I have said this before, but how come the number and level of rumours surrounding NCL operations and future route and airline expansion plans are so high? I very much doubt that EK will operate a transatlantic service, I would expect that they will focus upon their service to DXB hub first, with possibly an increase in frequency and/or capacity, which again is RUMOURED!
Regarding the Jet2 rumour, it is a sensible idea, should it actually be in the pipeline to test the waters first with a charter service, though is LBA/MAN not the focus of this? With only 2 based aircraft from Jet2 now, as a result of the LGW ceasing their aircraft are operating what appears to be more efficiently from NCL with very little downtime, however an extra aircraft is required to position in on weekends to cover the flying programme according to the timetable.
I would also expect NCL to drop out of the top 10 airports, a shame but maybe it is a sign of the difficult market. It is quite hard to operate successful services from regional airports, with low cost the exception in a number of circumstances. Maybe eventually NCL will claw their way back into the top 10, should any further expansion take place. Afterall we have lost quite a bit over the past 12 months, with the stuff we are gaining not enough to cancel out the loss. I'm thinking we have lost: 3 charter units (1 MYT, 1 XLA, 1 FJE) and aircraft basings from EZY and LS, however we have gained extra frequency on domestic and international scheduled routes. The expansion is steady compared with the past, but I'd prefer steady and stable to rapid and short term.