Infrastructure, Construction & Developments

[Matt995]

Stands 1 to 7 are not being realigned this side of the new year as when the moved the taxiway yankee centerline amd realigned the euro hub remotes as jet2 still have aircraft on stands 1 to 3 for a good few weeks and someone at the airport has told me that 1 to 7 are not being done currently

"Eurohub" remote stands have now be realigned, as per Notam:-

C7123/23 NOTAMR C7064/23
Q) EGTT/QMPXX/IV/M /A /000/999/5227N00145W005
A) EGBB B) 2312081444 C) PERM
E) STANDS 20-25 COORDINATES UPDATED TO THE FOLLOWING:
STAND 20: 522658.8386N 0014354.2954W
STAND 21: 522658.0233N 0014356.2618W
STAND 22: 522657.2071N 0014358.2298W
STAND 23: 522656.3905N 0014400.1990W
STAND 24: 522655.5742N 0014402.1676W
STAND 25: 522654.7583N 0014404.1350W
UK AIP AD 2.EGBB-2-2 REFERS

 

[BhxJack]

Cheers for the info I wasn't sure

 

[Timberwolf]

"Eurohub" remote stands have now be realigned, as per Notam:-

C7123/23 NOTAMR C7064/23
Q) EGTT/QMPXX/IV/M /A /000/999/5227N00145W005
A) EGBB B) 2312081444 C) PERM
E) STANDS 20-25 COORDINATES UPDATED TO THE FOLLOWING:
STAND 20: 522658.8386N 0014354.2954W
STAND 21: 522658.0233N 0014356.2618W
STAND 22: 522657.2071N 0014358.2298W
STAND 23: 522656.3905N 0014400.1990W
STAND 24: 522655.5742N 0014402.1676W
STAND 25: 522654.7583N 0014404.1350W
UK AIP AD 2.EGBB-2-2 REFERS

The important bit I'd missing from the NOTAM. They are all I think code C up to A321.

"Eurohub" remote stands have now be realigned, as per Notam:-

C7123/23 NOTAMR C7064/23
Q) EGTT/QMPXX/IV/M /A /000/999/5227N00145W005
A) EGBB B) 2312081444 C) PERM
E) STANDS 20-25 COORDINATES UPDATED TO THE FOLLOWING:
STAND 20: 522658.8386N 0014354.2954W
STAND 21: 522658.0233N 0014356.2618W
STAND 22: 522657.2071N 0014358.2298W
STAND 23: 522656.3905N 0014400.1990W
STAND 24: 522655.5742N 0014402.1676W
STAND 25: 522654.7583N 0014404.1350W
UK AIP AD 2.EGBB-2-2 REFERS

I sometimes think some NOTAMS updates are odd.

I would have thought the changed size of the plane that each stand can take would be more important to pilots than the mm direction and heading position of the stand.. obviously not.

So I believe stands 20-24 have gone from ..Code C up to A320/738 to code C up to A321.

Stand 25 downgrade from Code D B763/A310 to Code C up to A321.

They have had to move the centreline and centreline lights of Taxiway Y to the left for the required clearance.

 

[Ray Finkle]

BHX UPGRADES AIRCRAFT STANDS TO BOOST RELIABILITY AND CAPACITY

Birmingham Airport (BHX) is halfway through more than £10m of aircraft stand upgrades to make its operation more efficient and reliable for customers.

The project is making all the stands on BHX’s South Terminal capable of accommodating Airbus 321 and Boeing 737 aircraft, which many airlines use.

Andrew Holl, Airfield Operations Director at BHX, said: “Standardising these stands means, rather than having to wait for the right type of stand to become available, if any stand is free we can send an incoming aircraft straight to it.

“That makes our operation simpler and more resilient, reducing the chance of delays for customers and enabling us to process people on and off aircraft more efficiently. This investment is a key element of our growth plan to 18 million customers a year by 2033.

