ATLANTA (AP) - Officials at Atlanta's airport are spending around $40 million on an effort to reduce the risk of massive flight cancellations during winter weather.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is adding six more de-icing pads.

Airport officials say the goal is to prevent a repeat of what happened during the storm of January 2011, when travelers got stuck on the tarmac waiting for their planes to be de-iced and hundreds of flights were canceled.

Airport General Manager Louis Miller the new de-icing pads are scheduled be completed next winter.

Hartsfield-Jackson currently has 11 de-icing pads near Concourse E. Each pad can deice an average of two planes per hour, so adding six on the airport's north side will increase its de-icing capabilities by 12 aircraft per hour.

 

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