At the present time BACon operates twenty rotations out of BRS on most weekdays, involving five based ERJ 145s and also aircraft based in Scotland.
Given that the 145s are probably going sooner rather than later (assuming the purchase of BACon by Flybe does goes through) could Flybe logistically operate this pattern of scheduling, and would they want to?
For a start it would mean competing against easy on the high volume EDI and GLA routes where easy currently flies three rotations each weekday on both routes and BACon five on both.
easy have already seen off Flybe on the Belfast (admittedly a different airport), TLS and now BOD. easy also now flies to CDG (once a day) alongside BACon’s five rotations most weekdays.
For Flybe to take on the Orange machine on these routes would mean a reversal of its recent behaviour at BRS.
I suppose it's conceivable that Flybe might still fly all or some of MUC, FRA, DUS, ZRH and MXP.
A couple of other items in the news:
BRS is now wholly owned by the Australian Macquarie Group following the exercise of its option to purchase Ferrovial’s half share recently.
The Stop Bristol Airport Expansion consortium is now flexing its apparently not inconsiderable muscles.
They are in the process of delivering 10,000 leaflets to households in areas they believe might contain a lot of NIMBYs and have also taken out a full two-page advertisement in today’s Bristol Evening Post – not cheap even on a Saturday.
I received one of their leaflets. It is very professionally produced on four thin card pages and additionally contains a perforated business reply card to be sent to North Somerset Council to object to the expansion.
I took advantage of this free postal offer and edited the card to explain why the expansion SHOULD go ahead. Thanks SBAE for the chance to save a few pence.
Clearly this group is highly organised and seemingly well funded. I foresee legal obstacles being put in place every step of BRS’s way through the planning jungle as it attempts to expand its infrastructure.