Over the past few weeks, the GTA has seen it all. Snow, rain, freezing rain, high winds and low temperatures have affected much of the country. Mother Nature has begun to show her true colours and has left most to wonder if they are properly prepared for the upcoming winter.

Toronto Pearson is ready to handle Canada’s winter weather. With more than 50 snow removal machines, its own meteorologist, and outside contractors ready to assist at a moment’s notice, the GTAA is confident that operations can be maintained even during the most severe winter weather conditions.

After recent storms and with more snow on the way, Toronto Pearson spends plenty of time preparing for the inevitable. “Because every storm is different, we must plan based on the characteristics of the storm,” says Doug Dyball, GTAA Senior Manager, Airfield Maintenance. “This includes making sure that all equipment is ready to go and that we have plenty of personnel available at all times. We also make sure to contact our meteorologist, Anna Malkiewicz, who provides us with a site-specific forecast, so when a storm arrives, we know exactly what to expect.”

Toronto Pearson also is home to the world’s largest Central Deicing Facility, where six wide-body aircraft or 12 narrow-body aircraft can be deiced at one time. Deicing is a critical component of winter operations as it removes contamination from the aircraft surface caused by ice or snow. Accomplished by spraying the aircraft with heated fluid (generally a mixture of water and ethylene glycol), deicing is central to an aircraft’s operation, because failure to remove contamination would mean that the surface of the aircraft could not facilitate the smooth flow of air, thereby degrading the ability of the aircraft to generate lift.

The process by which Toronto Pearson assesses the need for deicing is very involved and precise. “We begin by analyzing the storm through weather forecasts and assess the efforts that will be required to manage it,” says Joe Forbes, GTAA Senior Manager, Deicing Operations. “In addition to having the staff and equipment available, we must also quantify the number of aircraft that can be deiced per hour and then work with the airlines to generate a deicing schedule.”

Although the deicing and snow removal operations are not directly related, both must be choreographed simultaneously. There exists a high level of communication between these two groups as they depend on each other for the successful operation of the airport.

Those travelling through Toronto Pearson can rest assured that every measure will be taken during winter events to ensure their safety while the entire airport works towards minimizing delays. Passengers are reminded to visit this site or call their airline to check on the status of their flight prior to coming to the airport.