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ASE hires 50 for snow safety

Alycin Bektesh
/
Aspen Public Radio News

The week between Christmas and New Year's is one of the busiest of the year at the Aspen/Pitkin County Airport. And, due to weather, it’s also one of the most dangerous.

The size of the staff increased 200 percent to make sure all flights run smoothly. It takes a separate set of specialized skills to handle the “air-side” of snow removal and the “land-side” in order to make sure both the planes and the runways are safe for takeoff and landing.

"To say we're busy is an understatement," said airport director John Kinney of the nine flights and 1,500 daily passengers passing through this season.

Almost 50 people have been hired for the winter season. There are also 10 additional security agents to handle the busier times - paid for and managed directly by the TSA.

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