Originally Posted by
Porky Speedpig
For those currently under flight paths, things will improve overnight if/when R3 opens as more or less the same traffic will be distributed over 3 areas and not 2. There will not suddenly be a 50pc increase in demand.
It's not quite as simple as that.
While movements will be shared across three runways rather than two, only communities under the current 27R flightpath are likely to notice that there are, initially, longer gaps between arrivals until traffic increases to fill the additional runway capacity.
While those under the 27L approach will also get fewer movements, initially, those movements will be spread over 75% of the day, cutting alternation respite from the current 50% to 25%. The same will apply to communities under the new northern runway arrival flightpath.
Needless to say, opposition to that prospect is one of central planks of the current anti-R3 campaign.