ABERDEEN

[Richard Taylor]

easyjet

GVA is a toe in the water perhaps.

Golf flights from Aberdeen among easyjet ideas to boost growth | Herald Scotland

Now where's my 3 wood...

[CaptainDoony]

Hmm... would have thought ALC and AGP will be high up the list of any ideas considering there is a proven demand for well in excess of 100k seats a year to the two destinations alone and both are pretty golf-y.

What are the chances of a summer base from EZY being established? Would one aircraft be enough to be sustainable?

[MEZEGPD]

EZY aren't keen on basing an aircraft in ABZ due to the crewing costs, i.e hotac etc.

Besides, as it stands a lot of passengers are flying abz-lgw-alc, so for them basing an aircraft in ABZ to do a long holiday sector doesn't make much sense.

[Fairdealfrank]

maybe Wee Eck will go back to an honest living - he used to forecast the oil price way back.....................

Depends what you mean by an honest living. Think he's on his way back to Westminster in 2015.

[CaptainDoony]

EZY aren't keen on basing an aircraft in ABZ due to the crewing costs, i.e hotac etc.

That hasn't stopped them doing the exact same thing at INV.

Besides, as it stands a lot of passengers are flying abz-lgw-alc, so for them basing an aircraft in ABZ to do a long holiday sector doesn't make much sense.

There's quite a bit more that can be done than just ALC... Besides the suspect sun routes perhaps a few city routes would be in the frame. Purely hypothetical sadly but surely someone will take the plunge at some stage? A one million increase in pax numbers in just 4 years has got to attract some interest surely?

[Mister Geezer]

The arrangement in Inverness was the product of detailed discussions involving easyJet and HIAL. Whilst the Scottish Government claim that there was no direct subsidy involved in supporting the night stopping aircraft, there had to be a proposal placed before easyJet that made economic sense.

As HIAL is an entity that is subsided, I suspect they can perhaps offer a more competitive proposal than the new owners at Aberdeen will ever be able to.

[SWBKCB]

^Agreed. There's also a cost difference between nightstopping an a/c from a significant hub and actually creating an a/c base.

INV apples being compared to ABZ pears.

[Richard Taylor]

The ABZ pears may become rather rotten soon in this new era of low oil prices, rendering much of the UKCS uneconomic.

Let's see what the Govt do in the imminent Budget statement...if indeed they announce anything at all.

For the economy generally - great news. For here - looming calamity without diversification from oil.

Wonder what the new owners think & what sort of future they see for the place now.

[MARKEYD]

Las Palmas being offered in the drop down box for winter 2015/16 with First Choice / Thomson but nothing bookable at the moment , believe they go on sale next week

[Heathrow Harry]

RT - this is the 4th or 5th time oil prices have gone south big time since ABZ became an "oil capital"

as usual the Saudis have decided they are sick of playing the fall guy and have decided to remind people who is boss in the supply/demand equation and are aiming for$ 80 a bbl

The financial markets will no doubt panic, overshoot the price to low $ 60 - possibly by year end - we then have 18 months while it staggers back to $ 80 and then everything will be "as before"

Aberdeen will take a pasting - house prices, jobs, services will all be hit. I 'd expect airservices - especially the ones to Scandinavia - to be hit as well - fewer people, flying less and in slave rather than business

But the By-Pass will open a year early!!! no traffic on it for another 4 years but heh............

[Richard Taylor]

I suggest evacuation HH!

Nothing we can do about the price as you say - just have to ride it out & what will be will be - whether that's the city, airport or indeed harbour.

One thing's for sure - there will have to be diversification of the economy up here eventually... one silver lining might be that's exactly what companies up here will have to do. A lower priced oil era may (may!) usher innovation & new industries in - but I'm too long in the tooth to assume this will happen as we would have to compete with other areas around the UK. WHAT would want to relocate or set up in NE Scotland.

Will the ABZ owners be forced to give better deals to airlines to fly from here in future? If passenger numbers start sliding wholesale, then they may be forced to... or sell it again. Maybe Nicola would be interested...

It's an interesting game of brinkmanship by OPEC - or, specifically Saudi.

[CaptainDoony]

Las Palmas being offered in the drop down box for winter 2015/16 with First Choice / Thomson but nothing bookable at the moment , believe they go on sale next week

Fuerteventura is also appearing in the drop down for next summer with flights on Saturdays but like LPA not bookable yet. Presumably not with the based French Airpost 737 that's down to operate 2 PMI rotations (one departing at 11:30PM!)

[ANYWHERE BUT ABZ]

Surely if the oil price continues to fall aberdeen as an airport and City will fall on its arse

[throw a dyce]

Well it caught double pneumonia in about 86-87 when the oil price dropped to $10.Then 2 years later it was all boom again.

[Richard Taylor]

Problem I have is: is this just a temporary blip in the price; or is it (as I think, but it's only an opinion) an era of lower prices?

I agreed with the comment made in the Energy Supplement in this morning's paper... the industry has become overblown & flabby, and perhaps all areas of the city with it. Everyone - airport included - has seemingly just sat back and let the money roll in.

Understandable perhaps as everyone is in it for the money, but not exactly long term thinking. Nor very sensible - you're relying on a commercially volatile commodity, whose price is not fixed, therefore similarly volatile. HH called it right earlier in the thread - never has a city been so reliant on the price of a single entity. I know he isn't this area's biggest fan, but he's right in his assessment.

I can see an era of co-operation and shared resources... which should have been ushered in years ago, but may now be forced upon the companies by necessity.

[nighthawk117]

is this just a temporary blip in the price; or is it (as I think, but it's only an opinion) an era of lower prices?

My own personal opinion is that the current low prices are a reaction to the increasing popularity of shale oil, particularly in America. With the prices at the level they are now, shale becomes unprofitable, and will kill off any future expansion.

Prices have probably dropped more than the Saudis hoped, but they help to fulfil the aim. I believe we will see prices around $70 for a few months, before climbing back up to around $90-$100 where they will stabilise.

Oil companies will be forced to start cutting costs in order to cope, but there's enough bloat built into their processes that they could soon do this if they wanted to, they've just never had the need to.

[Heathrow Harry]

absolutely correct night hawk..................

[Richard Taylor]

CHC Scotia

A not insignificant undertaking by CHC:

https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp...licopter-base/

[ANYWHERE BUT ABZ]

Amazing how chc can create all this in just over a year, 2 huge business parks and hotels can be completed in no time yet it takes the airport over 4 years to put on a tiny extension and do some paint work let alone no mention of stands, longer runway etc, incredible the airport is so behind the times and lacklustre with development

Hoping new owners are better as current ones are useless

[CabinCrewe]

which airlines are we seriously looking for in any further huge investment ? The runway extension appears to have been a waste of money.
A bit of apron space and expanded terminal is whats needed, but thats it.
Theres no flock of airlines waiting in the wings for this to happen unfortunately