A regional airport in Northern Europe handles 800,000 passengers annually and cannot afford runway closures. After experiencing two costly operational disruptions the previous winter, the airport authority invested in a fleet upgrade — replacing walk-behind snow removal with HCN hydraulic snow blowers and pusher boxes on four Bobcat skid steers. The result: zero runway closures through a record-snowfall winter.
| Product Used | Hydraulic Snow Blower + Snow Pusher Box |
|---|---|
| Carrier | Bobcat S650 Skid Steer Loaders (×4) |
| Industry | Winter Maintenance |
| Region | Northern Europe |
The Challenge
The airport’s previous snow removal fleet — a mix of walk-behind snow blowers and municipal tractor plows — could not keep pace with heavy wet snowfall events. The airport experienced two runway closure incidents in the previous winter, each lasting 3–4 hours, resulting in significant airline disruption costs and regulatory scrutiny.
The runway geometry included narrow taxiway junctions where large vehicle-mounted plows could not maneuver effectively, leaving uncleared snow patches. The airport needed compact, high-capacity snow equipment that could work in both open runway areas and confined taxiway junctions.
The Solution
The airport authority selected HCN’s hydraulic auger-type snow blower for open runway clearing and HCN’s containment pusher box for apron and taxiway areas. Four Bobcat S650 skid steer loaders were equipped with the HCN quick-attach system, allowing each machine to switch between blower and pusher configuration in under 60 seconds.
Key specifications: the snow blower was rated for 800 tonnes/hour output on wet snow (density 400 kg/m³), with hydraulic chute rotation enabling operators to direct snow throw precisely away from taxiway lighting and navigation aids. All HCN components used hot-dip galvanized hardware to resist corrosion from runway de-icing chemicals.
The attachment installation was completed in one day with HCN factory mounting kits pre-fabricated for the Bobcat S650 carrier geometry. No carrier modification was required.
Key Results
- 0 — Runway closures during the winter season
- 800 t/hr — Snow blower clearing capacity on wet snow
- <60 sec — Tool change time (blower ↔ pusher)
- 1 day — Full fleet installation time
“The HCN snow blowers have changed how we approach winter operations. We can now clear a full runway in 18 minutes with two machines working in tandem — something that took 45 minutes with our previous equipment. We have not had a single operational disruption this winter.”
— Ground Operations Manager, Regional Airport Authority, Northern Europe
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