DENVER - Denver International Airport needs multifunction equipment that can plow, sweep and blow snow as part of its plan to stay open during heavy storms, a report commissioned by the airport said.

Consultants Critical Path Inc. and Landrum & Brown reviewed the airport's performance during major snowstorms around Christmas last year.

The Denver Post reported that the consultants said the airport's "inability to remove snow from the air carrier ramps began a cascade of events that resulted in an extended airport closure."

DIA, the nation's fifth-busiest airport, was closed for 45 hours by a storm that started Dec. 20. More than 2,000 flights were canceled and about 4,700 travelers were stranded, costing airlines millions of dollars.

The blizzard dumped 20 to 22 inches on the airport over 34 hours, and winds piled snow four feet high or taller in places. Workers ran out of nearby places to dump the snow.

The storm paralyzed much of the Front Range, shutting interstate highways east from Denver to Kansas and north and south from Wyoming to New Mexico.

The report said the airport had insufficient people, too few heated garages for snow-removal equipment and insufficient fueling stations.

An earlier draft of the report found the airport's equipment was inadequate for more than four inches of snow from the areas around the boarding gates.

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Information from: The Denver Post, http://www.denverpost.com/