Chaos at Heathrow Terminal 5

[Ryan Soh 3]

Wow... Talk about a blow below in the nether-regions! This comment isn't just some random press airport-bashing, but this is a legitimate international aviation regulatory body. I hope CAA responds to that.

[Andrew Lim 1]

When a simple traffic accident can cause gridlock in and out of an international airport like LHR, you know something is wrong somewhere.

[Ken M. 0]

BAA being taken over by a overseas outfit hasn't helped either (remember the opening of T5 anyone?).

They appear to have taken on more than they can chew and are rumoured to be looking at offloading 2 ex-BAA airports in the UK.

[daveyl 0]

A typical British mess-up I think

[Cornelis Boersma 0]

I fly LHR terminal 5 next month! Better dont take luggage Only in my camera bag hehe

[Pieter C. 5]

Britain Delays Heathrow Runway Decision

 

December 5, 2008

The British government has postponed until January a decision on adding a third runway to London's main airport, Heathrow, Transport Secretary Geoff Hoon said on Thursday.

 

The government had previously promised to announce its decision by the end of 2008.

 

Hoon, appointed in October, said he wanted to give proper consideration to 70,000 responses to a consultation on expanding the airport, a project which pressure groups and local residents oppose on noise and environmental grounds.

 

"I know that there are strong views across a range of interests," he said in a written statement to parliament.

 

"I will ensure that I give proper consideration to the evidence before me and will therefore take more time before making an announcement to the House (of Commons), in January 2009."

 

The airport is owned by operator BAA, a subsidiary of Spain's Ferrovial.

 

(Reuters)

 

[Pieter C. 5]

Heathrow Could Get New Rail Hub

 

January 5, 2009

The British government's plans to expand London Heathrow Airport could include a new, GBP4.5 billion pound (USD$6.5 billion) rail hub as well as a third runway, transport minister Andrew Adonis said in remarks published on Sunday.

 

Britain is expected to rule later this month on whether a new runway should be built at Ferrovial-owned Heathrow, one of the world's busiest airports flying more than 65 million passengers a year.

 

Adonis told the Sunday Times newspaper the development of the airport -- currently packed to full capacity -- could also include investment in new rail links.

 

"It's vital that we have an integrated approach to planning new rail capacity and any new airport capacity that's also required," Adonis told the newspaper, suggesting that a joint rail-runway proposal could be in the pipeline.

 

"It makes good sense to plan improvements to Heathrow and the rail system together."

 

The Financial Times newspaper on Monday interpreted the comments as putting Heathrow central to a proposed new high speed rail link between the UK and mainland Europe.

 

New Transport Secretary Geoff Hoon postponed making a decision on a third runway last month amid mounting political opposition to the project, which would have an environmental impact as well as increasing traffic to the airport, west of London.

 

The opposition Conservatives have come out against the proposal, arguing Britain should instead invest in high speed rail links between London and northern England.

 

The expansion of Heathrow comes at a time of major upheaval at London's airports. The Competition Commission has proposed that Spain's debt-laden Ferrovial sell its other two airports in the capital, Gatwick and Stansted.

 

The building of a third Heathrow runway would require the demolition of the village of Sipson, which has over 700 homes.

 

(Reuters)

 

[Mohd Yohan 0]

source : http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/7822701.stm (i think this article is related to the topic)

 

Heathrow runway 'white elephant'

 

Expansion plans for Heathrow Airport have divided MPs

A third runway at Heathrow will be a "white elephant" unless aviation is made greener, a think tank has said.

 

The Institute of Public Policy Research said if the runway is approved, conditions for meeting noise and emissions targets must be attached.

 

After months of speculation, the prime minister is expected to rubber stamp the controversial plans this week.

 

A Sunday newspaper claims London Mayor Boris Johnson will lead a legal challenge if the scheme is agreed.

 

The Sunday Times says a report prepared for the Conservative mayor has concluded the proposed runway at the west London airport would put the health of Londoners at risk and blight communities under the flight path.

