BAA sought & got approval from the council, since then a load of bullsh!t re being "in talks" about it & waiting for approval, presumably from Goddo - aka Ferrovial I assume. Suspect the need for it though has diminished for now, with the ongoing recession impacting passenger figures, plus with the added ingredient of the oil industry for once suffering at the same time as the general economy, therefore the traffic going offshore also affected. All this seems to have taken the immediate pressure to build the extension away. I always recall RYR saying (they say many things!!) that if the runway was long enough, that they could launch one or two european route to ABZ. BAA themselves have said that a longer runway would help with attracting more distant routes, including the fabled Houston, Canada...& allegedly Dubai!
Re Canada, anyone recall how the Toronto flights with Air Transat all those years ago were received? GSM had said they could consider Canada & Florida from ABZ, again depending on runway issues, albeit that was though at the time the airport, especially international traffic, was healthy.
I've said it before, can't help but think BAA have missed a trick, if not in lengthening the runway for passenger flights, then for freight flights. Yes we've had the odd smokey Antonov, but most freight traffic going abroad from Aberdeen is shipped out from the harbour. With service cos. exporting more equipment to the likes of Africa, I just wonder whether a longer runway, with a more extensive freight apron/terminal, wouldn't help bring increased trade to ABZ? Guess that's something else that won't happen.
At least OE2009 brought the delegates...47,000 over the week, a record. So at least the airport will get a temporary boost in passenger figures. But nothing exotic, unless you count an SAS CRJ900 as that! Apart from that just the usual bizjet movements, with I think a notable absentee in the Heerema operated Citation - PH-HMA ('RMA before that). Don't recall seeing them here unless I missed it. Heerema usually sent up their corporate steed during OE.
Is the multi storey car park now finished? See there was some hullabaloo over BAA increasing parking charges, just in time for OE. All about timing!!
I see about this time last year, Flybe were talking about major expansion at ABZ, but something that has not come about yet. Unless the launch of CWL was it! I thought they were looking to start MAN for example.