Cambridge Airport expansion

[Nopax,thanx]

Heard on the local news this morning, Cambridge Airport is set to have a £20 million expansion, starting in July. Looks like the end to any relocation rumours;


£20 million pledge from Cambridge Airport - Corporate Jet Investor (http://corpjetfin.live.subhub.com/articles/20_million_Cambridge_Airport_212)

[Guest 112233]

CAT III goes into Nimby mode here - Why not develope Alconbury - A big runway very close to the A1(M). - The southerly approach to the main runway is over built up areas. I can personally verify that one.

Boo Hiss - "We need ecomomic developement - but not on the edge of crumbling cities."

CAT III .

[NorthSouth]

CATIII: Why not develope AlconburyAt a guess:
(1) what for? is there any need for A big runway in this region? Cambridge are talking about nothing more than bizjets.
(2) it is closed and would have to have squillions spent re-opening it
(3) it has never been a civil aerodrome so would have to have even more squillions spent re-engineering it to ICAO standards
(4) Cambridge residents are used to having aircraft noise. Residents of Huntingdon, Houghton, Hemington and St Ives have had almost 20 years to get used to having no aircraft noise from Alconbury and would undoubtedly have somehting to say about a re-opened Alconbury.
NS

[Narrow Runway]

"We need ecomomic developement - but not on the edge of crumbling cities."

In what way is Cambridge crumbling?

It is one of the few very bright spots in the UK and even Europe currently.

You should be glad of the fact that the airport will bring further wealth to the region.

Bring it on.

[jabird]

in this region? Cambridge are talking about nothing more than bizjets.

They already have a few scattered routes as "London" Cambridge airport.

How ripe are both CBG and OXF for the Flybe model to the usual domestics and a couple of big Euro hubs? Start with EDI, GLA, BHD and grow from there?

Similar story in both - not huge cities but good mix of high earners and the university crowd, both close-ish to bigger airports but travel time + big terminal hassle create opportunity for smaller local terminal to provide better service.

[LTNman]

It will be the only London airport to also serve the Norfork Broards:}

[Aero Mad]

It will be the only London airport to also serve the Norfork Broards

You're always guilty of the same crime, LTNman... forgetting London Southend :E

[racedo]

Why is someone chucking 20 million on an airport that is not needed........

[GayFriendly]

Not needed by FR but maybe by others.....

[Guest 112233]

Yes OK I was feeling a bit grumpy: the C130's rumbling overhead are a bit of a pain but not that frequent.

Re Cambridge crumbling - Give this place a try at 8.30 am in a Car - the gas mains are being patched on a major route from the south and the place comes to a standstill.

This is not the first time - same prob for collapsing sewers and water mains.

Its a great place for a visit for a few days, but take a look behind the Olde England facades and its a different matter sadly. New technology hot-spot yes but that's not the whole story.

CAT III

[racedo]

Not needed by FR but maybe by others.....

Hardly as aviation is not exactly growing in the UK and there are numerous airports that have had money spent on them in better catchment areas that are struggling to survive.

[Fairdealfrank]

How many "London" airports are there now?

[Aero Mad]

London Heathrow
London Gatwick
London City
London Biggin Hill
London Farnborough
London Northolt
London Blackbushe
London Luton
London Stansted
London Southend
London Ashford (Lydd)
London Oxford

and then London Cambridge and a couple of others if you wish to include them although they have not formally rebranded.

[JSCL]

Let's not forget:

London Birmingham
London East Midlands
London Exeter
London Southampton
London Bournemouth

Very important London airports! *cough*

[Aero Mad]

Given that you can get to Southampton Airport from London in 1h02m, it is very odd to say so but also fair to say that it could almost qualify.

[RedhillPhil]

Yes OK I was feeling a bit grumpy: the C130's rumbling overhead are a bit of a pain but not that frequent.

Re Cambridge crumbling - Give this place a try at 8.30 am in a Car - the gas mains are being patched on a major route from the south and the place comes to a standstill.

