Pedestrian Runway Incursion at LHR

[tds]

BBC news report a man climbed the perimeter fence and made it to the runway:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7294745.stm

[monchavo]

Stupid Man is Stupid

[el]

Talking about LHR, what's actually happening to T5 - is it open already?

[David Hilditch]

Talking about LHR, what's actually happening to T5 - is it open already?

First phase in about 3 weeks.

On pedestrian incursions, many years ago (over 30) a nutjob actually walked across the field and lay down on the southerly runway on the centerline, causing a departing Trident to abort take-off. Very little at Heathrow is actually new.

[el]

Talking about LHR, what's actually happening to T5 - is it open already?

First phase in about 3 weeks.

Thanks, David. I noticed recently that all intercontinental BA flights for this coming May mention T5 as arriving/departing terminal.

[flyingspark]

The Queen officially opens T5 tomorrow (Friday13th March).

[Rabbi O'Genius]

The Queen officially opens T5 tomorrow (Friday13th March).

She may be Queen, but unless she's planning to change the calendar by Royal Decree, she'll have to choose between Thursday 13th and Friday 14th.

[David Hilditch]

The Queen officially opens T5 tomorrow (Friday13th March).

OK. Passenger operations don't start until around the end of this month.

[Sickbag]

Is this the same Terminal 5 that was allowed to be built on the express understanding and agreement that because of its construction there would be no 3rd runway built at heathrow?

Millions of Londoners would like to know.

[AndyToop]

First Passenger ops are on 27th of march.
I'm a BA silver member and for the last 6 months I've had loads of e-mails from them pushing the "virtual tours" of T5 and the new club world seats they're putting in their long haul fleet. I have to admit both look very nice. I'm hoping to arrange a long weekend in NYC later this year courtesy of my BA Miles & AMEX companion ticket, so should get to see T5 first hand at least. Hopefully next year My wife and I will use the remainder of my miles and the next AMEX companion ticket to go club world (business) to either San Fransisco or Vancouver, so I'll get to see the new service first hand then too.

[AndyToop]

Is this the same Terminal 5 that was allowed to be built on the express understanding and agreement that because of its construction there would be no 3rd runway built at heathrow?

Millions of Londoners would like to know.

[pedant ] Well technically it has 4 runways already [/pedant ] The fifth (23) was permanently closed a few years back, although it hadn't really been used since they built T4 I think.
In all honesty I don't think there is anywhere to build another 9/27 runway of a similar length. I think one proposal was to build a shorter runway to accommodate the smaller aircraft so that they could maximise the throughput of heavies on the existing runways. Personally I dont think that's such a daft idea.
I doubt that they will need it though if Stansted gets the green light for its second runway, the revised proposal was revealed earlier this week. You can see a video of the proposed new runway and terminal here.

[David Hilditch]

Is this the same Terminal 5 that was allowed to be built on the express understanding and agreement that because of its construction there would be no 3rd runway built at heathrow?

Millions of Londoners would like to know.

[pedant ] Well technically it has 4 runways already [/pedant ] The fifth (23) was permanently closed a few years back, although it hadn't really been used since they built T4 I think.
In all honesty I don't think there is anywhere to build another 9/27 runway of a similar length. I think one proposal was to build a shorter runway to accommodate the smaller aircraft so that they could maximise the throughput of heavies on the existing runways. Personally I dont think that's such a daft idea.

The greater irony is that Heathrow was built with 6 runways (12 counting reciprocals). The last to be closed was 23 (the former 23L), which was formally decommissioned around 1999 and is now used as a parking lot and taxiway. It was certainly used (though not extensively) well after T4 was built. It may be interesting that the burning BOAC 707 in 1968 only got back to Heathrow in one piece (minus an engine) due to the availability of 05R (the reciprocal of 23).

Sickbag is right about the supposed deal for building T5. Since then, however, the proposal is to build a new shorter runway (about 7,000 feet, to take some of the short/medium haul stuff) well to the north of the northern 10L/27R runway (close to the line of the M4 and to demolish the village of Sipson). Myself, I seriously doubt this runway will ever be built anyway.

[flyingspark]

Oops my mistake.