St. John's International Airport (YYT), located in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, receives some of the harshest winter weather in North America. It is among the top five windiest cities, as well as the foggiest, snowiest, and iciest in Canada. Unpredictability is the weather theme at YYT – with trucks often operating close to their manufacturer limits – our team needs to stay flexible and ready for anything.
In 2020, YYT experienced "Snowmageddon." The extreme, fast-moving storm dropped 3 feet of snow on the ground, with winds creating 20-foot snow drifts. The entire region was completely shut down. Although the airport was buried in snow and closed to all commercial traffic, emergency and military aircraft supporting the storm recovery still needed to operate.
As soon as the storm began to subside, our team went to work. We began clearing mountains of wind-driven snow away from our deicing trucks and facility, and within three hours, we were ready for service and supporting St. John's recovery. Maintaining readiness is the key to success.