Originally Posted by
ATNotts
The way I read the AI situation is that they have suspended DEL-BHX until the end of April, and ATQ until the end of June. That shows a very clear intention to return to BHX. It would have been much easier to have suspended the routes, then quietly dropped them, which they clearly haven't done.
Turkmenistan have been banned by the EU on safety grounds. Surely when they have sorted out those issues they will be back, they have been a fixture at BHX for donkey's years and especially were AI to really kill off ATQ from BHX would come back stronger.
Turkish have been a victim of the 737MAX debacle, and again there is no sign of them drastically cutting back, they had planned to return to twice daily.
What I am saying that it's easy to be depressed by recent events, but AI is geopolitical situation, Turkmenistan a technical issue, and Turkish again a safety thing. All, I feel sure will be back. When all is said and done, BHX has a deal more long haul than most UK airports, and definetely airports that are so close to LHR and MAN.
If our "leaders" continue to play canute and / or fiddle while Rome is burning, BHX and many other UK airports could have much more to worry about that temporary suspensions of long haul routes.
Pakistani airspace reopened and Air India Delhi bookable from Sunday 3 days a week.
Not so confident re Amritsar as that stays canned until 30 June but maybe AI are not so confident about the airspace that far north.
Jet and AI Delhi Heathrow today still avoided Pakistani airspace but I suppose it will take a few days to get back to normal but plenty of other airlines are well and truly using it.
Pete