Airport invests in maintenance equipment.

• Author: GOULIQUER, DIANNE

New maintenance equipment recently purchased by the Thunder Bay international Airport will not only prove to be more economical in the long run, it also puts the airport on the map as a leader in having a state-of-the-art air field maintenance vehicle.

The Boschung JetBroom is the first worldwide-patented cleaning vehicle for large areas that can be used all year round. The Thunder Bay Airport is the first facility in North America to purchase one.

With the ability to plow snow, sweep and vacuum run ways, cut grass and clean gutters, the JetBroom will replace the airport's entire summer and winter maintenance vehicle fleets, airport president and chief executive officer Scott McFadden says.

The unit is equipped with global positioning technology that makes it visible to planes and air traffic controllers at all times, and it uses four-wheel steering, which allows the vehicle to move sideways and in tight circles.

"This is a quantum leap forward for us," McFadden says. "We've spent the past two years looking for better equipment. This (machine) has three times the capability (of our existing equipment); it can plow or sweep three times faster, and it's multi-functional."

Switzerland-based Boschung has over 50 years of experience in winter maintenance products and services. The company develops and manufactures specialized vehicles and...