FOD on the ramp — the airport's invisible enemy

An aircraft landing or taking off is one of the most vulnerable situations in the entire operation. That is precisely why FOD — Foreign Object Debris — is one of the risks taken most seriously across the entire industry, even though what lies on the ground often looks like nothing: a loose bolt, a stone, a piece of plastic or a forgotten glove.

§What is FOD?

FOD covers all objects that are in the wrong place in the airport environment and which can damage personnel or aircraft. It can be tools forgotten after a repair parts that come loose from vehicles or aircraft ice and snow animals stones from cracked asphalt pavement or plain litter blown onto the ramp or runway. Common to it all is that it does not belong where it is.

§Why is it so dangerous?

A jet engine sucks in enormous amounts of air, and even a small object can be sucked into the engine with violent force. The consequence can range from expensive damage to the engine's blades to serious operational disruptions in the middle of flight. Tires can be punctured by sharp objects on the runway, and objects can be hurled around by jet blast or prop wash and hit people or equipment nearby. Therefore, FOD is not just a matter of economy — it is a direct safety risk for both aircraft and people on the ramp.

§FOD walks — the organized searches

One of the most widespread methods for keeping aprons and runways clean is the so-called FOD walk: an organised sweep, where employees walk in a line across an area looking for and removing anything that doesn't belong there. FOD walks are often carried out in collaboration between the airport, airlines, ground handling companies and air traffic control, so an area can be temporarily closed while the walk takes place. In addition to manual sweeps, large airports use mechanical sweepers, powerful blowers, magnetic bars that collect metal objects, and special FOD mats that catch loose parts.

§Technology as extra eyes

On larger airports, manual routines are increasingly supplemented by technology: camera systems with optical and infrared vision, radar, and sensors along runways and ramp areas that can detect objects that people miss. Copenhagen Airport, for example, has introduced a digital system for FOD-finding reports, which has since been used to register and track the development in the number of findings — more reports here is a positive sign because it means more objects are caught and removed before they cause damage.

§Your role in the prevention culture

• 01Always check your own work area for loose objects before an aircraft arrives or is about to take off
• 02Make sure that tools, gloves and other equipment are counted and stored after a task
• 03Be aware of waste, packaging and loose parts that may have blown in from other areas
• 04Report any find — even if it seems insignificant — so it can be recorded and removed
• 05Participate actively when a joint occupational health and safety walk is called in your area

FOD prevention is one of the areas where individual employee attention makes a real difference. It requires no special training to spot a loose screw on asphalt — it just requires looking for it and knowing how important it is to do something about it immediately.