Reporter Zhao Bo Correspondent Lu Wenbo
The ice and snow season is coming, Qingdao Airport is ready! The airport is so large, how does it remove ice and snow quickly? How to make a plane take off and land safely in ice and snow? Do you know these "cold facts" about Qingdao Airport?
"Trivia" 1: Prepare to upgrade! Orderly implementation of "no lying down"
In order to ensure flight safety, aircraft must first be washed away before skidding off the runway in winter. "Since September, our nine de-icing trucks, more than 30 pilots, and nearly a hundred operators have been preparing for this year's aircraft de-icing work. Now they have gone through at least three rounds of training and practical operations. Only here In the coldest months, we have the opportunity to 'show off our talents', and we must do our best to ensure that every aircraft does not crash in every mission." said the duty manager of the Qingdao Airport Maintenance Company.
On December 11, Qingdao Airport ushered in the first snow of winter 2023. The tarmac began to get busy at 4 a.m., with staff conducting comprehensive inspections of vehicles, equipment, and supplies, strengthening runway inspections, and controlling snow on the road and icing on aircraft. The ice and snow removal operation of the runway system was officially launched at 6 a.m. Qingdao Airport deployed a total of 58 vehicles and equipment and more than 380 people. The on-site operation was smooth and orderly, and the flight normality rate reached 94% throughout the day.
"Cold knowledge" 2: Model upgrade! Safe takeoff "without traffic jams"
In order to ensure uninterrupted operation of the airport during snowfall, the Qingdao Airport flight area adopts half-width ice and snow removal and half-width operation modes. Ice and snow removal operations are carried out in accordance with the emergency plan and pre-snowfall work arrangements, and are carried out simultaneously in divisions, blocks, and formations.
At the same time, combined with the recent approval of the parallel runway independent departure mode, the aircraft de-icing innovation has established a double de-icing platform operation mode, from the original "six de-icing vehicles and two stands" to "eight de-icing vehicles and three stands" Through joint operations, flight taxiing and waiting times have been significantly reduced, effectively ensuring the safe takeoff of flights without traffic jams.
"cold knowledge" 3: Efficiency upgrade! Internal and external linkage "not stuck"
In order to fully integrate the support resources of internal and external units and improve the efficiency of ice and snow removal operations at Qingdao Airport, Qingdao Airport Group organized three base airlines and internal support units to conduct a joint aircraft de-icing and anti-icing drill in November 1 time, 1 desktop simulation of road surface ice and snow removal and 3 practical exercises. The drill was based on the background of snow and ice on the road caused by low temperature and continuous snowfall. It set the type of snow, the thickness of the ice and the subsequent changes in weather conditions, and simulated four de-icing trucks with single stations and six de-icing trucks with dual stations. Ice operation scenarios were simulated, as well as entering the runway and apron area to carry out ice and snow removal operations on the road surface. At the same time, various emergencies such as aircraft failure and deicing vehicle failure were added to further strengthen the linkage support capabilities of each unit.
Warm reminder: Snowy weather has recently occurred in many places across the country. It is recommended that passengers pay close attention to the weather conditions of their destinations and the status of their flights, and arrange their travel plans reasonably.
