Southend Airport installs purpose-built aircraft de-icing facility
Southend Airport has become the first in Britain to install a purpose-built aircraft de-icing facility, increasing efficiency and the speed of de-icing when bad weather hits.
From now on, instead of de-icing when the plane is on its stand and full of passengers, an aircraft can simply push back and taxi to the Centralised De-icing Facility.
With engines running, the plane will be efficiently de-iced before smoothly taxiing for take-off. This new operation enables more aircraft to de-ice more quickly and to get to the runway for departure well within hold-over times.
De-icing fluid is captured and taken for specialist treatment before being safely disposed of.
Glyn Jones, CEO of Southend Airport Stobart Aviation, said: "This new de-icing facility is another example of London Southend leading the way within the aviation industry, using innovative, brand new technology to provide a much better airport experience for our partners and passengers.
"For both travellers and airlines there is nothing more frustrating than bad weather leading to delays, so we’ve invented a solution to try and minimise that."
Lisa
Lisa joined Travel Weekly nearly 25 years ago as technology reporter and then sailed around the world for a couple of years as cruise correspondent, before becoming deputy editor. Now freelance, Lisa writes for various print and web publications, edits Corporate Traveller’s client magazine, Gateway, and works on the acclaimed Remembering Wildlife series of photography books, which raise awareness of nature’s most at-risk species and helps to fund their protection.
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