MSP airport upgrades snow removal vehicles

The Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport will be buying more than $62 million in snow removal equipment to modernize its fleet, officials said.

The Metropolitan Airports Commission will make its single biggest purchase of snow removal equipment when it buys 58 snow removal vehicles to arrive over the next three years beginning in the fall.

The new equipment, which is more up to date, will improve efficiency during the winter at the airport, which is the 18th busiest airport in the country, said MAC in a press release. The airport served 37.2 million passengers and more than 342,000 aircraft operations in 2024.

“We have some of the best field crews in the industry when it comes to maintaining a safe environment during extreme weather events, and their work supports the confidence of our airlines, passengers and other users,” said Joe Harris, MAC vice president of management and operations.

MAC said it anticipates a drop in operation, maintenance and repair costs from having the newer equipment.

The airport receives an average of 55 inches of snow annually. The plan calls for the commission to purchase 11 runway snow blowers, six runway brooms, 10 liquid deicers, eight chemical and plow combination trucks and 23 multifunction (runway plow and broom combination) vehicles.

The average age of the airport’s current snow removal fleet is more than 16 years old. By 2027, all vehicles in the fleet will be 4 years old or newer.

— Kristi Miller

HENNEPIN COUNTY

West metro mayors host Ramadan iftar

On Friday, the mayors of Golden Valley and St. Louis Park hosted an iftar meal, the meal Muslims share to break their fast at sunset during Ramadan, at the Westwood Hills Nature Center in St. Louis Park. Nearly 100 people attended, including U.S. Sen. Tina Smith, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar and other state and city leaders.

St. Louis Park Mayor Nadia Mohamed said this iftar gathering was meant to foster understanding during a divisive time.

“There’s hurt and harm everywhere,” Mohamed said. “And I really wanted to build community bonding around my residents, around my community, and break fast with them, and this is the time to do it.”

— MPR News