How local airports deal with snowy conditions

Yahoo

14-02-2025

PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — Snow impacts nearly every facet of our lives, and travel is no exception. For airport workers, clearing the runways and making sure planes are able to fly is paramount.
While the snow that came down this week in central Illinois wasn't as significant as first thought, it still required an all-day effort from airport workers.
Gene Olson is the Director of Airports for the Gen. Wayne A. Downing Peoria International Airport and said the swift response time is necessary.
'As soon as the snow starts to cover the markings on the pavement, we get out there and start working on it because the pavement markings tell things to pilots, and they have to be able to see that,' he said.
In terms of snow maintenance, Olson said the two main focal points are the pavement and the planes themselves.
He said taking care of the planes is complex, as factors such as what kind of precipitation is coming down, the temperature and the water content are all taken into account.
From there, a holdover time needs to be calculated quickly.
'From the time when they de-ice an aircraft, they only have a certain number of minutes based on those calculations to get that aircraft off the ground,' he said.
Once the plane is in the air, Olson said the heat from the engines plus the air compression makes it a lot easier to keep the ice off.
For the pavement, Olson said they can't use salt, as it can corrode the planes that are mostly made of aluminum.
Instead, they use a potassium acetate liquid to prevent ice. If ice and snow have already accumulated, Olson said they use sodium acetate pellets that can eat through the snow and ice.
When snow or freezing rain is falling, Olson said conditions are assessed at least once every hour. From there, they file a 'Notice to Air Missions,' or NOTAM, which goes out to a national network, so pilots know what to expect before they land.
Melissa Beaver is the Manager of Marketing and Communications at the Central Illinois Regional Airport in Bloomington, often shortened to CIRA.
She said similar things to Olson, mainly about how it's 'all hands on deck' from the time the snow starts, and that there's a checklist for maintenance items all day.
In terms of de-icing the planes and treating the pavement, it's roughly the same.
For passengers, Beaver said to be patient and stay in touch with the airport, as delays and cancellations may not be related to CIRA, but the destination airport.
For passengers, Olson said to be 'patient and flexible' when flying in inclement weather and to arrive early to avoid any potential trouble.
Something that has popped up recently, according to Olson, is people arriving later due to airlines notifying people of delayed plane arrivals.
'That can cause problems because the ticket counter might be closed when they get here. Think about whether you should adjust your arrival time based on that email. You might want to still get here in plenty of time,' he said.
Olson also recommends people join frequent flyer clubs, even if they don't fly a lot. He said they are 'great' for receiving information from airlines.
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