In this Buyer’s Assessment, we look at Düsseldorf Airport’s use of Aebi Schmidt’s equipment as part of its winter snow clearance operations
Michael Hanné, managing director of Düsseldorf Airport, knows all about the scale of the snow clearance task that can face the gateway in a tough winter. To meet that challenge, the airport has no less than 14 CJS 914 Aebi Schmidt Compact Jet Sweepers, as well as two supra snow blowers, seven fluid sprayers and three sand gritters.
“Over the last 10 years, Düsseldorf Airport has undergone a complete change of its entire vehicle fleet. Due to the narrowness of the airport area, we developed a new strategy with regard to snow removal. In the past, the compact blowers had to be pulled by towing vehicles with a large turning radius and bending/swing range. This was the reason to change to the more compact blowers of the manufacturer Aebi Schmidt, which are equipped with three devices for removal of ice and snow in just the one towing vehicle.”
Other changes have also been made to the CJS vehicles to further optimise their value to the airport. “For operational reasons, we made a few modifications to these blowers,” says Hanné. “Here’s one unique example with a simple solution: In the past, it was extremely difficult to recover a compact blower from unpaved, off-site ground. Many resources and tools were necessary. However, construction engineers at Aebi Schmidt and Düsseldorf Airport staff developed a solution whereby a towbar can easily be connected with the vehicle to recover it.”
Clearly, Aebi Schmidt is seen by the airport operator as a valued partner. “Since 2005, Düsseldorf Airport has purchased all of our vehicles from Aebi Schmidt,” Hanné confirms.
Moreover: “All our equipment stands out with their high operational availability and exceptional quality. If our own garage is not able to solve a problem, ie repair a vehicle, Aebi Schmidt‘s engineers are immediately available to bring the vehicles back to service.”
Finally, looking ahead: “Because our vehicle fleet is now nearly complete, for 2018 we just need one further supra snow blower,” Hanné concludes.
