T5

[drplokta]

In irritation at comments on news sites, I've been checking Wikipedia. If Heathrow T5 gets its problems largely sorted out by next weekend, which still seems entirely possible, then it will rank as a triumph of efficient British management and engineering, by comparison with almost every other airport project of similar scale in the history of the world.

Compare with Singapore Changi (half the airport was still being built at the time it opened), Hong Kong International (cargo traffic was moved back to the old airport after months of chaos), Bangkok Suvarnabhumi (domestic traffic was moved back to the old airport after months of chaos), Paris Charles de Gaulle (the ceiling of the new Terminal 2E collapsed, killing four people, and the entire terminal is now being demolished and rebuilt), Denver International (opened 16 months late with a baggage handling system that never did work and was eventually scrapped) and even Tokyo Narita (riots killed several people, and opening was delayed due to sabotage).

The only surprising thing about the trouble at Terminal 5 is that it seems to be coming under control already, mere days after opening.

Comments

[vampwillow]

Read read!

I get truly fed up with this seemingly British habit of the media seeking to attack anything which might actually be good. I've even noticed 'complaints' about major construction projects which actually came in on time, on budget, and complete being written up in the same breath suggesting that they didn't.

methinks some people mea culpa too much ...

[vampwillow]

one other thing; T5's problems appear to be mainly caused by staffing issues (security access, lack of training, etc) rather than anything to do with the mechanical, electrical or physical nature of the building.

[drplokta]

And you're always going to have staffing issues with a big move like this, since you have a sudden short-term massive spike in your staffing requirements, with no way at all to fill it.

[peteyoung.livejournal.com]

T5 is not really on a similar scale with most of those comparisons. Yes, T5 ought to be solved fairly quickly as it ought to be, but given that Denver, Narita, Hong Kong and Bangkok all involved moving to entirely new airports, not just a move to a shiny new terminal a mile away, the chances for logistical screw-ups are far higher in those instances. Hong Kong, I understand, even used British military planners who are used to moving entire armies from A to B, that is the scale of such a move. T5 is really a far smaller affair.