Safety report by consultants Ebeni says Heathrow 3rd runway could only be used part of the time, due to taxiway location
A report from engineering safety consultants, Ebeni, says Heathrow will not be able to expand to its promised 740,000 flights a year because of safety flaws involving its proposed 3rd runway. Heathrow needs to get the number of flights up, to pay for the massive cost of the runway and associated building, but Ebeni believes there could not be more than 700,000 flights per year, because the new taxiway (linking the 3rd runway to the terminals) at the end of the northern runway could interfere with departures. Ebeni’s aviation experts think the tail fins of large planes like the A380 or 747 are so high that they would infringe on the clearance space needed by planes taking off over them. Therefore that taxiway could be used only between departures on the northern runway, reducing the number of flights by 15 per hour. The Ebeni report was commissioned by Heathrow Hub, that wants to build a 3rd runway, but as a western extension of the current northern runway. Ebeni also expect the Heathrow north-west runway scheme would would have a much worse noise impact on homes than Heathrow has suggested. The full report is not available to the public, but Heathrow Hub’s Jack Lowe is giving oral evidence to the Transport Committee on 4th December.
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Heathrow Hub tweeted:
Heathrow Airport’s 3rd Runway plan is degenerating into a shambles, they haven’t even done a Safety Review https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/business/report-by-engineering-consultant-ebeni-accuses-heathrow-runway-expansion-plan-of-safety-flaw-6x7hmkfrv
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Report by engineering consultant Ebeni accuses Heathrow runway expansion plan of safety flaw
Airport’s runway plan impossible to deliver, says report
By John Collingridge (The Sunday Times)
December 3 2017
Heathrow will not be able to expand to its promised 740,000 flights a year because of safety flaws involving its third runway, a new report claims.
The airport will be restricted to fewer than 700,000 flights annually, undermining a core pillar of its £17.6bn expansion plan, according to the report by the engineering consultancy Ebeni. The main concern is a new taxiway at the end of the northern runway, which it is claimed could interfere with departures.
Ebeni’s aviation experts think the tail fins of large aircraft such as the Airbus A380 superjumbo and Boeing 747 would infringe on the clearance space needed by other planes taking off.
See full Times story at
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