Originally Posted by
kcockayne
Well, that’s why I made the point that I didn’t work at EGLL - so I did not have a full appreciation of the NPR requirements there. The SIDS where I did work, EGJJ, were not , as far as I can remember, mandatory as a required route if there was no traffic to separate from. As I remember it, we were at liberty not to use the SIDS should we require it (although, it was probably less hassle to stick with the SIDS - even if they were not strictly necessary). Anyway, thanks for setting me straight. I guess that once the a/c concerned in these instances had gained sufficient altitude so as not to exceed noise requirements, they were able to take a more expeditious route.
Yes, NPRs only apply at the three London Government-designated airports: Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted. In addition, they only apply to aircraft below 4000' AAL, after which ATC are free to vector them where desired. The Finnair was at about 2200' when it left the NPR, so maybe just a misjudgement by ATC ?