SOU Expansion plans?

[tomcs]

Hi there,

Does anyone have any ideas or information regarding SOU and its expansion plans? Taxi ways? Terminals? Runway extensions?

Cheers

tomcs

[TCAS FAN]

Biggest problem in the short term is lack of aircraft parking space. The last remaining flying school is about to leave to apparently may way for an extra stand. Even with this there are many problems just around the corner, the corner being the apron from Stand 6 onwards. too narrow to park the soon to arrive Embraer 195's, too close to the runway to park B737s and A319/320s nose in. All because they built a multi-storey car park up against the apron, after being told by many experts that they needed to allow room for apron expansion.

Many years after BAA took over the airport and re-developed it, including the now infamous car park, they have just formulated a master plan to try and get themselves out of the enormous hole that they have dug themselves into. They project a new terminal, on the east side of the airport, due to no space on the west side. This, if it goes ahead, is going to be a logistical nightmare when you start thinking about transferring passengers between flights at different terminals.

As for taxiways, my heart goes out to the NATS contollers at SOU, who work wonders with less than half the taxiway system that they should have to keep traffic flowing. Apart from resurfacing the runway, after BRAL indicated that Embraer 145 operations could cease if it wasn't, there really hasn't been much in the way of airside development to keep up with the tremendous growth in scheduled traffic. If Flybe and others started analysing just how much fuel they burn while waiting to backtrack the runway for departure and then start making noises to BAA. maybe the missing link taxiway to 20 threshold would appear.

The airport grandees keep saying that the runway cannot be extended due to planning restrictions, having seen a copy of the relevant "Section 106" agreement that BAA entered into with local planning authorities, they can extend it, but not above 2000 metres in length, enough to start talking seriously about B737/A319 operations, then you'd see passenger figures go through the proverbial roof, of the new terminal?

What of SOU, maybe the best route is for BAA to be taken over, off load SOU to someone who is serious about reaching its full potential.

[MEON VALLEY FLYER]

:eek:
I would rather have quality over quantity. Business, comuter and 'reasonable' priced leisure travel with as many 195's and 737's as practical. Soton will never and should never be another luton, with your armies of £ 0-99 bargain brigade. Hell we don't even want that sort living around here ;)
Yes more / better aircraft parking would be good, but that would involve moving buildings. The north east teminal will NEVER happen or even get to the application stage. The access road is through an active industrial estate with a busy little painted roundabout at the north end, with a small village to the east and eastleigh town to the west, with a railways bridge thats always grid locked already.

So what will happen, the only thing i can see over the next five years, is very little due to space constraints. the only viable option and lowest cost / planning hassle i could see. are some remote stands by the fire dump and pax getting bused across, there is some room over there.

other than that. ford have just launched the new transit, build across the m27. in 5-10 years that could move to spain as it very nearly has before (ford have sold off some of the warehousing they had to the north of the airport in tower lane). if that was flattened, that could allow an ils for 02, should help those misty morning arrivals.

[TCAS FAN]

If SOU are going to survive it is essential that the present runway is displaced northwards. At the present it has the absolute minimum of undershoot/overshoot safety areas (referred to a RESAs-runway end safety areas). It has 90 metres, CAA currently recommend 240 metres. If there is a further overrun on 20 and the short RESA doesn't contain the aircraft, CAA will be calling. The only way to achieve the 240 metres is to shorten the usable length of runway, saying goodbye to B737/A320 & E195 operations - Ford could then build a super Transit factory on the site!

Another spin off from the minimal REASs is the proximity to the M27. I hear that many cars have been pebble-dashed by stones thrown up by departing B737s/B757s, the most recently a multiple number last week when a Britannia 757 paid a visit. Why the stones? Another attempt by BAA to get around the minimum RESA issue by placing an arrestor bed in the undershoot of 02 in order to slow up overrunning aircraft and preventing a repeat of the Citation on the M27 scenario of many years ago.

The now redundant Alstom sheds at Eastleigh need flattening, the current marshalling yard south of Campbell Road relocating north of it, on what appears to be heavily contaminated land following a near century of abuse by suceesive train building operations, and the runway displacing 150 - 200 metres north. Might also involve buying up a few houses in Campbell Road. Should then give a chance to categorise the 20 ILS, lowering the current height minima to what it should be, around 200 FT and presenting the opportunity of puting in an ILS for 02. Not cheap, but essential if SOU is to prosper.

As far as the second terminal goes, relocate the hangars, tower, fire station to the east side, start again with the multi storey car park, this time allowing enough room to park larger aircraft on a wider apron, then extend the current terminal northwards.

[Nakata77]

have you guys not seen the masterplan?

all these plans are already set in stone and have been published on the airports website.

personally I think they will become less efficient with two small terminals - one on the other side of the airport. Besides, how busy can SOU get with such a limited runway and close urban sprawl?

[MEON VALLEY FLYER]

'MASTERPLAN' more like 15 year wish list.
Especially as Eastleigh council is held firm by the looney liberals and the Mp for the area is also liberal, (but only just by 500 odd votes). Those idiots won't have anything big.

They made sure the 'allington village' development was never fully build, partly due to previous traffic problems with fair oak to town ctr road, north of EGHI.
They think instead of having one big well planned development, it's best to cram in totally unsuitable small units wherever ther's a large garden or a bungalow to squash. This district is a blight of such 3 story units, often next to bungalows, making the area look totally miss-mangaged. Just so they can tick off 13 'units' on the govenment plan instead of the 4 balanced houses that could have been put on the plot (portsmouth road bursledon, lower northam rd hedge end). Then they just blame it on labour policy.
Do you realy think these weak minded fools will ever allow EGHI to expand.

The mistakes were make 30 or more years ago. So we have EGHI with the road and rail links, but a small runway and poor layout. then 20 odd miles west we have EGHH with poor road and no rail links and a real runway with taxiways and peri road.
So the only answer is make the best of what you have and stop dreaming about anything else.:8

[2U5A]

B.A.A. senior planners/designers really should talk with quieter voices when at the hotel bar in Indy!! As some may know B.A.A are heavily involved with the re-org/running of Indy airport. Anyhow back to the SOU pearls of wisdom.
There are/were plans for a massive rebuild of SOU outlined by:
1) Acquisition of all lands and property to the North of the current site up to the London Portsmouth rail line. This land was to be cleared and a south-bound rail turn will be added, to create a South coast rail route running through SOU airport. The train station was to be expanded to have four platforms and a new bridge on Wide lane over the rail lines.
2) A new 2000m x 45m runway located 180m to the east and parallel to the existing one. The old runway is modified to become a parallel taxiway. Full 240m RESA at either end can be accommodated.
3) The North East corner will be developed, with access from Chickenhall Lane for Cargo/Aircraft Maintenance and ATC, fire hall, fuel farm and central services.
4) The whole current apron and terminal area will be redeveloped to give a new 30,000 sq m. terminal with 17 gates plus 20 stands. Two multi-story car parks for a total of 5000 cars, a bus and coach station and a 200 room hotel.
5) SOU could handle six million passengers a year and also start to take wide-body I.T. traffic.

These are certainly examples of, thinking/planning “out of the box” and sound very exciting and really creative.
Apparently B.A.A. have rejected these plans as it will take away traffic from LHR and LGW. It just goes to show that B.A.A. only own SOU to limit and control the possible competition in South and South/East England.
Are these ideas practical and “do-able”?
Could such a significant expansion be supported by the marketplace?
It is certainly food for thought!