23 Liebherr tower cranes at the airport expansion project in Santiago de Chile

The airport in Santiago de Chile is expanding its position as one of the most important hubs in South America. The operators are extending the site to 265,000 m² and have commissioned the construction of another terminal. Once finished, the airport will increase its total capacity to 30 million passengers per year, more than doubling its present number. There will be 67 passenger bridges in total, including the 18 already in use. In addition, the number of parking spaces are to double.

Liebherr tower crane fleet in action

The developers are realising the project with the help of 23 Liebherr tower cranes. Liebherr Chile S.p.A has already erected seven 250 EC-B 12 Litronic, four 150 EC-B 8 Litronic and one 280 EC-H 16 Litronic. Six cranes from the Chilean dealer Maquinarias Cruz del Sur are also already in use: one 280 EC-H 12 Litronic, two 200 EC-H 10 Litronic and three 90 EC-B cranes. The 18 tower cranes have a jib length of 45 to 60 m and hook heights of 17 to 45 m; they have been working on the construction site, partly in double shifts, since the end of 2016. As things currently stand, approximately 70 percent of the airport has been completed. More Liebherr tower cranes will follow for the construction of the multi-storey car parks – foreseeably three 110 EC-B 6 and two 154 EC-H cranes.

The location of a Liebherr branch directly in Santiago was the deciding factor for the Vinci-Astaldi consortium. In addition to the Liebherr tower cranes from his own fleet, the dealer Maquinarias Cruz del Sur is providing assembly, service and crane operators for all cranes. Liebherr-Chile S.p.A. is providing a senior service technician to assist - so altogether, a good, all-round carefree package has been put together for the customer.

Limited crane height

The Liebherr Tower Cranes Solutions project department has provided the consortium with guidance and resources for planning the most economical coverage of the construction site. The right choice of crane types, the number needed, their positioning and their dimensions are all key factors in project planning. Here, the conditions on each respective construction site play a decisive role. In airport construction, for example, the permitted crane heights are very limited. In order to work with several cranes in the tightest of spaces, the service technicians mounted a Flat-Top 250 EC-B 12 Litronic crane on rails for the construction of one of the terminals. This way, the crane is able to cover a larger part of the construction site and, when not in operation, can be moved to a position where it can slew freely. As an additional safety measure, all cranes are equipped with an anti-collision system from the French manufacturer AMCS technologies.

Several rounds of negotiations for the Santiago airport contract took place since October 2015, with a consortium specifically formed for the project, comprising of the construction firms Vinci and Astaldi – the contract was signed together with the dealer Maquinarias Cruz del Sur in mid-September 2016.