 

Mr Johnson has previously put forward the idea of a new 24-hour airport on an artificial island in the Thames Estuary, which could possibly replace Heathrow altogether.

 

The Conservatives and Lib Dems oppose the idea of a new runway, as do environmental groups, while some backbench Labour MPs are calling for a rethink.

 

'Valuable opportunity'

 

The Institute of Public Policy Research (IPPR) think tank said the government should not commit to a third runway unless the aviation industry's own emissions targets were guaranteed for any aircraft which wanted to use the new runway.

 

The targets include cutting carbon dioxide emissions and noise in new aircraft by 50% and nitrogen oxides by 80% by 2020.

 

The Institute's climate change head, Simon Retallack, said: "If a third runway is built without these conditions attached, European air quality standards will continue to be breached, noise pollution for households on flight paths will increase and a valuable opportunity will be missed to ensure the aviation industry prepares for a low carbon future.

 

"[Heathrow operator] BAA and the airline industry must bear the risk that a third runway will be a white elephant if aviation cannot be made greener."

 

BAA and its main customer British Airways say the short runway is vital if the airport is to stay competitive.

 

The government had been due to make a decision about Heathrow before Christmas, but the date was put back to January by Transport Secretary Geoff Hoon.

 

An announcement on the plan is tipped for the middle of this week, as long as it is approved by the cabinet on Tuesday.

 

More than 50 Labour MPs are opposed to the proposal and Environment Secretary Hilary Benn has voiced reservations about the impact of the development.

 

A Department for Transport spokeswoman said a date had not been set for an announcement and "neither has a decision been made".

 

 

 

[BC Tam 2]

They're digging in, deep into their pockets too !

 

Protesters buy up Heathrow land

 

Land earmarked for the construction of Heathrow's third runway has been bought by anti-expansion protesters.

 

Land the size of a football pitch near Sipson village - which would lose hundreds of homes in the expansion - was bought by a Greenpeace coalition.

 

They have pledged not to sell the land to the government or BAA if the airport expansion gets the go-ahead.

 

Greenpeace director John Sauven said: "We've thrown a massive spanner in the engine driving Heathrow expansion."

 

The campaigners - including actress Emma Thompson, Tory front bench spokeswoman Justine Greening, Lib Dem MP Susan Kramer and impressionist Alistair McGowan - bought the land for an undisclosed fee.

 

They say plans to increase flights at the airport from 480,000 to 720,000 would create unacceptable noise and pollution.

 

But the airport industry, business and union leaders say Heathrow's expansion is vital for the British economy's long-term competiveness.

 

Battle lines drawn over Heathrow

 

Supporters also say work on the runway could create up to 65,000 jobs.

 

The government is due to rule on the plans this week.

 

Ms Thompson said: "I don't understand how any government remotely serious about committing to reversing climate change can even consider these ridiculous plans.

 

"It's laughably hypocritical. That's why we've bought a plot on the runway.

 

"We'll stop this from happening even if we have to move in and plant vegetables."

 

Protesters have written the words "our climate - our land" on the plot.

 

Mr Sauven said: "The legal owners of the site will block the runway at every stage through the planning process and in the courts."

 

from the BBC

 

 

 

[Pieter C. 5]

UK Backs Heathrow Airport Third Runway

 

January 15, 2009

Britain on Thursday gave the go-ahead to building a GBP9 billion pound (USD$13.2 billion) third runway at London's Heathrow Airport, delighting the aviation industry but enraging environmentalists.

 

Transport minister Geoff Hoon also told parliament he was approving the construction of an extra terminal at the congested airport, less than a year after it opened its fifth terminal after much delay due to opposition from campaigners.

 

Hoon said the airport was running at 99 percent capacity, and as such was losing business to international competitors.

 

"This makes the UK a less attractive place for mobile international business... the airport is critical to this country's long-term economic prosperity," he said.

