Weather & Technical Diversions, Delays & Cancellations

[kraktoa]

Major delays likely. Plane came off taxi way at 11:36 today. A BMI

 

[Jerry]

BMI Frankfurt arrival come off the runway I believe?
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/live-updates-bristol-airport-delays-14072915

 

[kraktoa]

Crazy day at Bristol and this forum is quiet about it. Its made international news, trending on twitter and ruined christmas for probably thousands and this forum is uncharacteristically silent. Why? A whole day of cancellations......

Is forum4airports only to discuss upbeat news about airports?

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Crazy day at Bristol and this forum is quiet about it. Its made international news, trending on twitter and ruined christmas for probably thousands and this forum is uncharacteristically silent. Why?

Is forum4airports only to discuss upbeat news about airports?

Nigel Scott, BRS business development director, was on ITV and BBC local news this evening. He says the aircraft can't be moved until AAIB arrives to inspect it in situ and this is taking longer than was thought. 2100 is the latest estimate for the airport to re-open.

I happened to be at the airport at lunchtime not knowing anything about the bmir incident. Mist was thick then as it had been all morning - 200 metres visibiity? - so I wonder how many non-Cat3 aircraft could have got in then. As is often the case the bottom of Redhill, a couple of miles away, was 'enjoying' visibility of well over a mile and it was possible to see the Mendips, but in the airport direction the top part of Redhill was mist shrouded.

When I arrived at the airport I was confronted with the departures board covered in orange with nearly everything cancelled or severely delayed. My first thought was that the ILS had been playing up again because the visibility should not have been so bad that Cat 3 equipped aircraft could not get in.

I quickly established the real reason. The terminal was crammed with hundreds/ probably thousands of people, many queuing at airline desks to try to find out what was going on. I spoke to one couple who had been going to Toulouse. They didn't know how they were going to get there. I heard someone else on a mobile phone telling someone they'd have to eat all the food themselves this Christmas, as clearly the person phoning thought he had no chance of reaching his destination.

I felt so sorry for those caught up in it, especially young children who were looking bewildered having been expecting a Christmas holiday away and probably having to go home. The Flyers and other buses were still arriving rammed with passengers whilst at the same time numerous others were getting the same buses back home in their droves.

I caught the A4 Air Decker from the airport and a couple who were returning from the airport were riding their phones trying desperately to make alternative arrangements. Only a few hours before they'd been on the Air Decker to the airport looking forward to their Christmas break.

When I checked the BRS website boards an hour or so ago this was the situation but no doubt it has changed since then.

Departures: 34 left prior to the incident; 28 have been cancelled; 22 are showing 'next information'; 2 are showing 'check-in closes'; 1 is showing 'final boarding'; 1 is showing no information.

Arrivals: everything seemed to have arrived normally prior to the incident. After that 20 aircraft are shown as diverted; 26 cancelled; the remainder 'next information' or blank.

 

[kraktoa]

A family member is now stranded in Athens but EZY were quick to locate them to an airport hotel. The flight is rearranged for tomorrow evening but with the runway closed until 9 pm it looks increasingly unlikely that things willbe in place tomorrow. Christmas dinner may not be cooked.

BMI, trust them to mess things up for themselves and others.

 

[Jerry]

Hopefully all those caught up in it will be able to find their way to wherever they were going. I wonder if the airlines will put on extra flights to get people where they want to go?

 

[Jerry]

Could Eastjet and Ryanair and other airlines just operate some of the morning departures from CWL, EXT and BHX in the morning using aircraft still yet to land and then just operate the returns into BRS to bring things back to normal?

 

[Jerry]

Looking at FR24 there is still a TCX from TFS to arrive and a FR from Lanzarote as well. Will be interesting to see where they end up.

 

[Marko1]

In fairness this event is completely out of the control of the airport and its staff and they along with the passengers and the airlines are bearing the brunt of it. Hopefully all be sorted there's still 2 days to the big day so hopefully everything will get back to normal real soon

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Hopefully all those caught up in it will be able to find their way to wherever they were going. I wonder if the airlines will put on extra flights to get people where they want to go?

There were nearly 90 flights out and a similar number in today. Nearly two thirds of the outbounds haven't/probably won't operate and a higher number of inbounds have either diverted or cancelled. I don't see where airlines can get crews or aircraft to reinstate all these flights tomorrow, and most flights from most airports are already full or nearly so because of the holiday season.

Numerous complaints again highlighted in the local news media about poor communication. The airport website doesn't help people who are wondering where friends/relatives have gone either. Umpteen diversions and only one shows where the aircraft has been diverted to - an easyJet from Faro has gone to Southampton.

