QUOTE: With a quick look at the ACL scheduling parameters for Summer 2022, you would know that two runway operation will be back for the season
Yes, I have seen the ACL report. And I know that is the plan.
But as you know, proposed schedules evolve significantly between January and start-of-summer even in a normal year. What few foresaw this time was that the UK and mainstream destinations on the Continent would reimpose strict covid-rules on travel which are likely to serve as a major drag on confidence during the January to March peak booking period for S22 leisure travel. If bookings come in at a substantially depressed pace over the next ten weeks or so, operators will have to make crucial strategic decisions concerning how much unsold capacity they're prepared to carry into the season - hoping for late bookings which may never come. For some operators, making the right call on this may be a matter of corporate survival.
And it is not just the leisure-focused operators we need to worry about. If business and long-haul travel come back more slowly than hoped, we will see reductions in planned frequencies on these routes too.
I'm sure most here hope that bookings for S22 flow in at a healthy pace, but I'm far from convinced that will happen. I personally know lots of people who are booking nothing yet, awaiting more clarity. If we enter a period of major consolidation, airports including MAN will need to reconsider how much demand they need to cater for in the months ahead. Plans may have to be changed. I hope not, but we'd be foolish to dismiss the possibility.