Originally Posted by
roverman
The key question is this 'Is a 3600m runway essential for long haul or is it a nice-to-have?' If DUB already has commercially viable non-stop service to LAX and HKG off its current 2637m runway then a 3110m has got be a big improvement. MAN has at best 3200m (23L) with similar long sectors to DUB operating viably also from 23R (2897m). Additional runway length comes at a cost of tens of millions of Euros which has to be funded through airport charges and is of real value only on a few occasions each year. I have done Performance A training and I know all about flex thrust and variable V1 figures, but airports have to make commercially sound investment decisions. Runways much longer than 3000m are rarely needed with a low airport elevation and a Northern European climate.
yes runways cost a lot to build and maintain, but a longer runway provides additional capacity by using intersection take offs, spend a day at LGW the worlds busiest single runway airport with A380,A350,A330, B789,777,747 and everything smaller thrown into the mix, of course rote structure plays a big part at LGW but even a wet 8c low pressure day at EDI will restrict the take off mass of a 738 MAX