This has long been the case with the BRS website when there are diversions. If they can do it for the SOU diversion they can do it for all of them. P*ss poor in my book.

Why are airports and airlines still so dreadfully inept when it comes to communicating with passengers? The means of instant communication have never been more widespread yet the communication itself might as well rely on smoke signals. The Native Americans of old were better communicators than airports/airlines.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Looking at FR24 there is still a TCX from TFS to arrive and a FR from Lanzarote as well. Will be interesting to see where they end up.

I think EXT closes early at the moment because of runway resurfacing. Last weekend relatives of ours flew into EXT with TUI and only just made it. They had been told to expect to be diverted to BRS.

 

[kraktoa]

Easyjet notified all their passengers by email and text, i got one too, that the runway was due to open at 18:00 hrs. Twitter went mad and that caught BRS napping as they did not know why EZY would send that email. Obviously someone one in BRS gave wrong info to EZY.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Note on airport website now saying that runway won't open until 2300 at the earliest. This is the latest 'guestimate' and even if the runway does re-open then it will have been closed for nearly 12 hours.

Many people are asking why it is taking so long which I think is not an unreasonable question. In 2007 at the time of the runway re-surfacing fiasco at least two aircraft skidded off the runway onto the grass when landing in the days leading up to the eventual complete closure of the airport. The airport wasn't closed for hours on end when those aircraft skidded off the runway so can anyone tell me why this incident is likely to be different?

 

[Seasider]

Probably because of the problems 10 years ago. "Someone" will be asking if the runway is safe- 2 run offs in 10 years?

 

[Jerry]

Note on airport website now saying that runway won't open until 2300 at the earliest. This is the latest 'guestimate' and even if the runway does re-open then it will have been closed for nearly 12 hours.

Many people are asking why it is taking so long which I think is not an unreasonable question. In 2007 at the time of the runway re-surfacing fiasco at least two aircraft skidded off the runway onto the grass when landing in the days leading up to the eventual complete closure of the airport. The airport wasn't closed for hours on end when those aircraft skidded off the runway so can anyone tell me why this incident is likely to be different?

From what people have been saying on social media the AAIB are being thorough with the investigation so as not to miss anything. Plus weren't they delayed getting there?

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Probably because of the problems 10 years ago. "Someone" will be asking if the runway is safe- 2 run offs in 10 years?

This one looks as though the aircraft left the runway at the end near the taxiway. The ones in 2007 were aquaplaning on landing following heavy rain on a temporary ungrooved runway surface during resurfacing.

It was certainly very misty this morning but presumably good enough at the time to allow the non-Cat3b E145 to land.

Addendum (2150 22.12.17)

Still incomplete but so far airport website shows 34 outbounds operated (all before the incident) and 45 outbounds were cancelled. 8 inbounds landed (all before the incident), 24 diverted to other airports and 44 were cancelled. There are still some flights awaiting final outcome.

 

[737 400]

I think EXT closes early at the moment because of runway resurfacing. Last weekend relatives of ours flew into EXT with TUI and only just made it. They had been told to expect to be diverted to BRS.

My understanding is that resufacing work at EXT is only taking place on Saturday nights, when there are no booked flights. The Atlantic Airlines B737 based at EXT has operated it's Royal Mail working to and from EMA each night (Mon-Fri) as per booked rotation.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

My understanding is that resufacing work at EXT is only taking place on Saturday nights, when there are no booked flights. The Atlantic Airlines B737 based at EXT has operated it's Royal Mail working to and from EMA each night (Mon-Fri) as per booked rotation.

Thank you for that. I based this on my brother-in-law and his wife who arrived at EXT with TUI from Lanzarote last Sunday evening. I believe they were scheduled to land some time after eight but were about half an hour late and were told by the captain that it was touch and go whether they would get in or be diverted to BRS.

 

[Foxlimayankee]

I would guess the AAIB are pulling the strings on this one. Looks like the aircraft had a taxiing issues AFTER landing. Some have speculated on social media that this is an ILS issue as per issues last week, but that certainly doesn't appear to be the case. BRS are therefore governed by the AAIB which means the Airlines are as well. From looking at the photo posted on pprune, it looks like it might not be as simple as getting a tug to move the aircraft, more likely speicialist moving equipment.

 

[kraktoa]

The airport website still is woefully lacking in departure info. Many airlines have laid on extra departures. None showing on the board.

For eg Athens from yesterday is due out today after 24 hr delay. Google says it and EZY says it. But Bristol can’t do a simple addition to their website departures board.

How do they win these fake passenger satisfaction awards every year.