Edmonton International Airport (EIA) was awarded the coveted Balchen/Post Award for excellence in snow and ice control at the 53rd Annual International Aviation Snow Symposium (IASS) on April 29, 2019 in Buffalo, NY.
This is the second time that EIA has received the award, with the first award being in 2012. The award was presented to EIA’s Airside Operations Team for their dedicated efforts in maintaining our airport in safe and operational status during the 2018 – 2019 winter season. EIA won in the category of Medium Commercial Airport (100,000 to 200,000 operations per year).
EIA experiences a yearly average snowfall of 128.5 centimetres and more than 1,500,00-squaremetres airside (runway space, taxiways, aircraft handling aprons, etc.) and more than 860,000-squaremetres groundside (roads and parking lots) to keep clear in order to operate 24/7, 365 days a year. The heavy equipment that is used is also tested severely in these conditions and still must be maintained or repaired and kept operating. In 2018-2019, the Edmonton region also broke a 40-year cold record. Yet, thanks to the winter operations program, EIA maintained runway conditions in a safe and operational manner ensuring consistent aircraft flight schedules.
“I’d like to thank the Northeast Chapter/American Association of Airport Executives for sponsoring this award and the IASS selection committee for recognizing our Airside Operations Crews’ efforts,” says Steve Maybee, EIA Vice President of Operations and Infrastructure. “I’d also like to acknowledge the hard work of our team. They are some of the very best in the business and this award proves it! It also shows their commitment to our customers and our community.”
The IASS is the largest gathering of its kind exclusively focused on winter airport operations, and is attended by 800 participants from countries around the world, including the US, Russia, Scandinavia and Canada.
The Balchen/Post Award criteria include: - Degree of in-depth preparedness - Effectiveness of the snow and ice control program - Timeliness and accuracy of communications during snow and ice control efforts with stakeholders - Post Storm Activities
For more about the Balchen/Post Award: https://www.necaaae.org/balchen-post-awardarchives
