Airsmiles
Re; avoiding the need to overfly built-up areas, won't the Thames Estuary airport have runways aligned East-West like LHR? If yes, they'll still be a fair degree of over-flying London of approaching from the west. If taking off eastwards, the North Atlantic traffic will still need to turn west and overfly Greater London.
Correct me if I'm wrong but I don't see a vast difference in overflying London for either LHR or the Thames estuary airport.
You are wrong
Of course if the airport were to be build just East of the Dartford crossing then you would be right. However, the current plans put it somewhere South East of Canvey Island and North of the Isle of Sheppey. Given the use of curved RNP approaches there would be no need for extended straight in approaches or departures, I accept what everyone will say about transport to London although that would be achievable.
The incident in this thread was handled as one expects it to be handled recovery ASAP to the nearest suitable airport controllers keeping everything else away and the flight crew handling the emergency and upgrading as required landing safely no lives lost. Nevertheless, had that engine fire turned into a really bad fire on long finals and it was only luck that it didn't - or had the other engine been equally sick or perhaps loss of another hydraulic system then that recovery could have been a little too exciting. This incident is perfect ammunition for those who would close Heathrow and who object to a 3rd runway on safety grounds. The very people who are hurrying/harrying their engineers and thus raising the chances of these incidents are the ones that would lose most if the 3rd runway does not go ahead.