Originally Posted by
AirportPlanner1
I’m glad people have delved deep into my deliberately provocative examples of Ciudad Real and Amsterdam because it goes to show once and for all that using circular radius and the sea as barometers of potential is mostly useless.
But you were tending to favour extremes:
1. SPL is the only airport serving AMS and the home base and hub of an airline group operating a combined fleet of some 208 aircraft whereas LON is served by some six and two half airports and SEN neither a home base nor hub of an airline.
2. ZRH is the only airport serving ZRH and the home base and hub of an airline operating a fleet of some 90 aircraft and then some, ditto as above.
3. MXP is one of two and one half airports serving MIL but to the north of MXP are the stunningly beautiful Italian lakes, the Alps and the Swiss border, these are not wasted potential catchment but they are catchment, people travel to MXP specifically for lakes & mountains holidays and during the winter skiing holidays whilst, by comparison, Southend-on-Sea might have the longest pier but not it's exactly an international tourist holiday attraction nor destination.