Do we know at what point we are with RW3 ?

It all seems to have gone quiet.

Would you say that the latest results support Action 2.2 in the newly published Noise Action Plan 2019-2023 (adopted and approved by Michael Gove Feb 2019) ?:

https://www.heathrow.com/file_source..._2019-2023.pdf
2.2 FQG improvement

We will work with airlines to improve the overall FQG scores, working towards increasing the green scores.

Performance Indicator :Number of green scores
Target : More green score dots than 2018 baseline

AVGEN does get an honourable mention in the Consultation Response section of the Supporting Annexes document :

https://www.heathrow.com/file_source...ng_Annexes.pdf

Theme or Issue :
"We are aware of criticism by aviation
consultants AvGen of how these are reported
and consider that the points they raise about
the discrepancies between actual performance
of certain airlines and their ratings should be
investigated further by Heathrow.
FQG programme criticism by AvGen should
be explained."

Heathrow Response :

"This was discussed and recorded in the minutes at
the Heathrow Community Noise Forum in September
2017. https://www.heathrow.com/file_source/
HeathrowNoise/Static/HCNF_meeting_notes_20_
Sept_2017.pdf Also see the outcomes mentioned in
Annex 13, Action 2.1."

One wonders with a change of cabinet if matters Heathrow may change.

Gove aka Mr Bean, has just come from environment minister so will surely be tackled on the effect Heathrow expansion will have on Londoners. I'm not a tree hugger but it's beyond bizarre that the mayor is introducing a mega low emissions tax on the ground but cropspraying those chirpy cockneys from the air is not part of the equation ?

...and what of Grayling ? Toast !

It's interesting that those Noise Action Plan targets are expressed purely in terms of "green dots", i.e. the number of results that fall into the Green band of the Red/Amber/Green "RAG" classification.

That sounds like a tacit acknowledgement by Heathrow that those dodgy Fly Quiet points and league tables aren't actually any use for gauging whether airlines are improving their environmental performance.

Not that the RAG classifications are much better - while some of the metrics award a Green dot based on actual performance thresholds (CDAs and Track-keeping, for example), others (e.g. NOx and Quota Count) simply give all but the worst 25% of airlines a Green classification without requiring them to achieve any specific threshold.

Nor do the Noise Action Plan targets take any account of the relative importance attached to the different performance metrics - for example Track-keeping carries three times as much FQ&G weight as NOx emissions, but Green classifications for either count equally towards the NAP target.

Fabulous point Navpi, perhaps Manchester can lead the way in green matters and just close MAN entirely, I think you'll agree that's what's best for those Northerners, given their relatively limited life expectancy against those, what was it you actually said, "chirpy cockneys"?
You should really visit Cockney-land one day with your own mince pies, you'd be amazed.

I'll leave it in your more than capable hands......

The premise of my comment was nothing to do with Manchester but the absurdity of penalising drivers on the ground with the new eye-watering emission charges whilst making no comment about the particles raining down from the air.

...But of course you knew that didn't you:ok:

Hi

What construction work are they now doing at Terminal 2? Looks like they are digging deep

Thanks

Perhaps because passenger cars generated just under 70% of the greenhouse gases emitted in the transport category? Table 3 of the Data Tables from the Government 2017 Greenhouse Emissions Statistics refers.

Hmmmm.... May going?
The end is nigh for Failing Grayling....and what now for Heathrow?

Flybe Connect Heathrow with Isle of Man
 

A new daily Flybe service connecting Heathrow with Isle of Man will commence as early as 21st April! The route will be operated by Flybe Dash8-Q400 aircraft and is on sale now.

https://www.flybe.com/cheap-flights/isle-of-man

Quite a short lead time for bookings but i wonder if its something they've been working on for a while. I presume this will be another PSO type route?

Flybe are certainly getting quite an operation at LHR and definitely giving travellers more choice and connection opportunities with other airlines.

Heathrow owns up to Fly Quiet & Green errors
 

Owns up, that's to say, only in the sense that following my previous post it has made a series of unannounced, undocumented changes to the Q4 2018 "league table" (presumably in the hope that nobody will notice!), but with no explicit acknowledgement that anything has actually changed.

Heathrow has now retrospectively adjusted the average points scored by airlines in Q4 2018 from 813 to 727, and has likewise amended all the individual airline scores, without any acknowledgement whatsoever that anything has been changed. The newly-adjusted scores are still, of course, around 40% higher than they ought to be if the stated rules of the scheme were being followed.

China Southern, El Al, Kuwait and PIA have now miraculously appeared in the results, although oddly Royal Air Maroc has also been added, despite having fewer flights than Korean Air (which is still absent).

