How ‘mixed mode’ could solve Heathrow’s capacity crunch long before a third runway

Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calder’s Travel email Get Simon Calder’s Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy “If you think a third runway is unpopular, try mentioning ‘mixed mode’ in polite Home Counties company.” That was the private response of one of the 16 transport secretaries this century when I asked whether they had considered allowing both runways at London Heathrow airport to be used for arrivals and departures at the same time. When Sir Howard Davies’s Airport Commission looked into mixed mode, they concluded: “The increased operational flexibility could be used to enhance the resilience of the airport’s operations.” Monday was messy this week at Heathrow: 36 flights were cancelled, affecting 5,000 passengers and one Qatar Airways A380 “SuperJumbo” diverted to Amsterdam after a missed approach because there was not room in the system to accommodate another go. But the airport assessors did say: “Should the delivery timescale for new runway capacity be towards the longer end of the anticipated spectrum, then the case for enabling mixed mode operations at Heathrow may be stronger. Listen to Simon Calder’s travel podcast with Paul Charles, advocate of mixed mode and Heathrow expansion