Leeds Bradford International Airport has taken delivery of a Johnston S7000 Multitask airport sweeper, one of only a handful of such machines in the UK.

The machine was manufactured by Johnston Beam, the specialist Danish-based division of Johnston Sweepers, following Leeds Bradford’s search for a machine that could perform a wide range of tasks around the airport.  Working closely with the airport to determine their particular requirements, Johnston Beam designed and built the multitask sweeper, customising it to the airport’s exact specification.

The result is effectively four machines in one, capable of sweeping the runway at high speed, cleaning the aircraft stands, general airport sweeping and rubber removal. 

The machine also features extra wide suction mounted between the axles, which produces a swept width of almost 4 metres, and an additional water tank providing a capacity of 2275 litres.  A spray jetting system supplies 200 bar at 100 litres a minute for super high pressure wash capability, while rotating angled water jets at the front penetrate the surface to drive out dirt and remove rubber.

Peter Jackson, the airport’s Airside Operations Duty Manager, had been impressed by a similar Johnston Beam machine during a demonstration staged at the airport, and later visited Luton Airport to see their own Johnston Multitask sweeper in action.

“We had been looking for a sweeper which could handle a variety of jobs around the airport, for maximum utilisation and versatility, and the demonstrations proved that the Johnston Beam was more than capable of everything we needed”, he says. “We also liked the idea that we could design the machine to our own specification and, once the decision was made, Johnston Beam worked very closely with us to make sure we got exactly what we needed.  The end result is just what we had been looking for - a very versatile sweeper which is easy to operate, and capable of tackling the numerous cleaning jobs that arise around an airport.”

Since delivery, the machine has been in constant use throughout the airport, sweeping runways, car parks, taxiways and aprons, as well as clearing large flooded areas of melt water and clearing drains – proving its Multitask capability.

For further information please contact:

Ginevra Stoneley, Marketing and Communications Manager, on 01306 874564