This is not the first time - same prob for collapsing sewers and water mains.

Its a great place for a visit for a few days, but take a look behind the Olde England facades and its a different matter sadly. New technology hot-spot yes but that's not the whole story.

CAT III

I used to live in Cambridge in the 70s. At 08.30 then I could beat any car on my bike from Cyprus Road to the railway station.

[NorthSouth]

jabird:They already have a few scattered routes as "London" Cambridge airportA summer Saturdays only service to Jersey, and a total of 18 summer flights to a place in France no-one's ever heard of, and neither seriously marketed, as far as I can see, as being from "London Cambridge Airport".
NS

[Narrow Runway]

Hi,

I am very familiar with Cambridge. I live here and have done for 20 years.

Yes, it is true, East Road is dug up currently. And yes, there have been city centre issues with drainage around the St Andrew Street/Corn Exchange area in recent months. You name me a city that doesn't have its own traffic issues - and to be fair, the Cambridge city centre is deliberately car unfriendly. The council want us on the numerous park&rides, buses, guided buses and trains that run frequently.

But come on!! This is probably one of the very best areas to live in the country and it has loads going for it. You want to look outside our sheltered haven more often.

We should welcome any development at Marshalls. It is a potential benefit to our great city.

[Fairdealfrank]

Quote:
"London Heathrow
London Gatwick
London City
London Biggin Hill
London Luton
London Stansted
London Southend
London Ashford (Lydd)
London Oxford

and then London Cambridge and a couple of others if you wish to include them although they have not formally rebranded."

...yet!


also London Farnborough (FAB),
London Northolt (NHT),
London Blackbushe (BBS)
London Southampton (SOU)

to boost aviation capacity in the southeast?



Quote: "Let's not forget:

London Birmingham
London East Midlands
London Exeter
London Southampton
London Bournemouth

Very important London airports! *cough* "


London Southampton (SOU) definitely!

And London West (BOH) for FR fans?

[berkshire boy]

Or how about London [Prestwick] http://images.ibsrv.net/ibsrv/res/src:www.pprune.org/get/images/infopop/icons/icon9.gif

Anyone remember -


" A budget airline may have broken its own record for dropping its passengers off at airports miles from their destinations.
Customers frequently moan that Frankfurt-Hahn airport is about 75 miles from Frankfurt, or that it takes one hour and ten minutes on the bus to get from Barcelona-Girona airport to Barcelona.
But a new advert for Ryanair (http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/blog/2006/feb/09/www.ryanair.com) tops them all, offering flights from Oslo to "London Prestwick" airport. Prestwick international airport (http://www.gpia.co.uk) is located 30 miles from Glasgow (http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=prestwick+airport&ll=55.773483,-4.537354&spn=1.152488,3.449707), and nearly 400 miles from London (http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=london&ll=51.500197,-0.126197&spn=0.63775,1.724854).
The advert appeared in a Norwegian newspaper, Aftenposten (http://www.aftenposten.no) on Monday, as part of a promotion in which passengers would pay only the taxes and charges for their flights. A trip from Oslo to "London Prestwick" would cost only 176 Norwegian kroner (approximately £15.70)".


A wee trip to London | News | guardian.co.uk (http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/blog/2006/feb/09/post71)

[Fairdealfrank]

London [Prestwick]

Love it!

[Avioactive]

The new summer flights from Cambridge to Dole (Burgundy region) are promoted as flights to a 'London' airport in France with adverts for 'London Cambridge' there.

Heavily susidised or underwrittenI suspect by the regional authority.

[BHD2BFS]

Check out therouteshop.com to see what routes the airport want

[harriewillem]

Eight months down the line any big updates to be expected from CBG?

