Originally Posted by
Rivet Joint
Even if SOU gets to go ahead first time around, which I am quietly confident about, we are still talking 2-3 years minimum for the works to be completed and be fully operational. I think the industry is clear that they expect a return to normality in 2-3 years time, so SOU could be perfectly placed for airlines that are looking to start afresh.
These are of course just my predictions, and conditional on the extension works being completed and normality returning. Of course when talking about the present state of play reality needs to set in. Being relentlessly negative though is not going to add anything to what I hope will be a healthy debate going forward. Other threads seem to enjoy this privilege.
"A return to normality in 2-3 years time" was expected earlier in the pandemic. Economic forecasts are now considerably longer. Let's have "a healthy debate" by all means. While some are accused of "being relentlessly negative" it is also true that others are optimistically OTT. EZY and WIZZ have given no indication of wishing to establish a base at SOU. With Loganair moving towards AT
Rs there's always a risk that the runway extension could become a white elephant. The sound advice expressed earlier on this forum is to wait 2-3 years before making such an investment. In even 6 months from now the aviation scene may be very different (in a worse sense) from now.