The work involves reconfiguring existing aircraft parking areas, including power, lighting and stand indication, to dimensions which suit A321 and B737-size aircraft. The existing taxiway has been realigned with new lighting to allow the creation of more stands close to the terminal. This project is due to be complete in summer 2024.

The aircraft stands project is part of £300m of capital investment over the next decade to make BHX capable of serving 18m customers a year by 2033, when it also aims to have become a carbon-net zero airport.

For further information on its journey to 2033, see BHX’s ‘We’re on our way’ video.

https://www.birminghamairport.co.uk/media-information/news/2023/12/bhx-upgrades-aircraft-stands-to-boost-reliability-and-capacity/

 

[Kevin Farnell]

I would have thought the changed size of the plane that each stand can take would be more important to pilots than the mm direction and heading position of the stand.. obviously not.

I believe that the stand co-ordinates are required when inputting flight plans/routes into the flight management computer (FMC), so that the FMC 'knows' exactly where it is starting from.

 

[MB1]

I believe that the stand co-ordinates are required when inputting flight plans/routes into the flight management computer (FMC), so that the FMC 'knows' exactly where it is starting from.

Yep. Goes back to the days of Inertial Navigation Systems where the aircraft would need to know its start point for the INS. These days its most GPS based but they still input their start co-ordinates for the GPS systems.

The UK AIP publishes the stand co-ordinates and direction as well as the apron loading characteristics, so that's all a NOTAM needs to update. Aircrew don't necessarily need to know what aircraft sizes particular stands can accommodate, they will take it that their allocated stand can accept their aircraft type.

 

[Kevin Farnell]

Yep. Goes back to the days of Inertial Navigation Systems where the aircraft would need to know its start point for the INS.

If I remember correctly, the aircraft could not be moved whilst the INS was setting up (could take 30 mins or so). I've seen reports that moving the aircraft whilst the INS was setting up, was responsible for the Korean B747 (KAL007) going off track and being shot down over Russia.

 

[Timberwolf]

Yep. Goes back to the days of Inertial Navigation Systems where the aircraft would need to know its start point for the INS. These days its most GPS based but they still input their start co-ordinates for the GPS systems.

The UK AIP publishes the stand co-ordinates and direction as well as the apron loading characteristics, so that's all a NOTAM needs to update. Aircrew don't necessarily need to know what aircraft sizes particular stands can accommodate, they will take it that their allocated stand can accept their aircraft type.

Does the loaded flight plan go as far as which stand its due to go onto, or does it stop once landed on the runway ?

 

[IanFarquharson]

Nick Barton was on WM earlier talking about BHX, he said the new screening area cost is now £60m and that the airport overall is spending £100k every day over the next 10 years on developments.
But no mention of the mothballed terminal extension, it does sound like that £50m spend has now gone into the mandatory requirement of the screening area instead, as I expected was the case.

 

[MB1]

Does the loaded flight plan go as far as which stand its due to go onto, or does it stop once landed on the runway ?

The flight plan will be from airport to airport but the aircraft FMS will be configured for the runways in use as it also holds all the data for the departure SIDs and approaches.

Start position is still entered, I think these days more as a fix to cross check GPS position.

 

[KARFA]

Does the loaded flight plan go as far as which stand its due to go onto, or does it stop once landed on the runway ?

no it is not usually on the paper/electronic flight plan.

the actual route loaded in the flight computer won't include an arrival stand. when preparing for a departure though you do add in the stand number - but as noted above that is for position referencing - some stand boards that you will see elsewhere in Europe may include latitude and longitude as well as the stand number.

 

[Timberwolf]

no it is not usually on the paper/electronic flight plan.

the actual route loaded in the flight computer won't include an arrival stand. when preparing for a departure though you do add in the stand number - but as noted above that is for position referencing - some stand boards that you will see elsewhere in Europe may include latitude and longitude as well as the stand number.

Thanks.

Does anyone know why they have put up such huge gantry posts and stand number signs up on the 20s remotes.Twice the size ( if slightly shorter )than the old numbered ones ?

 

[IanFarquharson]

Thanks.