[Buster the Bear]

Elsewhere, Darwin Airline is to also launch flights from the UK by providing a series of scheduled charter flights for tour operator, Inghams. The UK company is launching its first ever winter ski and summer programme from Cambridge Airport, with new weekly flights to Geneva commencing from December 2013, while weekly flights to Milan and Geneva will appear in Inghams’ Lakes & Mountains programme for summer 2014. All these services will be operated at weekends and will be flown by Darwin Airline using a 50-seat Saab 2000 turboprop: it is unclear if this aircraft will position into the UK, or will be based at Cambridge and offer additional flights on weekdays.

[Buster the Bear]

Balkan Holidays to operate in May and September!

Balkan Holidays adds three regional airports (http://www.travelmole.com/news_feature.php?news_id=2007051&c=setreg&region=2)

[mike172]

Read in this months Pilot magazine that Cambridge Airport have tendered for the building of a new runway... Anyone know any more about this?

[M-JCS]

Has anybody heard how well the Darwin start-up is being received by the locals?

[01475]

@M-JCS

I don't think anyone has noticed they exist, which is a real pity. I had a day trip to AMS on the first day, and it was really quite lightly loaded. Most of the people that I've told how wonderful it was to be able to fly from Cambridge itself had no idea there were actually flights from there.

[papabravowhiskey]

I have to agree with 01475: I was also on the first flight for a day trip to AMS. Neighbours of ours did not have a clue that there were ANY services from Cambridge. I hope that some marketing has been directed at the businesses in the immediate area as well as the colleges: I suspect that the best chance that the services have is with a less price-sensitive market - our promotional fares were good whereas the normal fares are more business-end - those of a more sensitive budget will inevitably go to STN. Getting to the airport in less than ten minutes from our front door was nice!

Living close to the extended runway centre line (but some distance from the threshold), I have to say that we haven't really noticed the Saab 2000s since Monday, though at the load that it carried on the first morning the aircraft would be quite high before getting to us. Certainly nothing to disturb our neighbours. Mind you, the airport (and the railway line!) was there before our abode was built!

Perhaps if Darwin Airlines did a couple of low-level laps over the city accompanied by a second aircraft taking publicity photos, people might look up and take notice?

PBW

[mart901]

In fairness I've heard quite a few people talking about it such as whilst waiting in the barbers and sat having a coffee, however a lot of people refer to it as priced for the business market. I don't know how much marketing there's been but the launch was covered on ITV Anglia news and heart fm, I'm fairly certain the local papers covered it too. At around £170 return it is a steep ask with STN 40mins down the M11 and LTN about an hour, AMS and particularly CDG are very much covered by eurostar, a train to next door to the Eurostar terminal can take 45 mins from Cambridge. However, there's many people locally to whom the price is a drop in the ocean, if you look at it from the point of view that baggage and catering is free and for local people it could mean a lift round the corner as opposed to parking charges, taxi or train to STN then its not as expensive. Parking is free there at the moment.

[papabravowhiskey]

Cambridge Airport can trade on its size (or rather, lack thereof - car to security to gate in how short a time?) and proximity for the local/business market. When you compare door-to-door times for the Darwin flights, they stand up very well against other means. And since seeing details of the tie-up with Etihad, my wife is now busy looking at long-haul possibilities.

(added later) There are some SERIOUSLY good deals interlining via CDG or AMS ...

PBW

[LN-KGL]

Darwin tried and tested this morning from Schiphol. The flight over went like a breeze, and talking about the Saab 2000 - it was an old acquaintance from Crossair that I flew with from BLQ to ZRH in 2000. At Cambridge I had the quickest border crossing ever entering UK soil - only getting the rental car at ExecuJet took a bit time.

[No RYR for me]

I also flew the AMS flight a few weeks ago. How is the service maturing? Any idea what the loadfactors are?

[Expressflight]

The Cambridge thread has the information that you are looking for.

[davidjohnson6]

http://www.pprune.org/airlines-airports-routes/439444-cambridge.html#post8100117

OK, so I'm a little vain pointing to one of my own posts....