Originally Posted by
Rivet Joint
Secondly, BOH wrote numerous letters to the planning department objecting to SOU extending its runway. Whilst this is not unusual the content of the letters were strangely personal and dramatic in their content, evidencing a real fear at BOH being present.
RivetJoint…
Whether in a planning application, a trademark/patent application or a points deduction - any company, team, organisation (or other) at times is going to seek to slow down, obstruct or inflict a blow to a rival. BOH’s actions aren’t personal or overly dramatic; it's simply how business operates.
Many understand that a central southern England airport with a runway like Bournemouth’s, equally accessible to both the BCP Conurbation and the Soton/Portsmouth areas, would do very well. It may not match Bristol's traffic or reach, but it could mirror Newcastle's success. Unfortunately, this scenario is not our reality. Instead, we have two airports, BOH and SOU, located reasonably close to each other, serving overlapping areas. Both can continue to offer complementary services and enhance customer choice through healthy competition, akin to the relationship between Belfast International and City airports.
It's also not unrealistic to recognise that Southampton won’t achieve the status of Bristol or Liverpool, given its operational time constraints, runway length, and development limitations. Similarly, Bournemouth might face challenges due to a slightly smaller catchment area, lesser historic/regional significance, and lack of direct rail connections. Yet, I remain optimistic about the future of both airports, hoping they can each grow to handle over 1.5 to 2 million passengers annually in the next decade.
Consider this: if BOH were to close suddenly, Southampton might be able to capture more of the market, but it still wouldn’t be able to serve route lengths beyond say southern Spain. Also, while Southampton is a key southern hub, it's not as if airlines are eagerly lining up to connect Bournemouth with major European cities like Milan, Berlin, or Istanbul.
Returning to my initial point, BOH isn't operating from a place of fear. They have a significant leisure market west of the M27, a growing cargo operation, and capabilities for longer flights — advantages that Southampton doesn't have. It seems BOH's actions are more about gaining an edge over SOU when possible.
Reflecting on Skipness One Foxtrot's recent remarks towards you, there's no need to adopt a mindset where SOU's success means BOH must fail. While everyone has their own opinion, it appears that BOH's right to exist and flourish bothers you somewhat.
But when all is said and done, SOU have built it (runway) so they must come (routes)…