Atlanta airport, TSA batten the hatches for impending ice storm
As a winter storm barrels across the U.S., Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport officials say they’re prepared to keep operations up and running after millions of dollars in new de-icing equipment investments.
The Atlanta airport could face one of its biggest tests in years as the huge storm could bring heavy amounts of freezing rain to much of Georgia.
About five new pieces of machinery were purchased last year, amounting to about a $3 million to $5 million investment, Augustus Hudson, senior deputy general manager of operations, told reporters Friday. The new pieces, which crews began testing and practicing with in December, allows the airport to remove ice and snow from the runways and taxiways more efficiently than previous equipment.
The machines can clear the area in about 15 minutes, whereas the airport’s older equipment would average about 30 to 45 minutes.
Crews will begin pretreating the runways Saturday, Hudson said. From there, the equipment will operate for 24 hours a day. Hartsfield-Jackson will have two crews — one stationed on the north side and another in the center complex — that will continuously move for 12-hour shifts.
“We think we’ll be able to keep our runways and taxiways open longer, get them open quicker,” Hudson said. “We’re hoping that this will allow the airport to keep aircrafts moving, which will reduce the number of passengers stuck in the terminal.”
Up to an inch of ice could hit the region, causing widespread power outages and making travel dangerous if not impossible, the National Weather Service warns.
Most major airlines have offered extensive travel waivers to allow free schedule changes. Delta Air Lines has advised customers with travel plans involving Atlanta on Sunday to consider changing their flights because of forecast cancellations.
The Atlanta-based airline has also adjusted staffing in preparation for the weekend and sent “experts from cold weather hubs to support de-icing and baggage teams” at Southern airports, including Atlanta, Delta spokesperson Grant Myatt said in a statement.
The Transportation Security Administration said it is also implementing contingency plans for “possible operational challenges, including increased passenger management requirements and the potential for flight delays or cancellations.”
That includes the possibility of mandatory overtime, equipment maintenance and support teams on standby and activating K-9 teams.
It also means setting up cots at the airport for mission support, as well as 20 hotel rooms to stage agency staff near the airport Sunday and Monday, spokesperson Daniel Velez told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in a statement.
During a winter storm last January, TSA in Atlanta saw major staffing callouts that cascaded into hourslong security waits as some officers were not able to safely get to work.
— Staff writers Rosana Hughes and Alexis Stevens contributed to this report.
About the Authors
As a business reporter, Emma Hurt leads coverage of the Atlanta airport, Delta Air Lines, UPS, Norfolk Southern and other travel and logistics companies. Prior to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution she worked as an editor and Atlanta reporter for Axios, a politics reporter for WABE News and a business reporter for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
Savannah Sicurella is an entertainment business reporter with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
