The airfield service of Gagarin airport (part of the Airports of Regions holding) has reviewed its performance results for the period of calendar winter. To uphold the airfield’s fitness for takeoff and landing operations, 17 special vehicles – powered graders, snow cleaners, tractors, bulldozers, loaders and rotor snow cutters – were engaged from December to February.
The airfield area cleaned from snow exceeds 391,000 sq. m mostly covered by the runway and apron. In times of unfavorable weather conditions, snowfall and glaze formation during the winter period the service switches to a more intensive mode of cleaning the runway, taxiways, parking hangars, apron and adjacent territories. Overall the airfield service used 53 tonnes of deicer during three winter months to ensure the operational availability of the airfield for more than 1,500 takeoff and landing operations.
The airfield service is established for maintaining round-the-clock all-season operational availability of the airfield. All vehicles are in permanent “combat readiness”. Besides snow removal, the service performs many other functions related to aircraft acceptance and release, including the maintenance and current repair of airfield pavements, water-draining systems, rough strips as well as ornithological flight safety support and control of obstacles in aerodrome environs.