They could have got the taxiway nearer the end of the runway while staying within the airport boundary but as already stated the land starts to drop away beyond the present point
Well, if you want to blame anyone for where the taxiway is today, blame me. I consulted with the based airlines (EZY was just a gleam in a Greek's eye then
) and asked if we couldn't go to the end where was the next place and the answer back was '1000ft'. They weren't keen on a taxiway entering the runway too close to the end because of the steering geometry.
There was a slight hiatus when some thought you could plug a taxiway into the side of a runway without closing it
(I said the only alternative was to go to the end) but, hey ho, we are where we are today.
I think we dun awright. It captures 99% of 08 arrivals, shortens the backtrack from the original Alpha (how long did I live with that???) and does facilitate some departures from the intersection which, I must admit, we didn't really think of at the time because of the sort of operation we then had.
If anyone from the airport is reading this I am available for further consultation . . .
. . . although you probably don't want it
