oncemorealoft
26th Mar 2007, 08:29
In a Sunday Times (Business section) story about the BAA this weekend was the following...
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...airlines at Heathrow are fuming this weekend over continued problems with the fuel supply at the airport. Heathrow supplies have been under pressure since last year’s explosion and fire at the Buncefield fuel depot near Hemel Hempstead. Recent maintenance on a pipe system has led to airlines having to reduce the amount of fuel they take on at the airport, and carry more fuel on flights to Heathrow than they would normally do.
“It is extremely irritating, and extremely costly for us,” said the UK operations director of one foreign airline.
Buncefield supplied one-third of Heathrow’s fuel, but efforts by BP to bring part of the facility back on line have been hampered by an inability to secure planning permission.
Department of Trade and Industry officials convened a meeting of airline, airport and oil-industry executives last week to discuss the problem.
A spokesman for Heathrow said: “There is a temporary and relatively minor dip in the volume of fuel supplied to the airport due to upgrade works to one of the pipelines which supplies Heathrow, which has led to airlines being asked to marginally reduce the amount of fuel they take on board.”
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Apparently, from next week Short Haul flights are being rationed to 82% and Long Haul 90%.
Basically, the world's busiest international airport has less than two days worth of fuel supplies!:ugh:
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...airlines at Heathrow are fuming this weekend over continued problems with the fuel supply at the airport. Heathrow supplies have been under pressure since last year’s explosion and fire at the Buncefield fuel depot near Hemel Hempstead. Recent maintenance on a pipe system has led to airlines having to reduce the amount of fuel they take on at the airport, and carry more fuel on flights to Heathrow than they would normally do.
“It is extremely irritating, and extremely costly for us,” said the UK operations director of one foreign airline.
Buncefield supplied one-third of Heathrow’s fuel, but efforts by BP to bring part of the facility back on line have been hampered by an inability to secure planning permission.
Department of Trade and Industry officials convened a meeting of airline, airport and oil-industry executives last week to discuss the problem.
A spokesman for Heathrow said: “There is a temporary and relatively minor dip in the volume of fuel supplied to the airport due to upgrade works to one of the pipelines which supplies Heathrow, which has led to airlines being asked to marginally reduce the amount of fuel they take on board.”
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Apparently, from next week Short Haul flights are being rationed to 82% and Long Haul 90%.
Basically, the world's busiest international airport has less than two days worth of fuel supplies!:ugh: