Econic cleans the airfield at Keflavik Airport.
Iceland isn't just the most peaceful country in the world, it's also the one with quite probably the most breath-taking natural scenery of all. It's not without reason that the Nordic island state attracts many tourists every year – around ten million arrive via the country's largest international airport alone: from Keflavik, which is located on the south-western tip of Iceland, around 40 km south-west of the capital Reykjavík, 28 airlines have been flying to and from Iceland since
last summer.
In order to meet growing customer requirements, an additional terminal is currently in planning. The expansion of the airport entails major works. Fortunately, there is already an Econic on-board to lend a helping hand: the special truck from Mercedes-Benz with its sweeper body has been keeping the airport's apron and taxiways clean for over a year now.
Teamwork: Econic with sweeper body.
The airport's operator Isavia brought the Econic into the team and is more than happy with its decision. The company is responsible for the operation and development of all airports in Iceland – including Keflavik International Airport. And at the country's largest international airport, operations never stand still. Especially important to avoid accidents during take-off and landing: the safety and cleanliness of the asphalt. These are the criteria that drive the Econic in its daily operations.
Special attachments for special tasks.
The Econic isn't only used for sweeping. A further function is the removal of dangerous metal foreign bodies on runways, taxiways and the apron. This is an important task whose execution makes a significant contribution to aviation safety. For this reason, the Special Truck was designed specifically with a permanent magnet bar at the front. This magnetic beam reliably picks up magnetic objects across a working width of around 2400 mm, which could otherwise be sucked in by aircraft turbines and thus cause damage.
The conversion of the Econic into a sweeper was carried out by bodybuilder Aebi Schmidt. It is a dual sweeping unit with a circular broom and a suction shaft on each side of the vehicle. In order to create space for the sweeper between the axles, the diesel tank, exhaust system and compressed-air reservoir were moved behind the Econic cab prior to the conversion work being carried out.
