Originally Posted by
chevvron
If the government allowed H24 operations like they used to before about 1971 and like they still do in most other civilised countries, there would be no need for an extra runway.
I suspect that, even with no restrictions in those days, there were fewer night flights pre-1971 than the current 6,000 or so per annum.
Clearly the government has decided that removing the night quota restrictions would not be politically acceptable. The argument that H24 operation would provide as much additional capacity as a 3rd runway only holds water if you assume there is demand throughout the night for around 80 movements per hour, for which I've not seen any evidence.