NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — Ahead of one of the larger snowstorms forecasted to impact the Tidewater region in several years, those in leadership at Norfolk International Airport (ORF) are encouraging would-be travelers to stay in close contact with their airline.

As of early Wednesday morning, flights-in and out of ORF hadn’t yet been changed by the impending weather. However, Steven Schell, the manager of airport operations at ORF, said things can change quite quickly.

While factors that delay or cancel a commercial flight are many, Schell said snow and ice can make on-time service difficult —but he and his team are ready to try and ensure Norfolk’s main runway stays open as much as it possibly can.

“Our goals, as the FAA says, is to keep it no worse than wet,” Schell said. “We generally have seven plows, seven brooms, an assortment of different types of other related equipment that we use.”

Tuesday afternoon, all those pieces of equipment had been gassed up and ready to go.

“So, the hard part is really extending the storm and being able to cover that operational period,” Schell said.

It’s why a “hotel” has been built on the second-floor of the operations garage. Drivers have their own bedroom and a shared bathroom facility for long shifts.

“We can assure you that our our families fly these airlines too, and so we are very interested in making sure that you know no matter who’s flying and what time of day or night it is, that runway is always safe to fly,” Schell said.