Winter in Toronto

Snow clearance, snow removal and ice control operations are some of the most critical and costly components of operating the Toronto Pearson International Airport. This article describes the airport's winter operations program. To minimize runway occupancy time by the maintenance crews, the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) has invested in equipment that can handle specialized tasks yet are standard enough to minimize negative impacts on training and parts procurement. An intensive 30-day training program has been developed to qualify operators to drive anywhere on the airfield and to operate multi-function equipment in the runway environment. The GTAA also developed an airfield circuit pattern that allows all five runways to be sequentially cleared in the same manner, with the only variation coming in the starting point. The movement of the runway team, the high speed exit team, the chemical applicators and inspection vehicles has been choreographed in such a way that two east-west runways are always available. To ensure clear communication and coordination, a hotline has been implemented and regular conference calls are held for members of the GTAA's core planning group to discuss the timing and routing of snow removal activities. A ground operations working group has also been established by the GTAA to identify issues, research solutions and provide recommendations that will continually improve the efficiency of winter operations.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/oclc/37505394
• Authors:
  • Tolton, Eric
• Publication Date: 2005

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Photos;
• Pagination: pp 19-22
• Serial:
  • International Airport Review
  • Volume: 9
  • Issue Number: 3
  • Publisher: Russell Publishing Limited
  • ISSN: 1366-6339
  • Serial URL: http://www.russellpublishing.com/pages/airport/airport1.html

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Airport operations; Airport planning; Airport runways; Communication; Coordination; Maintenance equipment; Maintenance management; Maintenance personnel; Maintenance practices; Snow and ice control; Training; Winter maintenance
• Identifier Terms: Greater Toronto Airports Authority; Toronto Pearson International Airport
• Geographic Terms: Toronto (Canada)
• Subject Areas: Aviation; Education and Training; Maintenance and Preservation; Pavements; Terminals and Facilities; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01010478
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Nov 28 2005 9:10AM