LGW closed due spillage

[fantom]

What has been spilled ?

[KelvinD]

Oil, apparently.

[Charley B]

Gatwick is now open again using the Northern Runway...most can use that(not A380)

[Tim91]

Everything can use 08L/26R, except A380

[yotty]

I can imagine the "Yellow Peril" wetting themselves with excitement apportioning the blame and working out the penalties for this problem!

[wheels_down]

EK A380 currently holding at 8000ft ever hopeful of a fast fix.

EDIT-EK going to LHR.

[T250]

No, the A380 (EK15) has diverted.

Northern runway ops at KK are not A380 compliant.

Not sure what aircraft type, however it is a Virgin Atlantic aircraft responsible for this situation. Strange how it always seems to be Virgin causing issues at LGW...

[Charley B]

VS 44 (747) from Vegas was the last aircraft to land before runway was shut..the aircraft behind that a BA was sent around..

[Skipness One Foxtrot]

There are also taxiway restrictions in force when 08L/26R is in use which cause further delays if I recall the last time I landed on the short?
Taxiway J isn't far enough from the runway, is that correct?

[xanda_man]

Just noticed that the Norwegian LAX flight has gone to BHX. They didn't seem to hold instead looked to head straight up.

Edit - actually just noticed they seemed to do a circuit off the coast before heading in and then up

[Right Way Up]

Skipness it has improved so that aircraft with a wingspan of 50m or less can use J so not so many delays. Obviously some wide bodies will be more restrictive.

[Wycombe]

If FR24 is to be believed, some heavies are crossing 08L, and holding in the 08R threshold/undershoot area before departure.

I "saw" a couple of BA Airbii heading to BOH earlier and a VY heading to LHR. The Aurigny Embraer has also made a rare appearance at SOU.

Northern runway ops still continuing around 4 hours after the disruption started, so whatever the "spillage" was it must have been significant.

One EK 380 remains "trapped".

Edit: 1405L - EK12 departed from 08R, 4hr 20min behind schedule.

[tubby linton]

Who spotted it?

[yotty]

I believe that the A/C had a reducing hydraulic quantity on the inbound leg, so I imagine ATC had been notified.

[Heathrow Harry]

Originally Posted by yotty

I believe that the A/C had a reducing hydraulic quantity on the inbound leg, so I imagine ATC had been notified.

good reason for a second runway........

[yotty]

I thought it already had 2 runways Harry?

[Heathrow Harry]

NOt REAL runways....................

[zonoma]

They are BOTH real runways! Otherwise you couldn't use the other one when the main is unusable in situations such as this. You just cannot use them simultaneously. Another year, same old argument....

[Dairyground]

They are BOTH real runways! Otherwise you couldn't use the other one when the main is unusable in situations such as this. You just cannot use them simultaneously. Another year, same old argument....

The second one was originally built as a taxiway, the, what seems now a long time ago, upgraded to allow lighter aircraft to "escape" when the original runway is closed. I don't know what further upgrades have been applied over the years, but it is probably still something of a "toy" runway.

[ExXB]

From Wiki:

Gatwick operates as a single-runway airport although it has two runways;

The usable length of its main runway is 11,178 ft (3,407 m) when aircraft take off in a westerly direction (26L) and 10,863 ft (3,311 m) when takeoffs occur in an easterly direction (08R).

The respective usable runway lengths for the northern runway as 9,974 ft (3,040 m) (08L) and 8,858 ft (2,700 m) (26R),

Both runways are 148 ft (45 m) wide; they are 656 ft (200 m) apart, which is insufficient for the simultaneous use of both runways. During normal operations the northern runway is used as a taxiway.

Hardly a 'toy'.

Edited to add - I think they have one or the other runway length mixed, probably both.