# Is runway heating viable?



## Donna773 (Dec 12, 2010)

I read a report by an American university today that heating airport runways could pay for itself in two years. If that is so, why do people say it is not cost effective? I've had my own say on the disruption being caused by the bad weather in the UK but does anyone know if and how underground heating could be installed on existing runways?


----------



## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

Donna773 said:


> I read a report by an American university today that heating airport runways could pay for itself in two years. If that is so, why do people say it is not cost effective? I've had my own say on the disruption being caused by the bad weather in the UK but does anyone know if and how underground heating could be installed on existing runways?


I've heard that there is some underground heating at heathrow???? But that isnt the only or even the main problem that is causing the delays. Ice and snow where they park planes, ice and snow on the planes themselves, ice and snow on the jetways....... 

My husbands last flight was delayed because there was ice in the jetway (the thing you walk on to get on the plane). Health and safety wouldnt allow passengers on it until it was cleared and the airport couldnt get anyone who would clear it - "its not my job"!!! In the end they found someone who would do it, but by then the plane had refrozen and they had to wait for the plane defroster to come along again - of course after all that, they lost their runway slot. Eventually they got the slot and luckily the crew had enough time to get to Málaga and back - half an hour later and they would have been "out of hours" (over the amount of time they're allowed to fly), otherwise the flight would have been cancelled! None of this had anything to do with snow/ice on the runway.

Of course another reason for delays is that planes become displaced, so they're not where they should be due to a previous cancellation, snow etc

Anyway, I dont think a heated runway is the answer. Lets face it, it would cost millions, cause evenmore disruptions and we may not have weather like this again for decades - especially as we're all waiting in anticipation for global warming lol!!!!!

Jo xxx


----------



## nigele2 (Dec 25, 2009)

Donna773 said:


> I read a report by an American university today that heating airport runways could pay for itself in two years. If that is so, why do people say it is not cost effective? I've had my own say on the disruption being caused by the bad weather in the UK but does anyone know if and how underground heating could be installed on existing runways?


The problem is return on investment. You cannot say it will pay for itself in 2 years. You have to look at how many takeoffs and landings it would need to facilitate that would otherwise not have happened to give a return. So the most likely candidates are the cold northern airports. 

The UK gov has gone in the last few weeks to the scientists and asked them to re-evaluate the potential for future bad weather. If global warming is going to lead to more snow  then it would be more easily justified. But it is also worth considering how it would be paid for, and by whom. 

But I agree when you see the sad faces  it needs to be looked at. What surprises me is people spending thousands of pounds and not taking insurance options for bad weather  Your average Christmas card might have given a clue.

.


----------



## nigele2 (Dec 25, 2009)

Jojo you beat me to the irony of global warming  Funny if you're not waiting in an airport


----------



## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

It´s not a football pitch so not much chance of the country being able to afford it.


----------



## gus-lopez (Jan 4, 2010)

nigele2 said:


> The problem is return on investment. You cannot say it will pay for itself in 2 years. You have to look at how many takeoffs and landings it would need to facilitate that would otherwise not have happened to give a return. So the most likely candidates are the cold northern airports.
> 
> The UK gov has gone in the last few weeks to the scientists and asked them to re-evaluate the potential for future bad weather. If global warming is going to lead to more snow  then it would be more easily justified. But it is also worth considering how it would be paid for, and by whom.
> 
> ...


With a situation like you have at Heathrow with only 2 runways, compared to most int. airports, & where they operate at maximum capacity all the time it would have paid for itself already. Even if it cost 30 million to put in at the outset it would have paid for itself over this last debacle , just in lost landing / take-off charges , let alone what the passengers haven't spent. Plus there's the knock -on loss of passenger confidence leading them to find alternate airports.


----------



## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

Interesting extract from Mark Steel's article in the Indie yesterday:

"Heathrow employed 50 people to clear the snow compared to 150 at Gatwick, which is smaller. And Heathrow has fewer snowploughs than Gatwick, and cancelled far more flights. So I wonder if an expert meteorologist might find a connection between those random statistics. Also *BAA, the company that runs the airports, made £1bn profit last year,* and paid its chief executive Colin Matthews a salary of £1m. So, in the absence of anything else definite to announce to people waiting, they could at least repeat those figures over the tannoy to calm people down."


----------



## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

Of course, the best solution is to do what I do, enjoy Christmas in your own home and have your family get-together in June.


----------



## jimenato (Nov 21, 2009)

Alcalaina said:


> Of course, the best solution is to do what I do, enjoy Christmas in your own home and have your family get-together in June.


:clap2::clap2::clap2:

I have no idea why anyone would choose this crazy time of year to go anywhere. (apart from me I suppose  I went back to England the last two years)


----------



## gus-lopez (Jan 4, 2010)

Alcalaina said:


> Interesting extract from Mark Steel's article in the Indie yesterday:
> 
> "Heathrow employed 50 people to clear the snow compared to 150 at Gatwick, which is smaller. And Heathrow has fewer snowploughs than Gatwick, and cancelled far more flights. So I wonder if an expert meteorologist might find a connection between those random statistics. Also *BAA, the company that runs the airports, made £1bn profit last year,* and paid its chief executive Colin Matthews a salary of £1m. So, in the absence of anything else definite to announce to people waiting, they could at least repeat those figures over the tannoy to calm people down."


You missed out the best part . I billion pound profit '& only spent 500,000 pounds on new machinery' .
Gatwick ( who've spent 15 million on new kit .) even managed to get in new snowploughs & blowers , between last months snow & this lot.


----------

