Finningley Airport Gets Council Backing (At Last!)

[Justin Abeaver]

From the Yorkshire Post this morning it would appear that Finningley has got the OK from the Council Planners but that it still has to go to the Secretary of State for approval, and he is one John 2 Jags Prescott, MP for Hull and a supporter of Humberside Airport. Impartial and objective? Ha! Ha!

Yorkshire Post link: http://www.ypn.co.uk/yp310101/news3/frame.htm

(The story is at the bottom of the the link page by the pic of Concorde)

[This message has been edited by Justin Abeaver (edited 31 January 2001).]

[Anti Skid On]

So it's goodnight from LBA and godd night from HUY? (or am I being pessimistic?)

Perhaps the Guvnor will make this a new hub!

[foghorn]

In the same newspaper there's a report that Boeing and the University of Sheffield have signed a £30 million deal to create 7,000 jobs in an aerospace centre on a 100 acre brownfield site straddling the Rotherham/Sheffield border.

Hmm... I wonder what severely-underutilised instrument-equipped airfield is also on a brownfield site straddling the Rotherham/Sheffield border? Step forward Sheffield City Airport. I wonder if this is a rescue plan?

[Bottoms Up!]

Great news :)

Even better when EZY move in ;)

[RAFAT]

Foghorn - I doubt it very very much.

Bottoms Up! - TNT as well!!! :)

[This message has been edited by RAFAT (edited 31 January 2001).]

[euroboy]

....for another airport than the Greek can grizzle at like a spoilt child.

[Charley]

Apparently the Sheffield thing is not going to be situated at Sheffield City Airport.

It's just been on our local TV news. I had to scribble the details down so bear with me and spinkle with liberal amounts of [sic];

What is currently a brownfield site (literally - looks like a slag heap to me) will be developed into the Aeronautic Manufacturing Research Centre in a joint project between Boeing and the University of Sheffield's Aeronautics department. Eventually it will create up to 7,000 jobs but the number at the start will be a lot smaller. Apparently, Boeing chose the site due to Sheffield Uni's good reputation and strong links with Rolls-Royce and BAe Systems.

Professor Geoff Tomlinson (of the uni) then said that the initiative is backed by Yorkshire Forward, the regional development agency. Then the MP for Sheffield Central started banging on about it and mentioned that it would become an 'international centre of excellence'.

_________________________


Back on the original topic, it is indeed good news for Finningley but the fight is not over - I fear that the final decision will be a long time coming. Why? Look a the facts

Humberside would probably fold if Finno is developed John Prescott has the final say Humberside Airport and most of it's workers reside in JP's constituency It is an election year


Nevertheless, I remain blindly optimistic.


[This message has been edited by Charley (edited 31 January 2001).]

[Scallywag]

Only wish I'd been able to buy my OMQ at dear old Finningley before I left, but they weren't quite ready to sell them at the time - all gone now though. Great station and area.... the folks in Donny all looked after us very well ! and I was a Soft Southern BaXXtard. Wish them all well for employment prospects in the region.

Scally

[RAFAT]

Scally,

Why not return when the airport is up and running. The base brought me to this area too, but I didn't leave when the RAF did.

By the way, on the subject of 2 Jags Prescott, I've asked questions about his possible bias in the decision-making process during this election year. In doing so I have discovered that he has, in fact, more connections and interests in Manchester airport than Humberside.

Either way though, I would rather the decision be put in the hands of someone else.

[This message has been edited by RAFAT (edited 01 February 2001).]

[Thrush]

Manchester Airport own Humberside Airport. Oh dear.

Get it open and be done with it, it is, after all, an airfield, so use it as one and don't be so daft as to try and dress it up as something else.

Let's Go !!!! Yo !!!!!

[Legs11]

The Boing/Sheffield operation is across the road from Sheffield City Airport, if they're lucky they may pick up some business. But things will need to pick up soon. If and when Finningley finally opens this could well be the end of Sheffield as well as Humberside. Having said that, I'm sure they'll be in need of expert staff available from both defunct airports!

[682ft AMSL]

I don't think there was ever any doubt that the local council in Doncaster would approve the scheme. The future of Finningley has always rested on whether the DETR will call the application in for a public enquiry.

The problem with the proposal is that there has been no independant analysis to determine whether Finningley will actually increase passengers flying out of Yorkshire. Peel obviously say it will and claim that over 30 airlines have "expressed an interest" in the development. Opponents and some industry analysts have suggested that it will simply serve to redistribute the current 2m pax flying out of the region between 4 airports instead of 3. If so, there is no benefit to the region as a whole.

