The National Weather Service is predicting a double-dip La Niña winter, similar to last winter. This weather pattern typically results in colder, wetter conditions in our region – including more snow. The teams at King County International Airport-Boeing Field are ready for whatever Old Man Winter brings. At a recent discussion, the Operations and Maintenance teams detailed their winter weather preparations:

• For 2021-22, the airport will use a new Priority surface clearing map, including taxiways A and B as Priority I.
• Thanks to some new hires, Operations now has 24-hour coverage. Both Operations and Maintenance will go into 24-hour coverage during any snow event.
• 27,000 gallons of liquid E-36 de-icer (airside) and 31,000 pounds of NAAC solid de-icer (landside) are available for use. Three additional E36 tanks are being installed in mid-November and will add 27,000 more gallons of capacity, for a total capacity of 54,000 gallons of liquid de-icer.
• Operations, Maintenance and Fleet Services will do practice snow removal runs in early November. These allow the team to ensure the equipment is in perfect working condition and give the drivers hands-on practice for navigating the airfield as a team.
• A request for new snow and ice removal equipment is under review for FAA funding, but won’t be here in time for this winter season. KCIA is requesting Multi-tasking Equipment (MTE) units – single operator units that include a snow plow and a snow broom.