The number of words that the Eskimo language has for “snow” is hotly disputed. But at London airport, says aerodrome trainer Fred Bigsby, the unwelcome wintry visitor is classified into exactly “seven snow states”. The climatic calibration ranges from “Met Office forecast snow in the next seven days but not expected to accumulate; no disruption to the operation of the airfield predicted” to “Snow is falling and accumulating in sufficient amounts to cause disruption”.
Or, in Fred’s words, from “No, we’re fine,” to “Yes, we’re going to have to close the runway at this point”. We are already well into . Each year, the coldest season officially begins on Planet Aviation on the final Sunday of October, according to the (Iata).
Deep midwinter is still six weeks away. But you may recall some of the chilling failures to cope with adverse meteorology by airports in the UK. Severe weather shut both and Gatwick Since then, both airports have created detailed “snow plans” to deal with the worst the winter can throw at the UK’s busiest hubs.
“At Snowfall T-4 hours, a conference call will be held by the Airside Tactical Team,” says the Heathrow plan. If the snow gets heavy: “Each runway will be suspended in succession to facilitate clearance and treatment.” At Heathrow, landings and take-offs can continue on the other runway – a luxury that Gatwick does not have.
According to chief operating officer of the Sussex airport, Mark Johnston, Gatwick.
