Silence of the runways

April 17, 2010  
Written by admin, in 1Home, Airport

     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.

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