Snow is here and Toronto Pearson Airport in Mississauga says it’s keeping runways clear
Published December 4, 2024 at 9:56 am
With the season’s first snowfall expected to hit the Greater Toronto Area on Wednesday, officials at Toronto Pearson Airport in Mississauga say they’re well-equipped to keep runways clear and the planes safely moving.
Airport officials also urge those driving to and from the airport, and other motorists, to do so carefully as the roads are likely to be slick.
“We’re closely monitoring the season’s first expected snowfall today, which could bring up to 5 cm of snow to the airport,” Pearson officials said in a post to social media. “Our surface maintenance team is ready to deploy over 100 pieces of specialized equipment to clear runways, taxiways and the apron. Environment Canada has issued a winter weather travel advisory. If you’re driving to the airport today, we recommend allowing extra time for your journey.”
Our surface maintenance team is hard at work clearing the runways, taxiways, and aprons during this first snowfall of the season. 🌨️
Here’s a peek outside Terminal 1 just before 9 a.m.
Operations are running smoothly with aircraft arriving and departing at Toronto Pearson. ✈️ pic.twitter.com/wxZHT6fYyJ— Toronto Pearson (@TorontoPearson) December 4, 2024
Pearson officials said in an online update that as of 10 a.m. on Wednesday, snow-clearing crews were on the job keeping the runways safe for planes. Additionally, they noted “operations are running smoothly, with aircraft arriving and departing.”
Though there have been no noteworthy flight delays or cancellations so far, travellers are urged to check the status of their flights ahead of time as the day continues.
Meanwhile, police in Mississauga and elsewhere are also urging drivers to be extra careful on the roads in the next day or so. A number of collisions have already been reported in Mississauga, Milton and on Highway 401 east of Toronto on Wednesday.
In preparation for winter, Pearson Airport has added new snow-clearing and de-icing vehicles/equipment to bolster its fleet. Some 161 vehicles and equipment are at the ready to keep runways and other areas of the tarmac free of snow and planes free of ice.
Canada’s biggest and busiest airport, Pearson officials note, houses the largest centralized de-icing facility of any airport in the world.
By the numbers, Pearson Airport lists the following among its specialized snow removal vehicles and other pieces of equipment:
- 46 de-icing trucks (46 last year)
- 44 snow plows (40 last year)
- 15 snow blowers (12 last year)
- 14 front-end loaders
- 12 snow tractors (18 last year)
- 8 front-mounted sweepers (7 last year)
- 8 spray trucks
- 7 spreader trucks
- 4 Glycol (antifreeze) recovery vehicles
- 3 underwing de-icing units