Originally Posted by
LTNman
Carlisle is one of the best connected towns in the country via motorway and the railway and has a half hourly services to London. By the time minimum check-in times are considered and then the hour train ride to and from Southend there is next to no saving. Looking the other way there are also direct train services to both Edinburgh and Glasgow. Island communities are isolated and Carlisle isn't. If Stobart wants to run a service that is fine but not at taxpayers expense.
I like how everyone always focuses on the viability of the CAX-SEN leg - you do realise there are two other destinations being offered, right? Unfortunately the CAX-SEN leg is needed to fill the schedule, and while it doesn't offer much benefit to the region, it helps to make the whole operation slightly more viable. DUB and BHD will be a good addition to the region - hopefully they will prove viable.
Not only that, but if CAX can get a new terminal, and become a functioning airport again, then it opens up other possibilities down the line. Perhaps in time the flight offerings may be expanded - a couple of additional routes from Loganair, FlyBE have hinted they'd run a LHR service if a 3rd runway was approved, and KLM like to offer flights from the regions. There's also a strong possibility of cargo movements, using the airport for aircraft storage was mooted in the past, and perhaps even an expanded flight training program, scenic flight tours, charters etc. There's a whole range of possibilities now that the airport has a certified runway again, and a basic passenger terminal.
Who knows what may happen in future, but without funding, nothing would ever happen. Lets not forget the funding that has been granted is only startup funding - it's not a lifetime subsidy like flights to the Islands receive. It's only good for a few years to get the routes up and running, after that they have to prove their viability.