Happily, Heathrow has now discovered how to count from 1 to 50 without jumping forwards and backwards randomly.

All of Finnair's widebody flights now appear to have been considered in the revised results.

As I've noted in previous posts, you couldn't make this up, but at least we now know who has. :O

Does LHR no longer do runway switches at 3pm? I observed planes taking off from 09R this morning and still the planes are taking off from 09R tonight

Plus - How many slots are there destined for Flybe??? It seems every time I check the news they are landing more slots. Can LHR really accommodate so many Q400 (78 seat!) slots without compromising on efficiency?

LHR Runway Alternation

Jet Airways slots
 

Those who have been following the news about Jet will be aware that international flying is currently suspended. Furthermore with news today that emergency funding will not be available from banks, the likelihood of their resuming flying from Heathrow in the near future seems unlikely

Jet were leasing 3 daily slot pairs from an airline in the UAE who shall remain nameless. While it is possible the new rotations could begin soon, the fact that the UAE based airline has recently been shrinking rather than growing suggest new flights are maybe unlikely - at most 1 additional flight per day. That leaves at least 2 slot pairs per day which need to be either used or lost - leasing them out (or a sale) seems the most likely option.

Jet had departures from LHR to India at 0930, 2010 and 2120 in UK summer time. The flights to the UAE are at 0935, 1500 and 2045. With a forced seller, the buyer can afford to bid a little lower than they might do otherwise. Clearly the 2 evening slots will appeal to Asian carriers, while the morning slot may interest North American operators. Who apart from BA can find a way to use these slots at short notice, is cash rich, and would be prepared to pay what the seller would likely want as a price ?

AC (and anyone else affected by Max issues) are likely to be able to apply for their historic rights to their slots to be protected under the force majeure provision in the slot regulations if they are unable to operate their slots. The big airline from Abu Dhabi, on the other hand, has no such protection from an airline to whom it has leased its slots ceasing trading.

Eco warriors to shut LHR Good Friday !!
 

No idea. Only BA and KL/SN flights showing up on the Heathrow timetable.

What are the AA flight numbers ?

That explains why there was an AA flight from MAD to VLC, which did not correspond with any Iberia code share, showing on FR24 last night. Seems the FR24 glitch is perhaps more wide-spread than just LHR

Another big fire just outside of the airport yet again. Not causing problems with flights, lets hope it stays that way.

Though GWR train services, and the HEX, have been disrupted.

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....7527a50868.jpg

..

..one day before local elections 😁
But sametime as an emergency climate change debate scheduled in Parliament tomorrow morning. Oops

Civil service timetable cock up alert...!

Under the current £14bn plan, construction could begin in 2021, with the third runway operational by 2026.
Plus the £1bn for the Western rail link tunnel, upgrade of the Tube TfL cost, M25 cost ? etc etc etc

I think the important word here is COULD but me personally I won't hold my breath!

Government backtracking re Heathrow expansion ?

Would be a ready made excuse !

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-48233548

And as if by magic a subtle "insertion" now appears in government thinking with of course some backtracking through unamed sources as the climate change agenda suddenly turns all our MPs into tree huggers.

Having said that the way "2 pints Nigel" is going there might not be any Tory or Labour MPs left to actually make the decision!

https://amp.theguardian.com/environm...mpression=true​​​​​​

Latest Fly Quiet & Green results
 

Heathrow is about to publish its Fly Quiet & Green results for the first quarter of 2019 - they have been up on the website for the last 3 weeks, but so far protected from public scrutiny (why?) by the usual secret password.

After the embarrassment of last quarter's results, which had to be clandestinely altered (and, even after that, were nonsense), it remains to be seen whether Heathrow can get over the first hurdle - keeping track of the number of flights that land and take off on its runways in order to identify the 50 busiest airlines.

In an attempt (probably in vain) to help LHR with at least that part of the number-crunching, I did take the liberty of sending a list of the relevant airlines, but received no acknowledgement. For the record, in Q1 2019 they were (in descending order of frequency):

BA/SH, BA/LH, VS, EI, LH, AA, SK, UA, EW, LX, KL, AC, DL, IB, AF, BE, EK, QR, AZ, TP, CX, SU, SQ, AI, 9W, AY/SH, EY, TK/LH, OS, LO, SN, A3, CA, BC, TK/SH, VY, GF, JL, MH, QF, TG, WY, KM, SV, LY, CZ, ME/SH, KU, PK, FI/SH

It remains to be seen how many of the 50 appear in the results, once the public is finally permitted to see them.