London International Airport says they are flying high through the winter conditions.
The airport says only a few delays occurred over the past week.
London Airport’s CEO, Mike Seabrook, says there’s a mix between man and machine power to keep everything flying.
“We have equipment going up and down the runway, that way it’s kept in a bare and dry condition.”
The airport has snow plows, snow blowers and sweepers that take care of the runways when the nasty weather settles on London. The sweepers are used to brush the snow off the runway, instead of waiting for the salt to melt the snow.
The airport doesn’t use road salt on the runways. Seabrook says road salt would be too hard on the planes and other equipment.
Not many delays are caused by the plowing operations. Seabrook says they do their best to clear the runway between arrivals and departures, instead of when the planes need to use the runway. He says a lot of air traffic during the stormy weather could cause delays.
“Practically speaking, it’s not always possible. If the snow is coming down really hard, there could multiple flights leaving or going around the same time. Which could mean an aircraft may have to hold for 5-10 minutes. Once the operators have their jobs done, then the aircraft can take off.”
Seabrook says technology helps them relay information in the matter of seconds.
“We have equipment on a pickup truck. This helps us measure things like the temperature of the surface. How well brakes would work on the runway. Then we can relay the information to air traffic control, the pilot and the airliner’s dispatch in the matter of seconds.”
He says it’s always a good idea to check in with the airport or airline. You can check the arrivals and departures on their website.
