Battling the Big Freeze

This article uses the experiences of Domodedovo International Airport in Russia to explore the factors involved in maintaining an efficient, safe airport during the most inclement of winter weather. The main weather-related problems at Domodedovo include frequent slush conditions and sudden freezes leading to surface ice. The author considers scheduling issues, de-icing fluid (including the need to de-ice an aircraft more than once), bottlenecks arising when de-icing aircraft in remote areas of the airport, the kinds of de-icing vehicles in use, and the maintenance of that equipment. The article concludes by briefly mentioning future plans at Domodedovo that include new de-icing pads with facilities for collecting and processing fluid wastes.