Grounded
HEATHROW, The PM's plane: I said that things happen on these trips....
We are grounded on the runway at Heathrow since all flights into and out of the airport have been stopped. Out of the window we can see why. A BA plane which has fallen short of the runway is surrounded by every fire engine here after what our pilot describes as a "serious incident".
It will take warp factor 4 for us to make it to Beijing on time for morning meetings with the Chinese hierarchy.
Update: Our plane is beginning a slow crawl to the runway. I suspect that others not travelling with the head honcho may face rather longer delays.
I'm 
Comments
good luck mate - hace a safe journey to wonderland with loads of hope, hierarchy and hour of need!
omg, that is a huge coincidence? the PM is going to China, the flight that crashed is from there... oo-er.
drinks are on the pm then?
I don't suppose Mr Brown has been offering any pre-flight entertainment? Perhaps he sang you a song? Or attempted to defend an embattled minister?
I am stuck in Terminal 1. My wait is likely to be several hours. All this after a flight from Sydney. It warms the cockles of my heart that Gordon gets priority - NOT!!!!!!
If your plane is moving then you should not be posting. It is a CAA requirement that all telephones, blackberry's etc. should be off when the engines are running on the ground....
You should switch your blackberry off when you are on the plane Nick.
Perhaps Mr Brown should 'do a Hillary' and announce the inflight Entertainment!
Gordon Brown Is a Hard working individual,Shaped our economy to an Enviable height.
Need not to remind us English people that Nationalism is dead fact ,move and lets fight our common enemy European state.
Gordon Brown is a decent son of a Preacher.
Funny that the prime ministers plane was given priority to leave. I'm with you on this one Simon, he should have been the last to leave and made to wait !
The PM's plane getting priority treatment...surely not!? Seriously, have a safe trip and make sure the Chinese answer some awkward questions about CO2 emissions...no point the rest of us trying if the Chinese can't be bothered.
what a fabulous situation for a blog.
really shows us what the world is like...one of my favourite blog reads ever,just for the drama of it.
thanks!
BAA, BA and the passengers are lucky this was not a lot worse. Kegworth, anyone?
p.s. Nick - only warp 4?!
Haven't they told you to turn off all electronic equipment, Nick? Not sure you should be able to send us a report while sitting on the plane...
This is close to "you can't make it up" territory. Has there ever been a more accident-prone PM?
(Is it possible that ATC was focusing so hard on the PM's departure that they lost concentration on the incoming flight. It seems unlikely.)
Ask the PM if he would cheer us all up and stay in China permanently
Great to see the airport get their priorities right again (ha ha),,,,,,let the unwashed sit in the stuffy, cramped lounges, buying coffee for exorbitant prices (courtesy of the Labour Government,,,i think not),,,,,,,,is this where my hard earned money goes,,,,,Somebody get rid of Gordon,,,,,,
Of course GB is going to get away first. What other reason is there to be PM?
So Nick how do you update your blog from the plane - what do you use? :)
Thankfully no-one seriously injured - the emergency procedures seem to have worked brilliantly, even if the landing procedures didn't!
Make sure you hold the PM's hand for reassurance when you're coming into land in China. Although he'll (hopefully) need it more at the next general election..... We can but hope.
Of course the Prime Minsiter will get priority, his trip is diplomatic.
Gordon the Jonah strikes again.
Get him out of here ... quickly!!!
Surely we can trust the blessed leader to slide though Heathrow without effort, be unscathed and have the crowd roaring approval? he may even fly the plane, such are his talents.
Am glad everybody got out ok, but maybe the PM should point out to the Airline industry the environmental/climate change implications of sending up a plane with 136 passengers, less than half of its total capacity (according to wikipedia it'll take 301-368 passengers depending on fitout)
Simon. No 4. What exactly do you do that's more important than the Prime Minister? Get a grip and a sense of perspective.
Well done that man! The pilot of that plane that is.
Up up and away Gordon and lets hope you all land safely the other end.
Is head honcho a technical term Nick? Perhaps that should become parliamentary address
Following Hillary Clinton's use of the in-flight inter-com on her personal plane, it would be disappointing were the PM not to take the opportunity to possibly give a rendition of his favourite Beatles song? Alternatively he could get his wife to do it.
Peter Campbell is a politics undergraduate at the University of York and Deputy Politics Editor of York student newspaper 鈥淣ouse鈥.
How is Nick Robinson sending messages from a moving aircaft at Heathrow? I thought such equipment was supposed to be 'off'.
Have a good trip, I mentioned to one of my staff here, that Gordon Brown's flight was delayed (what a shame!),she asked if he was that 'restaurant bloke'....stir fly indeed!
"A plane crashed today, but it's OK because Gordon Brown wasn't delayed too much"!!!
...and they call that un-biased journalism?
It seams the world is full of H&S nerds, there鈥檚 at least 3 posts on here warning of the CAA view on using a blackberry whilst the engines are on, I'm sure safety of the plane and its passengers is in huge jeopardy!!! Get a life!
"Our plane is beginning a slow crawl to the runway. I suspect that others not travelling with the head honcho may face rather longer delays."
Yes..., I expect the words "double air passanger duty"
evoke extreme expidition down the control tower.
Dear SueT and John (245pm)
Do you get out very often? As your posts follow one another why don't you out with each other? Please don't stop posting - the more rediculous the better, pleeeeease.
I am extremely relaxed about this, as is our dear leader no doubt. As Tao would say, the confident leader rises above the mundane, keeping his eyes firmly on the horizon....
Why bother going to China. You have no influence over the Chinese. They have been taking the Gordon for years especially with their currency. Just tell them we want our factories and jobs back !
Would Mr. Robinson please note that Gordon Brown is NOT the 'head honcho'. We have a Queen who fulfils that role with greater grace, charm and efficiency than Blah Blah Brown ever could.
Warp 4 not enough to send Gordon into space on a one way ticket, beam me up Mr Incompetence, I have every confidence in you( Football Chairman)
Glad all passengers are safe and well.
Leave Nick alone. Just as hospitals are no longer enforcing mobile switch off, neither do planes. And in any case, for all we know, he was using a flight BA phone..
The plane made it back from China, but any Investment into the country will never return.
Can Mr Brown retrieve our money from the unscrupulous Chinese.
I got sucked into China when I went in with Heseltine, built the factory and waved goodbye to 2m
I also find it quiet amusing that your posting to your blog while with the PM on plane. Are you allowed to keep them on, as far as I am aware they don't actually have an effect on an aircraft's electronics.
Similar to the petrol station myth and the hospital phones. (which are now allowed in some hospitals)
Not much said about the pilot of this 777. I think he is a HERO his skill has just saved the life's of 136 passangers plus the crew, think of the families that can rest in there beds tonight, thanking the pilot before they go to sleep.
Nick why dont you get off the fence and ask Gordon a few hard questions instead of flapping around. You say
Gordon Brown witnessed the major incident at Heathrow. Well then ask Gordon that with these major incidents does he agree that the emergency services require a proper sustainable level of money. All the equipment needs to be the best and the heroes that work for the emergency services deserve a proper pay rise every year to reflect how grateful their country is to them day in and day out. That is the Ambulance and medical staff, Firefighters and Police. After all who protects Gordon Brown? If the Police were allowed to strike Gordon would need to go to the desert to protect himself. No one else would unless they were forced to.