2 flights gone - both to Faro.
Total pax = 15.
Piers 3, 4 and 6 now fully closed. Pier 2 only partially open.
I drove round the entire airport on Saturday night and what first struck me was the darkness. No lights in the closed piers. Then the amount of parked up planes. Orange tails everywhere - I counted 58. Push back tugs, baggage tugs, belt loaders all parked up on the 230 stands, opposite the Boeing hangar.
Went for a cigarette in one of the airside smoking areas, usually lit by pier 4. Dark. No noise of crews moving equipment for the first wave of flights. No-one else there. Rats getting braver and running around with no fear of being squashed by a 40 ton push back tug. 2 foxes running around the 170 stands.
A sense of gloom everywhere and having to tell staff not to come back anymore at the end of their shift is heartbreaking. They did nothing wrong.
Next night shift, however, I intend to hold the Gatwick Grand Prix. 4 of us will take fully charged baggage tugs and complete a circuit of the airport. These things all have the same limited top speed of 15mph so the winner will be he who chooses the best lines through the corners and the best route (there are a couple of options).
