IT MAY have been a wet Christmas rather than a white one but Gatwick Airport is ready for whatever weather might be thrown at us.
Gatwick chiefs say that, following an £8 million spending spree on "snow kit", the airport's snow-clearing capacity is now on a par with icy Oslo. The airport's snow-clearing equipment now comprises 98 vehicles, up from the 47 it had two winters ago.
Andy Crabb, Gatwick's airfield operations manager, explained that the airport is now prepared for the worst. He said: "We have snow ploughs, brushes, cutters, blowers and deicing vehicles, as well as tractors.
"We have 18 'sweeper blowers' for the runway and taxiways, and six large runway anti-icing vehicles, and we can store up to 600,000 litres of anti-icing agent – twice as much as we had in 2010."
He added: "All £8 million worth of kit has arrived, been tested and is ready for use."
During bad weather a team of 66 work 12-hour shifts to provide 24-hour cover to keep the runway clear, with a further 120 staff available to be drafted in should the need arise.
It is no easy job clearing snow if it does fall as there is 1.8 million square feet of runway.
As well as machinery to clear the air strip, the airport has 4,000 blankets, 600 mattresses, 8,000 bottles of water, 600 folding beds, 20 snow shovels and 10 travel cots in case passengers become stranded by adverse weather.
Mr Crabb said: "From training extra staff volunteers to drive our snow fleet and help passengers in our terminals, to providing real-time updates during snow, we are as prepared as possible for the winter months."