I guess until this issue is understood, a decision shouldn't be made and a public enquiry seems the only forum where it could be independantly assesed. Unfortunately the timing of the General Election will probably mean it will be late in the year before a decision is made.

[PaulDeGearup]

You have to look at the prospect of FNN opening as a civilian airfield a pace removed from the status quo.
The existing airports, HUY and LBA, I don't count Sheffield as it isn't glowing at the moment, have geographic problems.
Leeds is on the wrong side of the cities; if it were south of the city adjacent to the M62 and M1 it would be more successful as pax could get to it more easily. It would also be lower down and less subject to the vagaries of the wx.
HUY is just too far east; no real market now that the fishing and oil and gas industries are in decline in N Lincs.
Finningley, on the other hand, has a prime location; nestling between the M62,M18,M180 nad A1 and a rail line crossing the threshold. Easy to get to for the pax. The runway is 9000ft long, cf LBA and HUY. The airspace is quiet; no probs getting in or out.
If it does get a licence it's bound to be a great success.

[This message has been edited by PaulDeGearup (edited 04 February 2001).]

[Legs11]

682ft AMSL, I guess your Username gives away an interest in the decisions to be made. As PaulDeGearup says, Finningley has a far better location to handle the traffic that any of the other 3. Yes Doncaster were always going to go for it, lets see what the DETR and the right honourable member for Hull make of it!!!

[682ft AMSL]

All,

Well of course I have an interest in the decision, it will affect me as an employee, a traveller and a local resident. That's not to say I have a particular bias, I just think that the proposals need to be subject to an independant review - something that hasn't taken place to date. As I said in my previous post, it is up to Peel to prove that there is a serious intent from scheduled airlines and tour operators to commence operations from Finningley. If this is the case, it will be fantastic news for Yorkshire.

The concern of myself and many others is that the scheme will simply redistribute the existing passengers between 4 airports instead of 3. The result might still be good news for Doncaster but the region as a whole would not have a greater choice of services and the ability of the existing airports to grow and invest would be weakened.

Whatever your thoughts on LBA, that is where most of the commuter and scheduled traffic will stay - business passengers travelling to Leeds are not going to fly into Doncaster. Despite the runway length, Finningley is not in reality going to steal long-haul scheduled traffic away from MAN, nor is it likely to make much of an in-road into the freight hub at EMA. That leaves inclusive tour operations and low cost scheduled services as the target markets for Peel - e.g. another LPL!

[Thrush]

682ft AMSL the main problem with LBA is the access. It's got crappy roads all around it, which are constantly being dug up by the council, and of course the weather factor. Being on top of a hill is not really ideal for a reliable scheduled operation.

Private enterprise is about having a choice so if Peel want to give more choice, then we should respect that and let them invest. I'd welcome 4 airports instead of 3. Having said that, of course it's not really even 3 at the moment - you can't really count HUY unless you want to go to/from gas rigs in the Humber or AMS !

[Airborne Hamster]

mmm yes 30kt fog!

Mr.P......Well he would be wouldn't he.Last time I was at Finningley there were 9 JPs,9 Jetstreams and 9 bloody Dominies in the air

Mr.b****** Pr. can take 'is cameras and stuff 'em up 'is arse.

[INKJET]

Cowpat

I`am with you on this one. Lets look at this logicaly.
1 Sheffield. This airport will be lucky to stay open as a commercial venture, it only opened after a boot load of EU cash(our taxes!!!) and as Maggie used to say you can`t buck the market. What Sheffield should do is get rid of its stupid restriction which prevents single engine aircraft from useing the airport, and develope a good FOB setup. By all means continue with a ban on single engine training flights if thats what the local ludite faction want.

