– At Oslo Airport, there have been constant developments, it is simply cramped. That’s what deputy chairman of the Norwegian Aviation Association, Jo Bjørn Skatval, says. Jo Bjørn Skatval, deputy chairman of the Norwegian Aviation Association, believes that the accidents at Oslo Airport could have been avoided. Photo: Norsk Flygerforbund – When you also throw in snow, slippery conditions and poor visibility, it is clear that it is not ideal as it is now. Since the second of February, three planes have collided at Oslo Airport at Gardermoen. The first collision and today’s incident happened in the same street. It was closed this afternoon by Avinor. Skatval believes the accidents may have several causes. – It’s a cocktail effect of all kinds of weirdness, both snow, procedures, weather and people. Not enough to shovel snow According to Skatval, the main problem is the weather, because the ground is covered with snow. As a result, the ground markings are not visible when the planes are to be backed out, says the deputy director. – While the runways are prioritized for snow plowing for good reasons, the crews are not able to shovel away the snow quickly enough over the entire airport, Skatval believes. Operations director at Oslo Airport, Fredrik Nygaard, says it is not the same crew that clears away the snow. – We have a separate plowing agreement for the aircraft stands, so plowing there is never at the expense of plowing on the runway. Nygaard also says that on snowy days, they have 40 plowing trucks at the airport. When the plane was about to leave the street, the wing came into contact with a fence, which caused material damage. Photo: Håvard Johan Lyseggen Should use “wing walkers” Jo Bjørn Skatval in the aviation association is concerned about safety at the airport. He says the pilots are completely blind when the planes are pulled out of the street by a vehicle. – So the ground crews have to take care of the reversing. In some places they have hired even more people to take care of it. Director of Operations at Oslo Airport, Fredrik Nygaard, says it is too early to speculate on the causes. Fredrik Nygaard, operations director at Oslo Airport, says the winter has been demanding, but that they always put safety first – regardless of where the planes are on the ground. Photo: Astri Husø / news – Now it is our job, together with airlines and other players, to see if these procedures have been followed, and it is too early to speculate on the reason for this. Skatval believes that the three incidents could have been avoided if so-called “wing walkers” had been used. – Simply put, ground crew who walk under the wings while the plane is taking off and make sure accidents don’t happen. Or you could have had more people to shovel snow. After the events, Avinor will demand “wing walkers” on this one street. Two of the accidents occurred with flights from Norwegian. Norwegian Sweden’s communications manager, Charlotte Holmbergh, says they will have a dialogue with Avinor. – We are working to investigate what happened and how it could happen. And above all, what we can do to prevent it from happening again. The passengers who were going to Kristiansand were delayed for two hours after the collision with another Norwegian plane. Photo: Kenneth Bremnes
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The Norwegian Aviation Association believes that Avinor is not fast enough in clearing away snow – Greater Oslo
