I know there are a number of doomers and gloomers who seem desperate for BHX runway extension to fail.
I don't think anyone is desperate for it to fail; afterall, whether one is crew, groundstaff, ATC, coach driver or spotter, almost everyone on PPRuNe has a vested interest in the success of aviation.
Where people sometimes get tarred with the doom and gloom brush is when they question the necessity of the project or ask how the cost is justified.
It could very easily be argued that, even with the current runway, BHX is failing to attract airlines on to routes which could be easily served by the existing runway length.
A very valid and up to date example would be Toronto and Canada generally. An A310 can operate to YYZ out of BHX with no payload restrictions. An A332 could operate to most of Canada out of BHX with no payload restrictions.
Yet Birmingham has just one weekly, seasonal Air Transat A310 to YYZ.
It cannot be blamed on the economic climate when Transat have just this week
increased their MAN-YYZ schedule next summer from already a daily service to 8 flights per week with a combination of A310 and A332. Equally, Gatwick is served next summer 10 x weekly to YYZ alone.
You think a few extra metres of concrete is going to have Transat knocking on PK's door to go daily from summer '14? Of course not.
I'll say it again; you can concrete the whole of Solihull, but if airlines can cover the catchment area successfully with operations to the north and south of BHX, without the additional costs associated with another base at BHX, it's going to be a very uphill struggle to justify the extension, not least also with TK and EK becoming well established at BHX for all points east.
My tuppence worth
