Two high-speed Schmidt CJS-914 vehicles designed for routine maintenance of the airport and ramps have been added to the motor fleet of Koltsovo international airport (part of the Airports of Regions holding).
Custom vehicles will be used all year round: in winter for removing snow from the airfield; in summer – to suck in excessive water. The vehicles need to be outfitted with special attachments during the cold season: a plow, a brush more than 4 meters wide as well as a blower. In summer only a blower is used to clean the runways and ramp. Custom vehicles have been delivered to Yekaterinburg from the manufacturer based in Sankt Blasien, Germany, their main advantages being simplicity of operation, maneuverability, reliability and cost effectiveness.
New special vehicles will increase the efficiency and speed of cleaning airfield surfaces which now cover a larger area after the second runway and new aprons were put into operation in 2018. It should be noted that in case of heavy snowfall the airport’s vehicles operate in the non-stop mode, but when there is no snowfall, Schmidt CJS-914 is capable of cleaning a 45-meter-wide strip extending to more than 3,000 meters for 30-40 minutes moving at a speed of 40-50 km/h.
With newly arrived vehicles being added to the fleet, the number of specialized Schmidt airfield cleaners in Koltsovo has grown to eight, five of them CJS-914 (compact), the rest being TJS-630 (with a semitrailer, the so-called “tail”).