Cool insights
Snow and ice dominated the Saxon weather report last week. While car drivers are annoyed by frozen windows, there are completely different challenges to overcome at an air freight hub.
Speed and safety is our motto night after night. Perfectly coordinated, aircraft are unloaded, shipments transported and sorted, only to leave the hub again a few hours later.
As soon as the first snow falls, the race against time takes on a whole new dimension. The apron alone covers 640,000 m². Keeping this free of snow at all times is a prerequisite for maintaining operations. There's also no time to lose, explains Daniel Tiesler, duty manager on the apron: "Our vehicles pull very heavy loads, such as fully loaded aircraft containers. As soon as we drive them over snow, the snow is flattened and a dangerous layer of ice forms on which vehicles and aircraft could no longer brake."
So how do we manage to prevent exactly that? At the hub, we have winter teams that not only coordinate clearing operations, but are also trained to drive snow vehicles. Leipzig/Halle Airport also uses its own large equipment to ensure that the runway is free of snow. Aircraft, after all, do not have winter tires. Tractors with snow blades are also used.
Teamwork is therefore required to ensure safety on the ground and in the air and to keep to the flight schedule.
However, clearing snow is not the end of the story. Every aircraft must also be deiced before takeoff in sub-zero temperatures. Daniel knows why: "It is very important that the wings are free of snow and ice. Otherwise, the aircraft would not be able to take off. The acceleration of the aircraft creates a certain amount of air pressure on the wing. At the top, so to speak, the air flows faster than under the wing. If there is turbulence at the top, the air cannot flow as fast. The aerodynamic lift is impeded. In addition, every airplane has moving parts. If these come into contact with snow and ice, these parts are no longer movable and the airplane can no longer be controlled."
The whole deicing process takes some time, of course. On a Boeing 747, it can take anywhere from 15 to 45 minutes - depending on the amount of snow and the outside temperature. Even after that, it's a case of "lose no time." The de-icing fluid only works for a certain time, so the aircraft has to take off as quickly as possible after de-icing.
Exciting insights that show what the LEJ Hub team does night after night, especially in winter, to deliver on time to customers all over the world. - Julia Ende