No Aircraft
Air Traffic Control Fully Certified
Communication Breakdown; Distraction
ATC Issue All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
General None Reported / Taken
Human Factors; Procedure; Environment - Non Weather Related
Snow removal in progress; Tower Supervisor; after two reports of poor braking action; was coordinating with Airport Operations vehicles via walkie talkie. Tower Supervisor advised Airport Operations; 'Proceed on Runway XXR and we'll consider it closed.' Airport Operations acknowledged and all Tower positions consider Runway XXR closed. We performed our functions on the runway closure checklist. I cut a D-ATIS showing Runway XXR closed. At this time; Runway XXL and Runway YY were also closed. Runway XX was the only available runway. I coordinated with the Tower Supervisor and decided to advertise RNAV XXC approach. We did not have the RVR minimums for that approach; so 3 or 4 aircraft began to hold east of the airport waiting for a runway to open. The crew on Runway XXR were still sanding when our relief can to get us out. All positions were being changed. Ground Control was first and he briefed his relief that XXR; XXL; and YY closed. I began to run the checklist with my relief and noted to him and the Supervisor that Runway XXR was not contained in the Red Box on the Information Display. I asked the Tower Supervisor to call Airport Management to get the closure into the box and comply with the runway closure checklist. He then stated that Runway XXR wasn't really closed; but considered closed. This confused us all. This was a hole punch into all the safety systems we have recently put into effect. Is the runway closed or not? Another issue on this shift was the Tower Supervisor using the walkie talkie with the airport vehicles. Airport vehicles use this as an open coordination frequency with both the Tower and all the snow removal equipment. This is very loud and distracting. On several occasions when I was working Ground Control 1 that night I missed calls and misunderstood aircraft. With de-icing being unusually busy it was a challenge. I would like to suggest that the FAA get a head set for the Tower Supervisor to use when snow removal. It would eliminate the distraction. Also; there are extreme amounts of coordination between the Tower Supervisor; Local Control; and Ground Control during snow removal. It works; however; it is confusing sometimes; especially when Flight Data/Clearance Delivery is cutting D-ATIS for changing weather; runway closures; and reading clearances.
Tower Controller described a confused runway closure event during snow removal operations; noting that the communications via radio between the Tower and airport vehicles was loud and distracting.