Airport Exterior Lighting Solutions and Services

Entebbe International Airport is the principal international airport of Uganda. Constructed in the 1920s, the airport has seen a large increase in passenger traffic in recent years with upgrades to facilities being made to meet this growing demand. Working with the Civil Aviation Authority, the Abacus export team produced a lighting solution for the apron floodlighting at the airport, with Spectra Trade contracted to install the equipment.

The apron is one of the busiest areas at the airport, with constant movement of aircraft and vehicles, so coordination between all apron traffic is critical. During the dark overnight hours, all apron traffic requires clear visibility to reduce the risk of accidents, meaning that good quality lighting is vital.

Abacus chose to use Challenger 1 floodlights, a high power luminaire often used in sports and large area lighting. The Challenger 1 floodlights provide excellent light control with reduced upward light and overspill, which is ideal for pilots’ vision when manoeuvring around the apron for boarding, refuelling or maintenance.

This durable low glare floodlight has a high-pressure, die cast aluminium body, with toughened front glass protecting the internal fixings and lamp. This IP66 rated body extends the fitting and lamp life, whilst allowing quick and easy maintenance via a rear panel.

50 of these Challenger 1 floodlights were mounted on 16 Abacus base-hinged masts consisting of a mixture of mid and grand range masts to carry varied head loads. These proven Raise and Lower masts allow for safe maintenance at ground level without the requirement for large and expensive machinery, thus turning maintenance into a quick and simple one person operation, reducing the downtime of operations and lighting.