lateral shoulders were dimensioned accordingly.

The new taxiways were designed by verifying aircraft ground maneuverability along Taxiway Bravo, Taxiway Charlie and the various secondary connections, as well as towards the other existing taxiways and the apron. Operational ground movement and clearance assessments were implemented using AviPLAN Airside Pro software, simulating Code Delta, Echo and Foxtrot aircraft depending on the routes followed. More than 50 routes were evaluated and simulated in both directions of travel.