Originally Posted by
The Nutts Mutts
Sorry but why is it a shambles or even a concern if crosswind components are exceeded one day? It’s the weather, nothing to do with the airport. EZY probably encounter weather diversions across their network at least once a week if not more often. I’m struggling to understand how SOU is at fault here. Is it for failing to anticipate this and building a runway on a turntable so it could always be facing into wind?
I am not suggesting they should be able to control the weather, but ops are constantly disrupted at SOU. Fog, wind, closing times, ancient landing system, candles for landing lights etc. You only have to look on this thread to see how frequent these issues materialise. Sure, every airport has its off days but for SOU it’s constant. There is no point carrying out their planned investment if planes cannot operate in and out in the first place.
You can pick any day an airbus sized aircraft is operating and it leaves late every single time (even when arriving early). It’s woeful that they struggle to handle even one of these sized aircraft a day. Let’s say EasyJet base one aircraft here, and it operates 4-5 flights a day, with the usual approximate 30 minute delay added to each departure of an aircraft this size, every one of the last arrivals of the day is going to have find somewhere else to land for the night. The issue would be twice as exasperated if they based 2 aircraft.
I’m sure Easy Jet want to open a base, at the very least because other airports are currently maxed out, but one rotation a day seems to be frought with issues as it is, so a base would be a daily disaster.