 

He added that the government was setting up a new company to look at the potential for building a new high-speed rail link from London to Scotland, via a Heathrow hub station.

 

The third runway is backed by business and the aviation industry, which say it will help Britain's economic competitiveness, but fiercely opposed by environmental groups, opposition parties and some members of Prime Minister Gordon Brown's own Labour Party.

 

Supporters say the third runway is needed to enable Heathrow to run more efficiently and to cope with expanding air travel.

 

Heathrow, owned by Spain's Ferrovial, handles 65 million passengers a year.

 

Business leaders have often criticised the airport's congestion, long queues for security checks and delays.

 

Opponents argue that the development would increase noise and air pollution for local residents and push up carbon dioxide emissions, making it harder for the government to meet its climate change goals.

 

The opposition Conservative party say that, if they win the next general election, due by mid-2010, they would scrap a third runway and would instead build a more ambitious high-speed rail link linking London to northern cities.

 

"We will cancel these plans," Conservative transport spokeswoman Theresa Villiers told BBC radio earlier. "Today's announcement does not mean that a third runway is inevitable. This is just the start of the fight."

 

(Reuters)

 

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Village Vows To Fight Heathrow Expansion

 

January 15, 2009

The oldest resident of a village that will be wiped off the map by the expansion of London's Heathrow Airport has vowed to stay in his home and defy the bulldozers.

 

Jack Clarke, 96, who has lived in Sipson since the days when surrounding farmland supplied fruit and vegetables for London's markets, said he will never accept compensation to move.

 

"I won't leave," he said. "They will not get me out of this house, I have been here too long."

 

Plans for a new runway, additional terminal and extra roads at Heathrow have prompted fierce opposition in the small village, wedged between two of Britain's busiest motorways on the airport's northern boundary.

 

The airport's GBP9 billion pound (USD$13.2 billion) expansion, approved by government on Thursday, will lead to the destruction of more than 700 homes, a 500-year-old pub and a school.

 

The development is a world away from the days when farms around Sipson grew crops to sell in the capital.

 

Clarke, who has a "No Third Runway" poster in the window of his modest red brick house, worked on those farms for nearly 40 years after moving to the village shortly before the start of the Great Depression of 1929.

 

The airport opened in 1946 and has expanded hugely since, with 68,000 people working there.

 

His granddaughter Jackie Hand, 36, a hairdresser who works in the village, said: "My whole family heritage is going to be wiped out by the third runway.

 

"What can we do when the government takes a decision? We are just a cog in a very big wheel."

 

While Britain says a third runway and additional terminal are critical for its economic prosperity, opponents argue the development will increase noise and pollution and make a nonsense of the government's environmental credentials.

 

Walking his dog on a cold winter morning, security guard Michael Eede, 65, pointed out the landmarks that he fears will be demolished in the village where he has lived for 20 years.

 

"All the people here are affected -- schools, churches, even the cemetery will be destroyed," he said, raising his voice over the roar of the jets.

 

Some locals say they do not trust assurances from airport operator BAA, owned by Spain's Ferrovial, that the Cherry Lane cemetery could be saved.

 

"My nephew is buried here," said Linda O'Brien, 50. "If they try to dig this up, I will be lying here on my nephew's grave."

 

Environmental group Greenpeace has bought a plot of land behind the pub. It plans to divide it into thousands of pieces and sell them to supporters to try to delay the development.

 

In large white capital letters, campaigners have spelled out the words "Our Climate, Our Land" to send their message to the thousands of passengers who pass overhead each day.

 

(Reuters)

 

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London's Heathrow Airport - FACTBOX

 

January 15, 2009

Britain gave the go-ahead for a third runway and another terminal at London's congested Heathrow Airport as part of a GBP9 billion pound (USD$13.2 billion) expansion, delighting the aviation industry but enraging environmentalists.

 

Transport Minister Geoff Hoon told parliament on Thursday that Heathrow was running at 99 percent capacity and needed to be expanded for the good of the economy.

