Of all the nonsense AH/AI/EK third flight early 2013
Couldn't agree more rutankrd, there has been more than the usual wishful thinking on this thread recently. I know this is a rumour network but EK third flight, AI, AA and QR @ BHX rumours are just getting boring and the fact they still get discussed is testament to to the fact that there is simply nothing else out there credible long haul wise to talk about
Yes QR and EK are possible, although when who knows. I know that BHX are still chasing AI but really what for? If ATQ had been a goldmine they would still be flying it. As for AH, what utter nonsense - IF it happens it will be yet another Hellenic, Aerosvit, Armavia - blink and you miss it.
Fact is, as of right now, BHX has but two new confirmed routes for summer '13 which are ZB summer season low frequency leisure flights to BOD and SPU as well as the planned increase of TK flights to IST. That's it. People are focusing so much on long haul dreams they seem to have forgotten that for summer '13:
1. All BE French seasonal routes have been dropped (low frequency and short season admittedly but still more than a few thousand pax lost)
2. City routes recently dropped to GOT, LYS, PRG and LIS have not been replaced
3. There are increasingly (and worryingly) more capacity cuts on legacy carrier routes (LX to ZRH, LH to TXL for example)
4. There are still gaps in both city and leisure focused destinations in Europe.
Positivity yes - but cmbined with realism. BHX is certainly not stagnating but it is failing to attract new airlines (last was TK in 2009?) and cannot seem to attract a based carrier that will commit to an aggressive expansion of airframes and destinations at a BHX base, although ZB have shown commitment to long term growth. We also need to remember that annual pax numbers are still well below 9 million and the airport has been overtaken by LTN and EDI in the past 24 months in annual pax totals.
Don't get me wrong I am very pro BHX and have flown at least once a month from there during 2012 on business and leisure. The investment in pax facilities has transformed the place very much for the better. And I would be the first to be shouting off the rooftops if QR for example did start but until there are either a raft of new carriers and destinations announced or a based carrier that really takes the lead and develops a 10+ based airframe operation BHX will continue to simply stumble along rather than growing in leaps and bounds which it should be given its first class pax facilities and central location.