Avinor vinor
Winter operations Never snowed under For airports and operators facing some of the harshest winter climates known to
man, preparing for the fi nal months of the year is a considerable challenge. Nicholas Kenny hears from Robert Paterson, airside operations manager, Aberdeen International Airport,
and Thomas Toftevåg, head of section, airfi eld services, Avinor, to learn how their airports tackle extreme freezing temperatures, snowstorms and other winter weather events, keeping their operations up and running even in the most challenging circumstances.
hile airports all around the world face challenges keeping operations running smoothly during the winter months, some have a considerably more difficult time of it. Weather conditions can be hazardous and volatile in the darkest months of the year, from snowstorms that can reduce visibility and freezing temperatures that lead to ice formation on an aircraft’s wings, and both snow and ice can interfere with the necessary friction for safe landing on the runway. At the start of December, a sudden cold snap led to flights being cancelled and delayed across the UK, in airports as far apart as London Stansted and Glasgow, due to the freezing conditions. The latter saw dozens of aircraft grounded after temperatures dropped to -10°C, with some flights diverted to nearby airports. The rest of Europe wasn’t spared either, with Munich Airport most heavily impacted by a winter storm that caused havoc across southern Germany and parts of Austria, Switzerland and the Czech Republic, disrupting travel across the region and forcing the airport to ground all flights on 2 December, with delays and cancellations continuing over the following days.
W
The best-laid snow plans However, while these events caught a number of airports unprepared, others are well-versed in dealing with these kinds of conditions, frequently
operating under heavy snowfall and chilling temperatures. Aberdeen International Airport in the north-east of Scotland is one such example, the winter operations of which now stretch out to a good seven months of the year.
Robert Paterson, airside operations manager at Aberdeen International Airport, is responsible for managing and coordinating the airport’s snow plan and associated policies, procedures and processes, which are aimed at keeping Aberdeen’s runway open under the most challenging of conditions. “The main reason that we deliver our snow plan is for the passenger experience – because every single passenger that comes to the airport deserves to get to their destination in a manner that alleviates any stress,” he emphasises. Aberdeen’s snow plan begins around mid-October, unlike at many other airports in the UK and Europe, which may only see four months of inclement weather. It used to be that 31 March would be the end date, Paterson says, but in recent years the airport has seen snow conditions continue all the way into April and early May. Over at Oslo Airport in Norway, winter operations extend over a similar chunk of the year, starting in part from mid-September – when key equipment like fiction testers and chemical sprayers come into play, followed by sweepers and snowblowers by the start of October. Weather is variable, though by November the airport
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