Airport.

[swoopy2110]

Yesterday evening's LGW flight was cancelled due to thunderstorms in at Gatwick earlier in the afternoon. There was loads of flights cancelled and massive restrictions on what they were accepting.

This morning there are a few cancellations at LGW too (presumably due to a/c in the wrong place?). Or maybe there are ATC problems at Gatwick!

Edited June 12, 2023 by swoopy2110

[Roger Mexico]

As the link about extensions will lapse because of the servlet problem, I've uploaded it:

FoI Response 2533665.pdf

It covers April to June 2022 inclusive and states:

2. Extension charges were incurred on 23 days in April, 28 days in May, 30 days in June.

3. All charges have been invoiced, totalling £70,818.

Invoices hadn't all been paid, but that was because the FoI was asked in July and payment on most of them wasn't due.  The numbers don't quite add up as extensions happened on 88 days:

and they only seem to have charged for 81, it may be they don't charge if it had to be open for another reason.  But it's clear that most were charged for.

[Kipper99]

It really does seem an unhappy place down at Ronaldsway.

Latest allegations from disgruntled staff coming my way are still disturbing. I cant say if they are true or factual, I can report that this is the opinion of at least one staff member.

For as long as Pugh & the Airfield Operations Manager are in post the issues at the airport will never be resolved. Cobb is no better.

Before Covid recruitment programme for student ATCO’s was being run, open evenings, arranging  FEAST testing dates, and  applications being sifted, etc - this was all being done prior to the arrival of Pugh & had been organised & put into place by Spake. ( I know, hard to believe - but there we go )

The airport had, allegedly,  the highest number of applicants for any Government post, ever.

One ATCO left in 21  because of alleged bullying, another ATCO left earlier this year because of alleged management incompetence & several grievances/ FAW have been made against managers, but nothing  done.

Spake was, allegedly, trying to introduce plans to grow echnical and scientific staff including setting up apprenticeships for air traffic engineering & airfield operations.

In addition to being short of ATCO’s one of the Air Traffic Engineers retired in May & 2 of the remaining 3 will soon follow suit.

Still no succession planning.

[asitis]

I understood Pugh and an experienced ATC called Sue, were going to set up an ATC training school. Not sure what happened but Sue resigned and well we are where we are !

There does seem to be a recurrent theme when ATC is mentioned and it usually involves PUGH ! draw your own conclusions.

Edited June 12, 2023 by asitis

[Nellie]

Tonight's Gatwick currently running around 75 minutes behind schedule. If it drop another 20/30 minutes it'll be at the limit for getting here and back. Let's hope easyJet have a recovery plan, but there's little reason to be optimistic. 

[littlebushy]

29 minutes ago, Nellie said:

Tonight's Gatwick currently running around 75 minutes behind schedule. If it drop another 20/30 minutes it'll be at the limit for getting here and back. Let's hope easyJet have a recovery plan, but there's little reason to be optimistic. 

That's the manxforums motto!

[Dirty Buggane]

54 minutes ago, Nellie said:

But there's little reason to be optimistic. 

And this motto has served us well.

Am thinking of pinching it for me headstone along with the Spike Milligan classic.

 

       Dirty Buggane

        1963 to 20??

   I told them I was ill

   But there was little

      Reason to be

        Optimistic

[dreamon]

A disturbing situation last Saturday as some visitor light aircraft departed. An auto gyro was told by the ATC controller to line up on 08, which the pilot did. He was then left sitting on an active runway for 10 mins. Astonishingly, another aircraft on approach was cleared to land by this controller while the autogyro was still sitting on the runway!

Any comments, Mr Pugh?

Edited June 12, 2023 by dreamon
.

[Banker]

2 hours ago, Nellie said:

Tonight's Gatwick currently running around 75 minutes behind schedule. If it drop another 20/30 minutes it'll be at the limit for getting here and back. Let's hope easyJet have a recovery plan, but there's little reason to be optimistic. 

Lots of issues due to thunderstorms 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-65879069

[John Wright]

EZY have cancelled over 100 flights out of Gatwick Oberón the last 24 hours.

[Capt_Mainwaring]

15 minutes ago, John Wright said:

Gatwick Oberón 

Blimey, they doing flights to Uranus as well? Maybe they are now stretched a little too far.

(Sorry John 😇)

[dreamon]

This afternoon's Aer Lingus EI 3634 flight from Belfast was cleared to land at 14.25
after having been required to circle over the Calf of Man for well over half an hour.

The 2pm flight EZY522 to LPL was also held, departing half an hour late, despite having arrived 15 minutes ahead of schedule.

[John Wright]

32 minutes ago, Capt_Mainwaring said:

Blimey, they doing flights to Uranus as well? Maybe they are now stretched a little too far.

(Sorry John 😇)

I’ve got a Spanish keyboard installed, for something I had to do. The predictive text is odddddd

[Nellie]

35 minutes ago, dreamon said:

This afternoon's Aer Lingus EI 3634 flight from Belfast was cleared to land at 14.25
after having been required to circle over the Calf of Man for well over half an hour.

The 2pm flight EZY522 to LPL was also held, departing half an hour late, despite having arrived 15 minutes ahead of schedule.

The inbound easyJet from MAN this morning also circled for around 20 minutes. Looking at that table published earlier of the 'opening hours' this is likely to be a daily occurrence for any flights that miss their slot. 

I know that the ATC service is in dire straits, but how anyone with an ounce of common sense can seriously think that constantly opening, and closing, is any sort of solution is beyond belief.

[Guest]

No matter what all the reasons are, it is a very unsatisfactory place for a vital aviation facility to be in.