The States Trading Supervisory Board is seeking approval for a £6.1m. project to resolve the defects in the roof which would finally see the removal of the scaffolding structure that has covered the building since 2024.
Reports have concluded that the problems stemmed from faults dating back to the terminal’s construction in 2004, rather than by extreme weather alone.
During a media visit on top of the airport roof, underneath the scaffolding, head of infrastructure delivery Jenny Giles said the most significant issues came from the soffit panels.
‘The problems have come about where panels have come loose due to poor construction and poor design,’ she said.
‘The fixings weren’t suitable enough and the panels weren’t thick enough, so there’s been a lot of deflection in the wind and some of them have come off, like in Storm Ciaran.
‘We’re also seeing that because the panels have come loose, there is rusting on the beams because they’re not supposed to be exposed to that level of weather.’
The soffit overhang was made to be an architectural feature, rather than an engineering structure, and has come with its own set of issues.
The scaffolding currently seen on the terminal building was installed to ensure that no more panels on the underside of the roof would fall out.
Other structural issues identified were joints being misaligned and beams not cut properly.
‘We’ve gone around and found lots of errors in the whole infrastructure that now need repairing,’ said Ms Giles.
‘Repairs were done as a “make do” rather than a proper design fit.
‘There’s not a lot we can do about it, we just have to look forward and make sure we correct the problems that we’ve got now.’
The aim is to clean up the steel, fix all the connections and correct all of the structural issues so it will last until the roof covering, which has its own design life, needs refitting, and the building can continue being used.
The airport scaffolding has received intense criticism for its appearance in recent years and the impression it has on visitors and tourism.
It had to be constructed quickly when panels of the roof started coming off during Storm Ciaran.
‘It wasn’t just the odd panel here or there, it was a large area, so we put the scaffolding up to contain it.
‘After the scaffolding was up, we had to make sure it was security-safe for airside which took several months,’ said Ms Giles.
‘We had to get a surveyor up to see what the problem was, then look at writing a business case and different options of repair.
‘There was a lot of stuff going on behind the scenes.
‘We couldn’t do all the inspection with the cherry picker because we needed to hold the panels in.’
The scaffolding is currently acting to ensure the airport remains safe and can stay open, without the risk of more panels falling off.
The complex structure took more than a year to put up fully.
Airport repair work is already included in the States’ major projects portfolio and the proposal to spend £6m. to fix it should be debated in either November or December.
Subject to approval, the project team can then go out to tender for contractors to undertake the work, which is expected to take 18 months.
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