ewoReLight for Innsbruck Airport INN (AUT)

In 2011, Innsbruck was the first airport in the German-speaking region to equip its entire apron with LED floodlights – implemented with ewo from South Tyrol. Fourteen years later, the airport is once again relying on the same partner. The modernisation shows how sustainable infrastructure maintenance can be achieved through technical precision, partnership and foresight.

When ewo's new LED floodlights went into operation at Innsbruck Airport in 2011, the project was considered a milestone: for the first time, an entire airport apron was illuminated with LED technology – at a time when this was still considered experimental. The result was impressive across the board: high light quality, energy efficiency and reliability in the demanding alpine environment. Fourteen years later, Innsbruck is once again the focus of attention among experts. The Tyrolean airport operating company decided to modernise the system as part of a proactive maintenance programme and remained loyal to ewo as its partner.

"Although the luminaires were in use for significantly longer than their originally calculated service life, they continued to meet all lighting requirements," says Walter Wegscheider, Head of Electrical Engineering at Innsbruck Airport. "Nevertheless, we wanted to take another step towards energy efficiency and sustainability with the relighting project."

ewo developed a targeted relighting approach for the project, which was geared towards maximum resource conservation and minimal disruption to operations. Instead of completely replacing the large-format luminaires, only the technically relevant components (LED boards, lenses and control gear) were renewed. The existing housings, glass covers and masts remained unchanged.

This precise modernisation meant that the project could be implemented during ongoing operations without restricting operating hours or safety-related processes. At the same time, the connected load was reduced and the light output optimised.

"Relighting allows us to reuse around 80 to 90 percent of the existing luminaires," Wegscheider continues. "This means less waste, fewer new materials and significantly lower energy consumption – both in production and operation."

For ewo, the project is not only a technical success, but also a sign of long-term partnership. Marc Schreck, sales representative at ewo Austria, supervised the project on site: "Innsbruck is an example of how trust, quality and service can endure over many years. The airport was a pioneer in 2011 and remains so today, this time in terms of sustainable system renewal."

The successful completion of the relighting project demonstrates that longevity and innovation are not mutually exclusive, but rather mutually dependent. The first-generation luminaires remained in operation for over 40 per cent longer than originally guaranteed, proving the robustness and precision of ewo technology.

Based on the positive experiences in Innsbruck, ewo has developed a new service approach: ewoReLight – Sustainable System Renewal. The approach transfers the idea of relighting into a standardised, even more efficient solution for existing systems.

ewoReLight stands for customer-centred system renewal: ewo analysed the relighting approach successfully implemented in Innsbruck and transformed it into a system solution. Instead of replacing the individual components on site with its own installation team, a kit solution was developed that enables the entire unit, consisting of LED board, lenses and control gear, to be replaced in a single component. This replacement unit is thermally optimised, further improving the service life and performance of the original luminaire. However, the core of the further development of the System Renewal Kit is that it does not have to be converted on site by specially trained ewo technicians, but can also be upgraded directly on the mast by electrically trained specialist personnel from the airport or specialist companies. This significantly reduces installation time and therefore costs. The entire process can often be implemented from the current maintenance budget.

Example of sustainable infrastructure maintenance

The relighting project at Innsbruck Airport demonstrates how technical excellence, sustainability and service quality can work together. For the airport, the project means future-proof lighting with reduced operating costs; for ewo, it proves that sustainability has long been part of the company's DNA.