Cleared for landing

Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport in Alaska, US experiences some extreme weather conditions with sub-zero temperatures and more than 2 m of snowfall a year. But the airport's maintenance team is very proud that the runway has never closed due to snowfall, and its three Volvo 330E wheeled loaders are helping to maintain the record.

More than 50 different air operators use the airport for commercial, cargo and courier flights and the adjacent Lake Hood is one of the busiest water landing areas in the US. Keeping the runways and ramps open at all times is essential.

The airport's 50 tonne L330E wheeled loaders are powered by a Volvo D16B engine, which produces 370 kW at 1000 rpm and are equipped with a 7.3 m long bucket with a capacity of 13.7 m3. The combination allows the machines to clear more than 0.15 m of snow-covering from the airport's 45 hectares of asphalt in around 12 hours. To ensure the machines can cope, whatever the weather, they are also fitted with artic weather hydraulic hoses and oils, studded Bridgestone L4 tyres and an artic accumulator on the boom suspension system.

“Performance of these machines has been excellent,” said equipment maintenance foreman Dan Frisby, who looks after the airport's 380 strong equipment fleet. “The loaders have provided a +66% increase in production - just one L330E surpasses the performance of three other machines in our fleet.”