Quote: "Until the powers that be destroy Heathrow with their dithering..It might increase capacity, if the agreement not to use the runways in mixed mode which is damping Heathrows capacity as a two runway airport, was shelved for the time being."
Indeed this is the case. Mixed mode can, apparently, increase capacity by about 10%, allowing Heathrow to squeeze a quart out of a pint pot, so it is only a stop gap remedy. It does present another problem: running an airport at 110+% capacity.
In the absence of rwy expansion, it is the only way that capacity can be marginally increased. However, the amount of congestion and delays will increase substantially, both on the ground and in the air.
At present, mixed mode will only be allowed at times of "disruption" and to clear "backlogs". So what does this tell us? It tells us that mixed mode will slowly increase by stealth until or unless rwy expansion is completed.
Mixed mode will end the daily half-day of quiet for those who live under the flightpath that is curently provided by segregated mode and rwy alternation, so residents are unlikely to be very happy about it.
Those under the current flightpaths have a choice: support rwy expansion and have the status quo prevail for them (i.e. a daily half-day of quiet) or object to rwy expansion and lose this. It's really quite simple.
Ironically, it appears that if the small vocal anti-expansion NIMBY lobby are sucessful in their efforts, residents under the flightpath will actually have more noise not less!
Last edited by Fairdealfrank; 23rd September 2012 at 20:03.