Flying High With A-Safe Atlas Barrier

A-Safe’s Atlas Barrier is continuing to be a big hit with major airports around Europe, and Manchester Airport is the latest one to start reaping the benefits.

The safety barrier firm from Halifax, West Yorkshire developed the Atlas barrier in 2005 with Heathrow airport, and have seen Gatwick, Frankfurt, Brussells, Larnaca, East Midlands, Geneva and Dublin to name but a few airports take advantage of the revolutionary, cost saving and maintenance free safety system.

Manchester Airport's Airfield Facilities Manager, said: "As Manchester is such a busy airport, safety and security remain our top priority especially for staff out on the airfield where there are several vehicle and aircraft movements. Due to this, we require structurally sound and low maintenance barriers in place to protect our passengers and vehicles, which is what A-Safe have supplied. The process from initial contact to installing the barriers has been seamless and we have found the team to be very helpful with our requests."

A-Safe director James Smith said: “We created the Atlas Barrier in consultation with Heathrow airport, in a move that saw us adapt our existing barrier to meet stringent airport safety standards.  We not only achieved what was required to earn BS 6399 standard, but we exceeded it.  It’s great to have our barriers in Manchester airport, where we know we will contribute to a safer environment."

The science behind the A-Safe system means that when an airport vehicle hits an A-Safe product, there is no damage caused due to the barriers built in memory.  They flex, absorb the impact, don’t cause damage to the concrete floor, and don’t damage the vehicle.  When the vehicle is deflected away from the barrier, or moves clear of it, the barrier returns to its normal shape.  Thousands of pounds a year in maintenance costs have been saved by airports that use A-Safe.

James added: “When we save Gatwick airport over £100,000 a year in maintenance costs we know we’ve created a product that the major airports will benefit from in more ways than one.  We’re confident that Manchester will be pleased with their new purchases.”