Case study: Hovercraft saving lives in airports around the World

Search and rescue provision can prove a problem for many airports surrounded by water, mud, grass or concrete; areas which are impossible to reach by most forms of transport. In these cases, Griffon Hoverwork hovercraft provide the only rescue solution, proven by the fact that the company has more hovercraft in service in the airport search and rescue sector than any other manufacturer in the World.

The new airport in Seoul on the North/South Korean border is surrounded by mud and sand and has the added complication of becoming icebound during cold winters. The high-speed, amphibious hovercraft therefore is the only option for providing emergency rescue – and a much cheaper alternative to a helicopter.

All of the airports listed above issued competitive, international tenders for hovercraft, to provide this desperately needed rescue support. Auckland International Airport Ltd (AIAL) has had a long history of hovercraft operation and spent a year chartering and operating a hovercraft for evaluation purposes. With this and previous hovercraft experience, AIAL was able to stipulate a very exacting requirement for its ideal craft, and it then put this tough specification out to worldwide tender.

With more than 46 hovercraft built for search and rescue operations, Griffon Hoverwork was the supplier of choice, for both the hovercraft and the training/after-sales maintenance. A feature of all Griffon hovercraft is their high-speed reaction time in emergencies, regardless of where the emergency occurs. These unique craft will traverse the concrete aircraft parking area or grass as easily as the mud, sand or water surrounding the airport. Hovercraft also have no need for additional infrastructure; they can be parked on concrete as close to the main runway as possible and be ready for high-speed take-off at any moment.

Each craft is configured to the airport’s specific requirements – in Korea, the hovercraft carries two 30 man liferafts and a waterproof VHF/UHF radio/intercom. These radios enable the crew to tune into Air Traffic Control frequencies, as well as Fire Service channels, providing an indispensable rescue strategy. The new 8000TD recently purchased by Singapore Changi Airport is fitted with a ramp to allow vehicles and equipment to be easily transported on and off the craft.

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