I'll dignify it with a response.
It took me a while to figure this out.
No surprises there, you've never read the BA Ops manual.
As a dinosaur, I had enough fuel to get me to my destination, miss the approach and then divert to my alternate where I would still have 30 minutes of emergency fuel in my tanks.
As is standard BA policy.
So, under JARs, BA discovered that they could "commit" to LHR on the basis that two runways were available and continue without having enough fuel to divert to even Birmingham.
As can other JAR airlines, but only on the basis of 'landing assured', a known delay and landing with reserves. There's bugger all difference between diverting from LHR and arriving at BHX with reserves and leaving the BNN hold and landing at one of LHRs two runways with reserves bar you've got more options at one of those airfields if a runway closes.
I would NEVER EVER have gone down that road. Nor did I when the rules changed.
Your choice. Nobodys forced to do it in BA either but statistically it works.
So now it has come to bite them in the arse.
Errm no it hasn't. This took place at EZE, not LHR.
For British Airways to arrive at destination and announce that they do not have enough fuel to divert is, quite frankly, horrific.
Hyperbole alert. No it's not horrific at all, not even close. You find me an aviator who hasn't, with the best will in the world, found themselves facing unforecast bad weather and a reducing number of options and I'll show you someone who hasn't flown much. None of the aircraft at EZE that day were going to run out of fuel. They may have had to autoland below limits. Being a drama queen about it adds nothing to the debate.
At least the FR aircraft that (quite rightly) declared a Mayday to land at their diversion airfield had already been to their destination (Madrid) and had diverted.
But they still had to declare a Mayday and so were in no better position than the BA aircraft.
This bunch of comedians would appear to have declared a Mayday before they even tried to divert because they couldn't?
I agree with Super Stall.
Wellington - have you ever flown in South America? Between GIG and GRU is about three and a half hours flight time with perhaps two or three suitable airfields for a 777. Are you seriously suggesting the crew drop into one of those airfields to uplift extra fuel on the basis that there
might be FG at EZE thats much worse than the forecast?