Q for Heathrow controllers
 

I wonder if I could ask a question (the other one answered on R&N thread):

Friday 12th I believe there was a ground fire problem BBC News - Heathrow reopens after Boeing Dreamliner 787 fire

When the fire resources roll for this I understand that the two runways close because the airport does not have fire cover in case of another emergency.

Why did the Helilanes close during this incident?

Thanks

John

Up in the midlands all our Southbound departures overflying london were also delayed.

The reason given to us was that the Swannick ATC controllers had to empty the Heathrow stacks and divert all the aircraft away which made the airspace very busy as lots of different aircraft in all the different stacks all look to go in different directions and they have to juggle them around each other.

Essentially "nobody else can join in until we've finished sorting out the players already in the area"

Seems like a question for the nats Swanwick watch manager.

Also why were IFR flights from Farnborough 'clutch' aerodromes delayed indefinitely?

The heli lanes weren't closed?

<<lots of different aircraft in all the different stacks all look to go in different directions and they have to juggle them around each other.>>

But then the Fat Controller sorted them all out and we all lived happily ever after....

HD, I don't work there any more...

Terminal control had a period of an hour or so of extremely high workload sorting out all of the diversions. The decision was taken to put a ground stop on any traffic that would enter the London TMA until the workload was manageable. It was a good decision.

Rolaaand

Thanks - I knew there had to be a good reason.

Regards

John

Q for Heathrow controllers
 

Don't see why a busy TMA would close the helilanes, there's little if any interaction between them. Those with the validations were required elsewhere, I'm guessing?

It shouldn't have affected positioning jet traffic remaining outside CAS requiring nats LARS either...