Stansted Hotting Up This Summer

When they change over to the standby runway there is always a period of 15 minutes when operations are not permitted. this is to allow things such as the lights to be changed over. The same occurs when returning to the main runway.

If anyone is interested the 2nd LGW runway is being used as of yesterday evening up until the evening of the 23rd/24th due to work on the main runway during the night.

There’s no ground based approach aid for an approach to 08L or 26R at LGW but ATC will give you an SRA (Surveillance Radar Approach). This means they will give you talkdown to a higher minima than an ILS (typically about 500′. It really is a bit of a left a bit, up a bit, right a bit, down a bit sort of thing!

It’s not too unusual, if I were doing your trip then every single airline and aircraft and airport would be a first for me! 🙂

I’m hoping for a few more firsts for myself in June, if all goes to plan then it’ll my first flights on a turboprop- Q400, my first flights on FlyBe and my first visit to BHX, plus on a more pointless note, my first flight in June. :p EDI-BHX-EDI.

Lol yup it isn’t very easy. I’m sure most people are put off by the idea of 8 flights in 12 days! To me, it carries on getting better and better! A lot of ‘firsts’ for me too, all of the airlines I haven’t travelled on before (even BA!), and it is even my first time travelling from Heathrow. Anyone know much about Qantas and Australian Airlines? I cant find much info on them, I’m not sure what to expect :confused:

Can’t wait for that trip report! 😀
I’m just being a nosey bugger, it’s not exactly the easiest of places to get to so I thought it would have to be a exotic set of flights! :p

Ahah, lots of ways! First I fly from Heathrow to Frankfurt on a BA A319. Then from Frankfurt to Singapore on a Qantas 747. Then on an Australian Airlines 767 from Singapore to Borneo. I also cannot wait, because when I’m there I have a flight across the island and back in a Malaysia Airlines Fokker 50, a first for me! Not only will it be my first flight in a propellor (passenger) aircraft, we also fly into a very small island airport, one of my dreams! 😀

I’m sure I’ll have a very long trip report with me anyway, and lots and lots of pics to go with it! Why do you ask anyway?

Wannabe Pilot, I’m sure you’ve already told us, but tell me again, how are you getting to Borneo!? Qantas?? :confused: 🙂

Got it, It is used asa fast taxiway for late airplanes to hop to the front of the queue (if the far holding point is in use). The runway indeed doesn’t have ILS, and has names 26R and 8L.

It is the busiest single-runway airport in the world, handling over 31 million passengers annually, flying to around 200 destinations. Charter airlines are generally not allowed to operate from Heathrow

Click the link for more information. and many use Gatwick instead as their base.

Recent proposals to build a second runway at Gatwick have led to strenuous protests because of the increased noise and pollution that this would entail, not to mention the demolition of dozens of houses. In addition an agreement with the local council has promised not to build a second runway until at least 2019.

I’ll keep looking for more information about the yes-or-no second runway.

Really?! I heard a while ago that the second runway even had it’s certification of being a ‘runway’ taken away :confused: obviously not. Is the 757 quite capable of using it then?

Is it indeed less wide? It doesn’t have ILS I believe?

Every now and then we use the second runway at LGW during the night when maintenance takes place on the main runway.

Ok then, another thing I learned today. But Gatwich operates with bigger aircraft and transfers more passengers per slot. Stansted will maybe only be able to reach 3/4th of Gatwicks pax.
Oops.

Gatwick does have a second runway, but this is solely used as a taxiway. I don’t think it has ever been used alongside the main one, and never will be. The only way I can see it ever being used, would be in an extreme emergency if the other runway wasn’t available.

And by the way, it’s spelt through! 😉

Eh, I tought LGW had two runways, one big and another slightly less wide and shorter for RJ’s. Apparently not.
No announcements on VLM’s lousy website which is only in English and not in flemish while their name states Flemish Airline :rolleyes:.
GLA, that is spelled TROUGH. In Scottish maybe not :p

I think it is better to have all operations threw 1 terminal than it is going threw 3.

Surely that’s an achievement though?! We can do it with 1 terminal and 1 runway, yet MAN need all that extra. There are definite plans now for STN to get it’s second runway though, they’re just getting a lot of trouble at the moment from local people (not me!) as it means building over about 10 miles of countryside, including 2 villages. At one point they wanted to turn STN into Europe’s biggest airport, with 4 runways, and capable of handling 120 million pax. I think this was just a scare though, so that when they announce just one extra runway, people are relieved!

Blame BAA! They think airport expansion means adding more retail outlets in the departure lounge! 😉

MAN- 2 runways, 3 terminals
STN- 1 runway, 1 terminal

For 2 airports with just about exactly the same passenger throughput that is crazy!

Originally posted by Jeanske_SN
To what destinations?
Isn’t stansted nearing it’s capacity?

As far as I know it’ll just be to Antwerp, but I’m not entirely sure yet. This is what they did last year, whether they’re planning any more for this year I don’t know. Well some would say STN is nearing it’s capacity, if MAN needs 2 runways, but then look at LGW. LGW can do more than 30 million pax a year with one runway, although i think that would be pushing it a bit for STN!