sky9 has said:-
The real problem at Manchester is that 24L 06R was built in such a position that aircraft using it had to cross an active runway either before take off or after landing.
This was an accident waiting to happen; in this instance it was an incident. I would be interested to hear what the risk assessment calculation was for this layout when it was carried out at the planning stage; that is if there was one. But there again I started bitching about the layout soon after the second runway was opened and was assured by a Controller that my concerns were misplaced. [End Quote]
This observation contains a lot of truth. Before planning permission was granted to MAN Airport for the second runway there was a very lengthy public inquiry. However, this was not conerned with flight safety matters but rather with the "politics" and environment. This resulted in the need for SIDs from 24L to have to turn right at relatively low level in order to avoiud Knutsford!
The location of the second runway (i.e. 06R/24L) is to the south and parallel to the original runway (i.e. 06L/24R). Hence, to use the new runway the old has to be crossed by departures.
The licensing of an airport for public transport purposes is a matter for the Civil Aviation Authority. Details are in the Air Navigation Order. One presumes that this design was somehow examined by the CAA and "approved." Certainly, it is NOT for the ATS Provider let alone the individual ATCO to worry about this approval/licensing process.
The Manchester layout creates significant issues for ATC (provided by NATS) and, in my experience, they fall over backwards to instruct pilots approaching crossing points to "hold short" etc. They seem to have tried to make their procedures as robust as possible. Others on this "thread" have made a lot of very valid points - about taxying speeds, use of lights etc.
There is a need for caution on the part of pilots since a frequency change is involved as you approach 24R crossing point. Need is to change to Air 1 as soon as possible and get some situational awareness.
Would be nice to know what risk assessment Man Airport management did of all this. As you sit there waiting to cross and watching an aircraft landing, it does make you worry about the lander having a major tyre burst etc.
By the way, the easterly situation is not without its difficulties either. After landing on 06R you sometimes taxy along the taxiway between the 2 runways - (it runs parallel to both runways) - and you cannot see departures on 06L.