Sun, Aug 20, 2006
...And Not A Moment Too Soon
Nine days after news of a foiled terrorist attempt
all-but-halted operations at several of the United Kingdom's
busiest airports, London's Heathrow and Gatwick airports resumed
their regular flight schedules this weekend... not a moment too
soon for harried travelers.
The BBC reports Heathrow saw nearly 1,200 flight operations
Saturday -- by far the most flights either arriving or departing
from the airport since details of the alleged terrorist plot were
made public August 10.
The news was also good at London's Gatwick Airport -- which saw
831 flights Saturday, carrying an estimated 67,000 passengers --
the first day new security measures hadn't resulted in major
scheduling problems, officials said.
A spokeswoman for Heathrow described the scene there as "a
typical busy Saturday afternoon in August. The flight schedule has
been running as normal. It has been busy but we are getting back to
normal."
That news will likely be seen as a victory by Britain's
Department for Transport -- which has insisted on holding to
tighter security restrictions, despite multitudes
of complaints from passengers... and a threatened lawsuit by
Ireland's Ryanair.
As Aero-News reported
Saturday, Ryanair said last week it would sue the
government for compensation unless security restrictions on
carry-on luggage were eased in the next seven days -- a move one
DfT spokesman said is highly unlikely.
"We have no intention of compromising security levels nor do we
anticipate changing our requirements in the next seven days," said
the spokesman.
More News
From 2023 (YouTube Version): Legacy of a Titan Robert (Bob) Anderson Hoover was a fighter pilot, test pilot, flight instructor, and air show superstar. More so, Bob Hoover was an i>[...]
Get The Latest in Aviation News NOW on Instagram Are you on Instagram yet? It's been around for a few years, quietly picking up traction mostly thanks to everybody's new obsession >[...]
Aero Linx: B-52H Stratofortress The B-52H Stratofortress is a long-range, heavy bomber that can perform a variety of missions. The bomber is capable of flying at high subsonic spee>[...]
Altimeter Setting The barometric pressure reading used to adjust a pressure altimeter for variations in existing atmospheric pressure or to the standard altimeter setting (29.92).>[...]
"Knowing that we play an active part in bettering people's lives is extremely rewarding. My team and I are very thankful for the opportunity to be here and to help in any way we ca>[...]