DENVER—This winter, Denver International Airport will double the number of workers and pieces of equipment it uses to keep its runways, parking lots and taxiways clear of snow.
It’s part of a $31 million snow removal plan developed after the airport—the nation’s sixth busiest—was closed for nearly two days because of back-to-back storms last December, causing 4,000 flights to be canceled during the busy holiday travel season. It is the first overhaul of the airport’s snow strategy since it opened in 1995 with promises that it would an all-weather operation.
John Kinney, the airport’s deputy aviation manager, said the storms painfully pointed out that the airport’s snow removal plan had become outdated following budget cuts.
“No plan is guaranteed to trump Mother Nature,” Kinney said. “But had we had the equipment lineup and the changes we’re talking about in place (last winter), we likely would’ve had less than a 10-hour closure.”
Under the new plan, the airport will deploy its workers more strategically, putting them in charge of clearing specific parts of the airport rather than being responsible for multiple areas. Officials will also work more closely with the Federal Aviation Administration and the Regional Transportation District and an operations executive will work in the control tower during snowstorms to help coordinate efforts.
New software is also being installed will give some employees up-to-date information about airport conditions.
“This is real-time information on security initiatives, flight schedules, snow-removal efforts, irregularities on the airfield,” Kinney said. “It’s all the information that people would need to make decisions.”
Workers will also be able to use seven new snow melters which get rid of snow on the spot rather than requiring it to be hauled away.
Airlines have also added more snow plows and de-icing trucks and are trying to make it easier for customers to rebook canceled flights.
Frontier Airlines has 16.5 percent more customer service workers and has added more curbside desks and automated kiosks. United Airlines has installed kiosks in concourse B where passengers can re-book flights so they don’t have to go back to the main terminal.
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Information from: Rocky Mountain News,
