London Heathrow Airport will have runway and taxiway work taking place from 13 September 2010, and is expected to take six weeks to complete.

During this time, normal daytime operations will be affected. When arrivals are from the west (over London), only the southern runway will be used for arrivals, and the northern runway for departures. They will not switch at 3pm as usual.

Whilst this will no doubt cause a lack of noise respite for those living under the flightpath, it is also something for spotters to note when planning where to spot at Heathrow.

The full BAA news release can be found here

Airline Business Blog today reports that the final day of operation at London Heathrow’s Terminal 2 is upon us. The last passengers will pass through today, before the building is demolished to make way for the new Heathrow East site, which will cater for Star Alliance carriers.

Terminal 2 has been with us for 54 years, and last year handled 7.5 million passengers instead of its projected 1.2 million. Many will remember the viewing terraces above the terminal which closed in 2002. Read all about it here:

Farewell Heathrow T2 – Airline Business

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Some highlights from the new winter scheduled timetable at London Heathrow may prove popular amongst the spotters. The timetable begins on Sunday 25 October. Here are the edited highlights:

Aegean Airlines will start using Airbus A321 aircraft on their Athens route, twice daily. Arrives 1115 and 1920.

Aeroflot will use Airbus A321 aircraft on all flights.

Air France will start using ATR42-500 aircraft on two of their Paris CDG flights, arriving 1505 and 2115.

CSA will use Airbus A319/A320 aircraft on all flights.

Ethiopian Airlines will use Boeing 757 aircraft on all flights.

Rossiya Russian Airlines will use Boeing 737 aircraft on all flights.

Gulf Air will use Airbus A330 aircraft on all flights.

Libyan Airlines will use CRJ aircraft on all flights.

Northwest Airlines will use Boeing 767 aircraft on all flights.

Qatar Airways will start using Boeing 777 aircraft on QR11/12 and QR17/18 flights.

Transaero will use Boeing 737-800 aircraft on all flights.

I spent a little time at Heathrow recently – my first dedicated spotting visit since the Queens Building viewing area closed. It had certainly been some time!

This was a good thing, however, as plenty of new aircraft went into the log, and I was pleased to see my first A380s at close quarters.

Now, since there’s no official viewing area, I thought I’d check out the alternatives. My main focus was on the Myrtle Avenue area, underneath the flightpath to runway 27L. This tied in well, since aircraft were landing on that runway.

To get there, head for Hatton Cross tube station, then cross over the A30 and turn immediately right onto Hatton Road. Myrtle Avenue is the first right. Click here to see a map of the area.

This is a residential street, so don’t park outside the houses. Go to the end, where you should find a space. Better still – park at the underground station and walk.

There is a large open area here which is perfect for photos when aircraft are landing on 27L. It is also quite a good spot for watching action on the ground. You won’t be able to photograph anything on the airfield or other runway, but you can quite easily see registrations.

Here are a couple of pictures from Myrtle Avenue.

Singapore A380 over Myrtle Avenue

Lufthansa Regional RJ85

Oman Air's leased A330 at Heathrow

It seems talks are underway to sell Heathrow’s British Airways Concorde G-BOAB to Dubai. It would become a tourist attraction on one of the palm-shaped islands, similar to the fate of the QE2 cruise liner.

This link http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/transport/article6054915.ece explains the story in more detail.

If this goes ahead, the planned display of G-BOAB in Heathrow’s Terminal 5 would not come to fruition, and there would be no lasting memory of Concorde at Heathrow.

The Concorde aircraft this week celebrates its 40th anniversary.

The Renaissance Hotel at London Heathrow has a special Spotters Day Package available for those wanting to use the facilities.

The cost is £20 for spotters to have the use of the Club Longe with views of the airport.
The price includes parking, unlimited tea coffee and soft drinks and internet access.

The lounge is available on:
Mon to Fri 1030-1600
Sat/Sun 0630-1600

Telephone number for enquires is 020 8897 6363

I recently came across this webcam at London Heathrow, which seems to take a shot of every aircraft as it passes. Quite useful for those into desktop spotting

http://www.heathrowcam.net/indexnew.php

Qantas will begin flying their Airbus A380 into London Heathrow five days per week from 8 June 2009. This is an increase on the present schedule.

The days of operation are: Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday

The aircraft arrives from Sydney – Singapore on QF30/31

It has come to light that a story I reported recently about the Heathrow Visitors Centre car park prices doubling is actually untrue. The report quickly spiralled out of control it seems, and I didn’t help that. So sorry for causing any confusion!

Martin Baird, the Airport Watch Co-ordinator, has confirmed that there are no planned changes in the price of car parking, and enthusiasts are welcome to be there.

It seems Travelodge have an offer on hotel rooms at their London Heathrow hotel. This would be ideal if any of your are heading over there for some spotting this year.

The hotel is not ideal for viewing aircraft, but is located in a convenient place.

See this link