Plow crews at Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks are being recognized by their peers for their herculean snow removal efforts this winter, the second heaviest snowfall recorded in the airport’s history.
Bradley says crews cleared 86.4 inches of snow from its runways and taxiways, based on tallies from the National Weather Service.
That snowfall is second to the winter of 1995-1996, which had 107.1 inches of powder, airport officials say. The previous second heaviest winter came in 1993-1994 with 84.9 inches of snow.
The American Association of Airport Executives honored Bradley’s crews on Tuesday with its Balchen/Post Award, presented to the nation’s airport crews for their snow-clearing efforts.
Bradley received the award for the first time since 1983. Airports in Boston, New York City, Buffalo and Maine also received the award.
Heavy snowfalls the day after Christmas and in January shut Bradley to flights while runways and taxiways were cleared. The runway closures were intermittent and lasted less than a day.