Does anyone know why they have put up such huge gantry posts and stand number signs up on the 20s remotes.Twice the size ( if slightly shorter )than the old numbered ones ?

That's what you get when you spend £10m !

 

[Timberwolf]

That's what you get when you spend £10m !

Good one

 

[MB1]

And back to lifts......

Birmingham Airport flight delayed after pilot and crew stuck in lift

Birmingham Airport flight delayed after pilot and crew stuck in lift

A Solihull resident due to fly out at 7.45am on Tuesday , January 2, told BirminghamLive their flight was delayed because its pilot and crew were 'stuck in a lift'

www.birminghammail.co.uk

3.5 hour delay on the Qatar. Sounds like one of the temporary lifts, hopefully the permanent ones will be more reliable. Interesting currently there is the option of stairs (albeit a very temporary scaffold arrangement) did we find out if a staircase will be an option once the works are complete?

 

[Timberwolf]

And back to lifts......

Birmingham Airport flight delayed after pilot and crew stuck in lift

Birmingham Airport flight delayed after pilot and crew stuck in lift

A Solihull resident due to fly out at 7.45am on Tuesday , January 2, told BirminghamLive their flight was delayed because its pilot and crew were 'stuck in a lift'

www.birminghammail.co.uk

3.5 hour delay on the Qatar. Sounds like one of the temporary lifts, hopefully the permanent ones will be more reliable. Interesting currently there is the option of stairs (albeit a very temporary scaffold arrangement) did we find out if a staircase will be an option once the works are complete?

You would expect the staircase to stay. Otherwise if the new lifts do ever break down, passengers will not be able to get upstairs.

 

[HPsauce]

And back to lifts......

Birmingham Airport flight delayed after pilot and crew stuck in lift

Birmingham Airport flight delayed after pilot and crew stuck in lift

A Solihull resident due to fly out at 7.45am on Tuesday , January 2, told BirminghamLive their flight was delayed because its pilot and crew were 'stuck in a lift'

www.birminghammail.co.uk

3.5 hour delay on the Qatar. Sounds like one of the temporary lifts, hopefully the permanent ones will be more reliable. Interesting currently there is the option of stairs (albeit a very temporary scaffold arrangement) did we find out if a staircase will be an option once the works are complete?

I'm sure a staircase would be required in building regulations, as it would compromise safety in emergency situations. Also, not everyone will use lifts due to phobias etc.

 

[Ianbutty]

These things happen (I could have used the other term). I wish people who stop whining all the time when they do.

I am sure all was fine in the end. Better to have a delay than not arrive at all.

 

[MB1]

These things happen (I could have used the other term). I wish people who stop whining all the time when they do.

I am sure all was fine in the end. Better to have a delay than not arrive at all.

Lucky it was an aircrew. Because if it had been passengers they'd almost certainly have not arrived - I doubt any airline would wait 3 hours for a handful of pax.

These things do happen, it's life. 3.5 hours to recover with the failure of the lift contractor to help and the need for West Midlands Fire Service is unfortunate though.

 

[G-MANS]

I've used BHX a dozen or so times in 2023 and airside is slowly improving with the new outlets: Smiths, Starbucks, Giraffe etc. It's still showing its age though with minimal seating and virtually no charging facilities. The top end of the Pier near gate 56/57 for EI/FR is especially drab.

Turning the old security into more outlets overlooking the apron (Millennium Link?) is a great idea, that'll bring Eurohub and the main Terminal together nicely.

Six months ago I questioned whether the access from Eurohub Jet2 check-in up to security will be removed and I guess it will eventually? Does that mean all the Jet2 pax walking through arrivals to get to the the new lifts?

The downstairs layout is still as bad as ever with tight corridors and arrivals stuck in the middle, but not much they can do about that really.

I used the new lifts last week, but it was late at night with very few other pax around. I was one of the first to question the logic last year and I stand by it. They will really live to regret not provisioning for escalators in 5-10 years. Lifts are hopeless at mass transit.

Not looking forward to the car rental being moved all the way to Elmdon, but oh well.