Runway 25L in BCN

[Cousin Avi]

Anyone been to BCN today where the new runway 25L was in use?

I think it´s a very dangerous situation where you have to cross runway 02-20 no fewer than 5 (!) times when taxing to the gate after vacating runway 25L. On top of that you must also cross runway 25R. That makes it 6 runway crossings before reaching your stand.

Besides that it´s total anarchy on the ground frequency because people are stepping all over each other asking for taxi. push or having to ask 5 times for permission to cross runway 02-20 or 25R on their way to the gate.

Any opinions?

[fimbles]

wasn't being used when i was there thismorning. Notams show all the lighting for 25L as being not in use.
Ops as normal for us : landing 25R and depart off 20

[Cousin Avi]

The lights for 25L worked, just need 30 mins notice according NOTAMS. All approaches were visuals.

I guess they did a trial run, because I heard from another crew that they changed back to the good ´ol standard 20/25 ops later in the morning.

Anyway, IMHO the 25L - 25R combo is a runway incursion waiting to happen, besides that you can add another 15-20 mins to the arrival time for taxying.

[Silver Tongued Cavalier]

It's happened already Cousin Avi,

Was there myself in the morning of the 1st Oct and saw the "trial run".

Was taxying out for a 25R departure, when we saw some Spanish Red Arrows equivalent display team come wizzing down 25R in formation with a nifty break into a left hand circuit to land in tight sequence.

A KLM 737 had just landed 25L and was taxiing to the apron via the undershoot of 25R and nearly got his tail clipped by one of the landing jets!!!

Lady on ground freq quickly told him to hold position immediately right under the approach!!! :sad: He continued on and cleared, with the lady controller giving him an earful about not holding short 25R, KLM guy comes back quickly insisting he had been cleared to cross and all the way to stand??!!

Seems to me as if the military jet guys were ducking well under the glide to land on the piano keys not the 1000' point and combined with their shallow approach, I reckon they were over the KLM on the taxiway by about 60'!!!

Saw a few of the jets go a bit high on the profile to fly over the KLM, all fairly sporty stuff!!!!

Although this incident is probably isolated, I agree that BCN ground is very messy and one to watch out for!!

[Arkroyal]

I must say that BCN has always been the No 1 dest to raise the hairs on the back of my neck.

ATC here is shambolic, and far too poor to handle the new traffic patterns.

Soooooooooooooo glad we've dropped ot for the winter.

[The Greaser]

I agree that BCN is the most shambolic operation I have come across in my experience. Would it not be safer to use 25R for landing and 25L for departure or is it planned to alternate?

[Arkroyal]

The new 25L is much shorter than 25R and so better suited to be the landing runway (like 27R at CDG, if they ever get around to using it)

[Robert Vesco]

(like 27R at CDG, if they ever get around to using it) You mean: when Air France thinks it´s time to use it! ;)

I agree, BCN already was a mess and with the new runway layout it will not get better if you have to cross runway 20 x-amount of times. An incident/accident waiting to happen! Why haven´t they leant from ZRH´s landing 14 and then crossing 28? :ouch:

[FlyboyUK]

Landed on 27L at CDG on Tuesday evening. The 27R approach and runways lights were on, so maybe they are getting ready to use it again.