2 Humberside. Bottom line is that it`s to far East to gain a critical mass.

3East Midlands. Safe, nice new runway very good accsess and an established and growing cargo network ,may lose some charter work to FNN

4 Manchester. No major risk here and would welcone the loss of some charter work much as LHR lost it to LGW

5 FNN Lots going for it (all mentioned by previous posts), but it will have to start from scratch which is allways expensive, i doubt that the likes of BA(BRAL,BRYOM&CITYFLYER) BM or BE will go after the pasting that BRAL got at Sheffield. Where FNN could score big time is with charter and likes of Easy jet. Easy have already proved that people will travel out of their way (LPL) if the price is right, and the road access to FNN is very good NORTH,SOUTH &EAST. The charter market would also be a winner (just stand at the checking at MAN and listen to the "chuffin" south yorks accents) Remember that the term "they know the price of everything and the value of nothing" was invented in South Yorks.
6 LEEDS. LBA will lose some if not all charter work, but will continue to grow its schedule services. The loss of charter flights will add to the attraction of flying from Leeds for most business users, easier car parking less queues(no daft drunk yobs in shorts in Jan at 7am). its very unliklely that business users will travel down to FNN from the Leeds area, and thoose that live well south have not made use of Sheffield. Leeds is also set to grow its top end GA work which is not as price sensitive as EASY JET on landing fees.Multiflight have just received approval to build a new hanger and will start work on this in August this year. This company will become a very big player in Bizjet maintenance in the year to come.

The biggest looser? as to be Humberside, its only trump card is old fatty two Jags who has the power to call this in to the DTER ,and perhaps as the MP for Hull,just before an election will do so, if so he should remember what a previous Labour MP did at election time in the alleged intrest of Hull(Ms B Castle) which resulted in one very big bridge been built that a lot of the locals can`t afford to use, although it has been great for the North shore criminals to raids into North Lincs

[This message has been edited by INKJET (edited 10 February 2001).]

[musicman]

I might have missed previous posts on this subject but there are some unanswered questions regarding FNN.

I used to fly out of FNN on the twin jets and with a predominately N-S runway there were times when we could be embarrassed by the crosswind and especially the turbulence coming off the hangars at the northern end.

In addition what has happened to the gravel pits that were dug around the perimeter of the field. Big holes in the ground fill with water and attract birds - which don't go well with aeroplanes. As I remember it, the gravel rights go right up to the boundary fence.

Has the subsidence problem from the underground coal seam been resolved. Rossington Colliery closed while I was there but has that prevented any further subsidence?

Good road links - Yes, but the link roads to the airfield from the M-Way are not up to managing the traffic required to make the airfield pay its way, surely.

ust thoughts - and I'm sure someone out there will have the answers.
I hope it doesn't mean HUY being affected as it is very convenient for us Northeners with its quiet M-Way access and what used to be the best breakfast on any airfield. Much appreciated when catching the early morning flight to AMS.

[NorthernSID]

Having spent quite a lot of time flying out of Finningley, I would like to offer the following:

1. Fy has a 9000' runway, 4 Standard RAF Hangars and the 'new' nav school as its only modern facilities.

2. All the rest of the infrastructure is 1930s/40s/50s vintage with single track roads on all but the main drag. Considerable development and investment would be reqd before, imho, any further use could be contemplated.

3. The road access is fine until the last 1-2 miles. Immediate access needs improvement.

4. Real rail access is to Doncaster.

5. It's a long time since real aircraft were based at Fy. We used to get lots of complaints when it was Bulldogs, JPs, Hawks, Jetstreams and Dominies, none of which were particularly noisy. When the Antonov came in as a one off, the phones were very busy!!

However, hope it works!

[foghorn]

musicman,

Most of the subsidence in South Yorks has stopped now that black gold is no longer dug up from the ground. It took a few years for things to settle down, since then it's not really been a problem.

Northern SID and others

Take a look at their website www.doncasterfinningleyairport.co.uk (http://www.doncasterfinningleyairport.co.uk) for their plans regarding buildings and access roads. It looks like they have already let much of the old RAF buildings in anticipation of the airport re-opening. FOr some reason the site isn't working at the moment (hopefully this is not a sign :))

inkjet,

Agree - I think you've just about summed it up. LPL is the nearest model to what FNN will be.

I think the reason for Sheffield's ban on singles is because the airport is congested on three sides. If they removed their singles ban I would be a regular visitor - they could even downgrade the service to AFIS or A/G when the scheduled stuff wasn't due. Instead I use Gamston which is miles away (nice little airport though).

A congested approach doesn't seem to stop some airports like Cambridge operating singles! Recently SZD cut ATC and Fire jobs, cut its opening hours back, and cancelled its plans for a Surveillance Radar. This IMHO is its death knell, even though Boeing are moving in across the road.

May FNN prosper. I for one would love to be based there (at some point in the future). Shame it didn't keep its old IATA code FLY.

[This message has been edited by foghorn (edited 15 February 2001).]