Winter operations
There is a vast array of machinery at work to keep runways open, with more than 50 vehicles making up Oslo’s winter operations fleet.
brushes, alongside snow ploughs and other vehicles, to keep its runways clear. Similarly, if it looks like temperatures are going to drop below freezing, Aberdeen will apply de-icer to the runway to provide the necessary pavement friction value to ensure safe landing and allow operations to continue – each application of de-icer can last up to four hours, depending on precipitation coming down onto the runway and diluting the chemicals. All of Aberdeen’s de-icing products grant them coverage down to -60°C, though Paterson notes that they’ve thankfully never had to put that to the test. “I think -27°C in Braemar is the lowest-recorded [temperature in Scotland], but I’ve seen it here, at Aberdeen, get down to -17°C.” At these kinds of temperatures, precipitation isn’t much of a concern – “it’s a really dry cold”, he says. What does happen, however, is that diesel – if it’s not winter-grade – can begin to turn into jelly and will no longer easily flow through the engine and fuel lines, creating performance issues. Likewise, the ground power units and de-icing tank pipes will begin to freeze, further impacting the winter operations team’s effectiveness.
-19ºC The coldest
temperature recorded at Aberdeen International Airport, in January 1982.
Aberdeen Live 12 Avinor 34
The number of runway closures that have lasted longer than 15 minutes at Oslo Airport since 2010.
Oslo boasts an even bigger fleet of equipment, using two groups of sweeper columns working beside each other to perform maintenance on its runway and adjacent taxiway to clear the area completely, alongside leading vehicles, snowblowers, inspections vehicles and wheel loaders. “We use the wheel loaders a bit differently to other airports because they are sort of like a facilitator,” says Toftevåg. “They collect debris if something falls off, so they are preparing and adjusting around the main column with the sweepers and with the snowblowers, so they can just keep the speed and don’t need to take another turn.” Like Aberdeen, Oslo also makes use of chemical de-icers to keep its runways clear, but also uses a sand machine to similar effect. Then there are other vehicles, like ploughs and scrapers, that are used for different purposes – in short, there is a vast array of machinery at work, with more than 50 vehicles in the Oslo winter operations fleet.
Practice makes perfect One element that both Paterson and Toftevåg attribute to the success of their respective airports is
that, unlike many of the airports throughout Europe caught by December’s cold snap, they frequently face such challenging conditions. “That has given us the opportunity to get better at [dealing with] the really difficult weather” says Toftevåg. “If you seldom face extreme winter conditions, it is hard to get really good [at dealing with it]. You need to practice.” Beyond this, he adds, there are a variety of success factors for winter operations, but key among them is having a contingency plan in place for when things go awry. By reducing some operations, for example, such as prioritising certain taxiways over others to keep conditions up to the necessary standard, Oslo can prevent a shut down and keep operations going until conditions settle down. Similarly, it’s important to have a common understanding between personnel within different sectors of the airport, and particularly have a good working relationship with ATC, which needs to be kept abreast of all new operations being undertaken at the airport so incoming and outgoing flights can be directed as needed. “If ATC and airfield maintenance are close, you can do magic,” says Toftevåg. But, if they are sitting on different mountains, you can have a tough day.” After all, both men note, an airport’s winter operations are more than the work of a single team. “It’s a group effort,” says Paterson. “The passenger journey doesn’t start when they get on the aircraft – it starts as soon as they come onto our road infrastructure and hitting our car parks. From there through to the check-in desks, to security and to the main terminal and all the retail outlets.” Passion, then, is the final piece of the puzzle,
and it’s vital when workers are pulling late nights in extremely cold weather. “Everything that the Aberdeen International Airport team does is for the passenger experience, because when people buy their ticket to fly from Aberdeen, they deserve to fly and land at Aberdeen – we don’t want them to have to go other airports because we’re closed,” Paterson stresses. It’s a testament to both of the airports, then, that despite the winter weather challenges that they face, it’s a rare sight indeed for any passengers to ever be turned away. ●
Future Airport /
www.futureairport.com
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