 

Here are some statistics about London Heathrow:

 

* HISTORY:

 

-- The airport is named after the village or hamlet of Heathrow, which used to be roughly where Terminal 3 now stands.

 

-- It began as a tented village in 1946 serving 18 destinations with a handful of airlines making 9,000 flights a year.

 

-- The first departure was on New Year's Day 1946 to Buenos Aires via Lisbon, the first refuelling stop on a long-haul flight to open up Britain's first air link with South America.

 

-- Heathrow's first terminal for short haul flights opened in 1955. Originally known as the Europa Building, it is now known as Terminal 2.

 

-- Terminal 1 was formally opened in 1969 by Queen Elizabeth II. Terminal 3 opened in 1961 and Terminal 4 in 1986.

 

-- The public inquiry into the fifth terminal was the longest in British planning history, lasting nearly four years. It was submitted in February 1993 but construction did not actually begin until summer 2002.

 

The terminal opened in March 2008 amid chaotic scenes of flight delays and lost baggage, although it is currently said to be working well.

 

* KEY NUMBERS:

 

-- Heathrow serves over 180 destinations in more than 90 countries.

 

-- 90 airlines have made Heathrow their base.

 

-- There are two main runways. The northern one is 3,902 metres long. The southern is 3,658 metres.

 

-- According to BAA traffic statistics, just under 67 million passengers used Heathrow in 2008.

 

-- The airport's runways are 99 percent full although the opening of Terminal 5 has eased capacity in the buildings.

 

-- There are around 478,000 flights a year, capped at 480,000. This would be increased to 600,000 in the event of a third runway.

 

-- The most popular destination is New York.

 

-- Some 72,000 people work at the airport, 4,500 of them directly employed by BAA.

 

(Reuters)

 

 

[Pieter C. 5]

London Heathrow Tops List Of Worst Airports, Again

 

October 23, 2009

 

London's Heathrow Airport has been voted the worst airport in the world for the second year running in a poll of 14,500 frequent fliers while Singapore's Changi was again ranked as the best.

 

The survey participants, all member of airport lounge programme Priority Pass, rated Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport as the world's second worst with Los Angeles Airport coming third despite a recent USD$1 billion overhaul.

 

"A result that suggests anyone wanting a romantic break in Paris should avoid the Heathrow-Charles de Gaulle route if they don't want to kill the mood," said a statement from Priority Pass.

 

"Sadly, Heathrow remains firmly entrenched as the airport the world loves to hate," added Jonathan French, head of brand for Priority Pass.

 

Also coming in the bottom five in the online poll were Frankfurt and Miami airports.

 

One of the few major countries whose travellers did not put Heathrow at or near the bottom of the list was the United States. US fliers rated Chicago, Los Angeles, Atlanta and New York JFK as the worst.

 

At the other end of the scale, the poll conducted in September among fliers from 160 countries found that Singapore Changi topped the list of the world's best airports followed by Hong Kong.

 

This was the second consecutive year that these airports have come in the top two slots.

 

The favourite airport in Europe was Amsterdam Schiphol.

 

The respondents to the survey were all frequent travellers who have taken on average 17 flights in the past 12 months.

 

(Reuters)

[Mohd Suhaimi Fariz 2]

Is it time for airlines to think post-Heathrow? Focus on other European airports?

[Ryan Soh 3]

Is it time for airlines to think post-Heathrow? Focus on other European airports?

It is easier said than done. London is one of the world's focal financial point and a significant contributor to "O" in the O&D sector. As much as people like to bash Heathrow, I don't see the traffic dwindling in the near future.

[Radzi 2]

While we are on the LHR subject, maybe I can ask a few things.

 

How long does it takes from landing to actually being able to take the taxi / train / bus etc at Terminal 4? I'll be going to LHR this December on MH. The airport charges for 4 of us, both KUL and LHR, comes to a total of RM 3252.