INDUSTRIAL SNOW AND SELECTED ECONOMIC IMPACTS ON THE OPERATION OF KOSICE AIRPORT

The aim of the paper is to describe industrial snow as a meteorological phenomenon of anthropological origin and the physical principle of its formation in the context of Kosice Airport, with international traffic. The research also focused on selected economic impacts on the operation of Kosice Airport, which is located next to the large industrial complex U.S. Steel Kosice. There are only a few international airports in the world that are affected by industrial snow, which is why we also focus on the economic impact of maintaining the operational areas of the airport to the required extent according to standards. A solution to the problem is also proposed based on the scientific works of experts who focused their scientific activities on the issue of industrial snow production. In addition to the differences in the formation of industrial and natural snow, the article mentions the differences in the structure and properties of crystalline elements and their distribution according to the external meteorological conditions under which they are formed. The paper identifies meteorological situations that are favorable for the formation of industrial snow and due to the mutual location of the airport and the industrial complex, the airport is affected by industrial snow. This article describes the selected economic impacts of industrial snowfall on air traffic at Kosice Airport from 2017–2022. These were expressed after providing data from the airfield maintenance department of the Kosice Airport. At the same time, airport maintenance workers shared their unique experiences with this special meteorological phenomenon. The outcome of this research brings the unique method of industrial snow day occurrence and helps to explain this rare weather phenomenon and its impact on transport and social aspects.