Airports in regions that experience cold weather and potentially significant snow accumulations could substantially reduce cancellations and delays related to snowfall by installing heated runways. Heated runways have the potential to ensure that pavements will be ice and snow free without the use of plows and sweepers that cost time and money. Unlike highways, airports cannot use salt for deicing because salt is corrosive to airplanes, and although some chemical deicers are available, they have negative impacts on the environment. An airport’s decision to install a heated runway should be based on whether such a runway would be economically beneficial, accounting for the benefits to both travelers and the airlines and the costs of installing and operating a heated runway. The purpose of this study is to conduct a cost-benefit analysis of investing in a heated runway at both large and small airports in the U.S. Heated runways have the potential to replace chemical deicers that have negative impacts on the environment, as well as to reduce operation costs and enhance passenger safety at airports in cold regions.
Principal Investigator: Jia Yan, School of Economic Sciences, WSU
Sponsor: Center for Environmentally Sustainable Transportation in Cold Climates
Scheduled completion: July 2018