Always good fun to rehash old arguments, but this was decided in favour of SEN's continuing commercial movements over a decade ago. SEN is by no means alone in having dispensations. LCY must have. In my time as a passenger I particularly enjoyed landing at Funchal where the runway is extended onto a Southend Pier lookalike, and at Longyearbyen where the runway threshold is the chilly Arctic waters. I never flew in to Kai Tak but that must have been interesting too............