 |
| Birmingham Airport's 400 metre runway extension went into operation at 0600 on Tuesday 27 May 2014 with Privilege Style Boeing 757-256 EC-ISY operating for Monarch the first to depart using the "extended" 3,003 metre runway with flybe Embraer 195 G-FBEJ following it down Taxiway Sierra which has also opened |
 |
| The runway had been closed during the early hours of Tuesday morning to enable the contractors to complete the final commissioning of new parallel Taxiway Sierra similar work having been performed on the "extended" runway layout in the early hours of the previous/Monday morning.... |
 |
| .... shortly before 0600 after the BHX Ops team had performed final checks the "extended" 3,003 metre runway and new Taxiway Sierra was declared operational with all the safety barriers being removed |
 |
| The first movement of a new era was the arrival of Emirates Boeing 777-31HER A6-EGT from Dubai.... |
 |
| .... there was some initial reluctance of the early morning departures to go "full length" - did they know what they were missing!? - with the first departure of the day Monarch Airbus A321-231 G-ZBAF operating the ZB 402 to Faro lining up on Runway 33 via Taxiway Echo/Echo 1 followed out by KLM Boeing 737-7K2 PH-BGN |
 |
| Two further aircraft departed from Echo 1 so it fell upon Privilege Style Boeing 757-256 EC-ISY operating Monarch flight ZB 958 to be the first aircraft to acknowledge "taxy via Sierra to holding point Sierra 1...." |
 |
| .... and at 0632 on Tuesday 27 May 2014 Privilege Style Boeing 757-256 EC-ISY operating for Monarch to depart "full length" off Birmingham Airport's extended 3,003 metre Runway 33 - a new era has started! |
 |
| You know what its like once one has done it they all want to do it with flybe (top photo), Thomson and Monarch all following it down Taxiway Sierra as did most of the rest of the movements during the morning peak period |
 |
| Some different views of the new "extended" runway and taxiway layout - a Lufthansa Embraer 195 holds at Sierra 1 with the early morning Ryanair flight from Dublin on short final to Runway 33 |
 |
| The "bigger picture" of the completed runway extension site as the United Boeing 757 departs to Newark off Runway 33 with the new ATC Tower in the background.... |
 |
| .... panning around the view down the extended runway as an Air France Airbus A319 lines up on Runway 33 via Taxiway Echo/Echo 1 - both the new ATC Tower and Monarch Hangar can be seen in the background |
 |
| A view down new Taxiway Sierra with a flybe Dash 8 "#purpleplane" approaching holding point Sierra 1 while a Monarch Airbus A321 can be seen in the background on Taxiway Echo.... |
 |
| .... a Thomson Boeing 757 lines up on the extended Runway 33 via holding point Sierra 1 |
 |
| A view back along extended Runway 33 as a Monarch Airbus A321 touches down with in the background a Brussels Airlines Dash approaching holding point Sierra 1 and Bickenhill Church in the distance |
 |
| The view from a wet Bickenhill - as an aircraft touches down on Runway 33 a flybe Embraer 175 waits at holding point Sierra 1 while a flybe Dash 8 and Ryanair Boeing 737 hold at Echo 1 |
 |
| Earlier in the day Emirates Boeing 777-31HER A6-EGT operating their lunchtime flight EK 040 to Dubai was the first wide bodied aircraft to depart on Birmingham Airport's "extended" 3,003 metre runway - to see a full sequence of images illustrating the "extended" runway and taxiway layout in operation click here |
 |
| Tuesday 27 May 2014 |
