Affordable Options on the Path to LED

It’s true that many large airports, driven by mandates to reduce energy usage and lower their environmental footprint, have already transitioned to LED lighting. For airports, grant money, like those awarded by the FAA or state transportation boards, is the only practical means of adopting LED lighting. But what about airports that don’t have access to grant money? LED lights may save money in the long run but transitioning to this lighting solution can be an expensive proposition.

Smaller airports that want to transition to LED lights incrementally will need a convenient, affordable product with high availability for the sections that are not yet being replaced. The good news is there solid, cost-effective options for making an incremental transition.

Here are two:

1. Continue to use halogen and xenon. These light choices continue to offer safe, reliable lighting, but don’t have to be permanent if your airport ever chooses to begin the transition to LED, which could take several months or years depending on the size of the airfield.

2. Then develop a blueprint for a transition plan. With a plan in place, airports can  install LED lights incrementally as their budget permits, replacing existing lighting section by section. However, for this to work, each section must be changed at a time.

If there is grant money or other funding for LED lighting, mixing LED with halogen and xenon, section by section, offers a great alternative. The Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County airport tried this hybrid option with great success. The airport has moved incrementally from incandescent to LED lighting since 2006, replacing taxiway lights in 2008, followed by 245 centerline lights in 2013, and 180 touchdown zone lights on Runway 4L-22R in 2016. Following completion of the project, the airport received a silver award from the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure.

Airports that want to transition to LED lights incrementally will need a convenient, affordable product with high availability for the sections that are not yet being replaced. With incandescent bulbs being phased out of production, the remaining choices in today’s market are  halogen and xenon solutions. Amglo has some of the best selection of these lamps you will find on the market today. We supply a full array of airfield landing light products to meet the demands of all sizes of  airfield operations. All Amglo products are designed and tested to provide the upmost in safety in landing aircraft. We are proud to say that Amglo airfield lighting systems improve uptime and reduce overall operating costs. And all Amglo airfield lamps are engineered to overcome extreme weather and vibration conditions faced by airports around the world.

Check out our Airfield Lighting Catalog and contact us today to see how we can help your airfield find affordable lighting options that keep a close watch on expenses, maximize your operating efficiencies—and ensure a cost-effective incremental transition to LED lighting in the future.