Case Studies

Birmingham Airport

Birmingham Airport’s winter maintenance fleet includes a Multihog MH90 with winter maintenance kit in preparation for potentially harsh winters.

Head of Aerodrome Operations Rob Cooke is impressed with the Multihog’s manoeuvrability which makes it the ideal vehicle to tackle snow clearance and de-icing around the parked aircraft at the 80 + stands at the airport. “The large machines we have for clearing runways worked very well during the bad weather, but in common with most airports we took a long and hard look at stand clearance methods and realised that a new approach was necessary. Tractor mounted snow brushes can on occasion be too large to access the very tight spaces on occupied stands, meaning that the final clearance often had to be carried out manually. The specialist nature of the Multihog and its excellent visibility from the cab will enable it to get up close to the aircraft for a safe and ‘clean sweep’ so to speak.”

Fitted with a snow brush on the front and a 1.6t capacity spreader on the rear, clearance procedures can be carried out with just the one vehicle rather than two, which will also speed up the process thereby helping to minimise the possibility of flight delays.

“Now more than ever there is an increased focus on achieving conditions on the stand that meet all stakeholders’ requirements,” continues Rob, “which has resulted in the need for an appropriate type of equipment to cover all eventualities. Given the choice we are hoping that we don’t actually have to use the Multihog as we’d prefer a quiet winter! But having seen it in action and had the thumbs up from our operations team and motor transport department as to its quality design and robust build, we are confident that we are well prepared for the worst that the weather can bring.”

  • Birmingham Airport
  • MH

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