While most Europeans have already been living with summer in their minds, Aviator Airport Alliance, a full-range provider of aviation services at 15 airports across the Nordics, has just ended their de-icing season. After months of active operation, Magnus Söderberg, Business Improvement Director at Aviator, is sharing insights on the past season.
“Aviator had an exceptionally active winter,” Söderberg shares. “Our standard season typically spans from October to April or early May, but in our Arctic Circle stations, Bardufoss and Tromsø, it commences on September 15th and concludes on May 15th. This year was no different, and we even experienced snow just last week. Although the season’s duration remained unchanged, we witnessed an increase of approximately 30% in the number of de-icings performed compared to the previous winter.”
De-icing operations take place at 12 out of the 15 Aviator bases, with Norway’s stations being the most active. “Our two stations located above the Arctic Circle had the highest de-icing intensity, where more than every second aircraft undergoes de-icing during the season. In Sweden, Stockholm Arlanda experienced the highest volume of de-icing operations, followed by Gothenburg, and Helsinki in Finland,” he elaborates.
According to Söderberg, the duration of aircraft de-icing can vary significantly, ranging from as little as 2 minutes to up to 1 hour. Several factors come into play, including the size of the aircraft, prevailing weather conditions, and even the infrastructure of the airport. “For instance, a morning de-icing session to address light frost typically requires approximately 3-4 minutes, including debriefing, when handled by an experienced crew. When de-icing is performed amidst snowfall, it generally takes around 8-10 minutes. However, in cases of heavy snowfall or if the aircraft has been parked for an extended period, leading to substantial ice or… read more www.aerotime.aero
