Silence of the runways

     An unprecedented stillness pervades Heathrow as commercial air traffic is halted following the Icelandic volcano threat.
    The terminals are largely deserted, shops are often closed – particularly in airside areas – and staff are either absent or catching up on administrative work.
     Heathrow, along with many other airports in Western Europe, is playing a waiting game – biding its time until the winds change and the risk to jet engines from the toxic volcanic dust is removed.
    Empty runways, deserted corridors, inactive jetties – the world busiest international airport, has not seen anything like this since it opened in the late 1940s.
    There’s still a handful of passengers drifting around.
    “I’ve hardly any money, nowhere to stay, I’m just sitting here waiting for things to change” said an American student camped in a coffee bar in terminal 3.
    “There’s everything I need here, the weather’s nice, so I’ve been enjoying the sunshine waiting for my flight to New York,” she said.
     Staff in the tax-free stores have been restocking, re-arranging their shelves and preparing for the onslaught of passengers once flights resume.
     Police walk around the terminals – but with nothing to do it’s a thankless task.
     Out on the runways and aprons, it’s quieter still. An odd vehicle drives around; airside operations still do their patrols.
     The only frenetic activity is outside the Renaissance Hotel, where the world’s media have taken up position with the northern runway providing a convenient backdrop for TV reporters. But with an unchanging story after three days, even they are starting to lose heart.