Ground deicing of aircraft

In aviation, ground deicing of aircraft is the process of removing surface frost, ice or frozen contaminants on aircraft surfaces before an aircraft takes off. This prevents even a small amount of surface frost or ice on aircraft surfaces from severely impacting flight performance. Frozen contaminants on surfaces can also break off in flight, damaging engines or control surfaces.

Major airports in climates conducive to ground icing will have some kind of ground deicing systems in place. Ultimately it is the pilot-in-command's responsibility to ensure that all necessary deicing processes are carried out before departure.

Planes are often equipped with ice protection systems and/or icephobic surface coatings to control in-flight atmospheric icing; however, those are not considered substitutes for adequate ground based deicing.