Do we really need the runway extension?
Dear all,
Given the price tag / inevitable environmental objection / lengthy planning application process / airport owners on a short-term revenue maximisation business plan = very very very unlikely an extension will happen.....
....may I ask does LBA actually need it? (I know the technical arguments on how it will improve TODA, CATIII flare problems on 32 etc etc).
If Shaheen is already flying non-stop to Islamabad then what is a £xxx m project going to buy LBA that it doesn't already have? (And other operators have successfully flown across the pond to North America in the past).
Further to that:
1) Is there any scope that improved technology can come to the rescue of landings on 14 without having to build concrete?
2) The advent of the 787 and A350 will extend the reach of LBA without any concrete.
Our Pakistani friends (of whom I was cynical and must admit I must eat humble pie and give credit where its due) have possibly shown us that we've imagined a long-haul problem on LBA (or listened too much to nay-sayers who thrive on blogsites) that doesn't really exist.
TDF