Behind every smooth departure and safe landing at Saint John Airport is a dedicated team working quietly in the background – often long before passengers arrive and long after they’ve gone. That work becomes especially critical during winter.
“When a winter storm hits, the first person out the door is the foreman,” Maintenance Supervisor Andrew Hunter says. “The foreman assesses conditions, provides an initial runway condition report using the global reporting format, and decides what equipment and crew are needed – and where they’re needed first.”
(The global reporting format is a standardized system used worldwide to clearly communicate runway conditions to pilots and airlines.)
The response to adverse winter conditions is immediate and strategic.
The first equipment deployed is always the heavy plow truck sweeper units, typically two at a time, working to maintain runway centre lines, taxiways, and apron areas. They’re followed closely by plow and runway grit trucks, pushing snow windrows away from aircraft movement areas and applying grit where needed for traction.
Next come the runway snowblowers – powerful machines capable of moving 3,000 to 4,500 tonnes of snow per hour – keeping snow cleared from airfield lighting and aircraft routes. A runway anti-icing and de-icing unit is always on standby, using airport-approved products when icy conditions require it.
One of the most important – and least visible – safety measures is runway friction testing. Using specialized equipment, the team measures braking performance and shares real-time data with pilots and Nav Canada before aircraft land or depart.
“If you ever see a white half-ton truck accelerating down the runway, that’s likely a friction test underway,” Andrew explains. “It’s all about making sure everyone has the information they need to operate safely.”
Sometimes, travellers may see a clear runway but still experience delays. In many cases, those delays are caused by weather at another airport, along the flight path, or at the destination – a reminder that aviation is a connected network where safety decisions in one place affect schedules everywhere.
Most passengers may never see this work firsthand. But every safe journey depends on it – and at YSJ, it’s happening around the clock, in all conditions.