Does anyone who is familiar with Gatwick know why straight pushbacks from that stand appear to be SOP ?
We asked ATC many moons ago. We laughed as they went quiet to find out why. An SOP with no reason we thought.
Anyway they came back with this:
It is so we can push multiple A/C together, also you may turn either way to taxi, left via R or right via Q. Sounds plausible? Will there now be a review? Personally, I think the risks are minimal. But at LGW a knee-jerk reaction seems to be the norm.
Seeing abject congestion & protracted delays at some other EU airports when 2 A/C ask for push simultaneously this sort of thinking is a breath of fresh air.