Just a quick pennys-worth to throw in the pot.......I think that it would be true to say that most UK charter airlines send a number of aircraft away in the winter on wet lease to Canada, South America, Far East, etc etc etc. This is just about the only way that any sizeable charter airline can survive the UK winter. Are we saying that this is a one way street - and that we should only push everyone to take our capacity in the Winter and that we should not entertain the idea of them helping us out in the Summer??
If we could dry lease the aircraft in the Summer without paying the extortionate reg/dereg costs plus any mandatory mods perhaps we could crew them with UK crews - fact is that the Campaign Against Aviation (UK Branch) makes it just about impossible to do this!
Now I am not saying it should be ok to bring any tom, dick & harry in with their ageing equipment, but rather when a 767 operator is bringing in another 767 etc etc - surely this is common sense.....not the piracy or conspiracy that you chaps are reckoning on!
(Stepping off soap-box....and running for cover!)
