COVENTRY

[learjet50]

SORRY COVENTRY

I have always said with due respect to Coventry##Lovely people living in a dream world

Sir Peter can have all the money in the Universe Coventry closed last year due lack of traffic

Some 9 months later the tooth fairy does not re appear with a List of Airlines waiting to re appear at Coventry

Sorry as a GA // Cargo Airport OK But thats it folks

Call me names all you want but in reality Coventry will Never be back where it was

SAD BUT TRUE

Sorry
Gezzay

[befree]

thomson fly paid the airport to get out of a contract to fly from the airport.

You would have to pay an airline to fly to Coventry instead of using BHX.

Rigby is keen to keep the city council happy by talking about pax services but the will never happen while you have all the "low cost" flying bigger planes from BHX.

[EGCA]

Indeed, the immediate use should be freight, exec/business, helicopter etc, with commercial passenger in some form as an "aspiration" for some time in the future. Sir Peter should have a sound commercial mind, so "walking before running" will be foremost I suspect.

Still good to see it back up and running all the same.

EGCA

[call100]

I think the clue is in his language...."One day. When the time is right. The right airline. Possibly" etc.
No one knows the future, however, I can see a couple of niche pax flights maybe but, not a whole airline doing LoCo as per Thomsonfly. The bubble has burst a bit and may not recover fully.
BHX is even more competitive now than then so CVT is not now the choice based on economics like it was back then.
What the people of Coventry need to understand is that it is better to have a small successful airport than punching above their weight and trying to compete with the big fellah up the road and failing......
Good to see it back and I'll be supporting the Fly in next month...

Having said that I note that Sir Peter says "We have hired the appropriate marketing resources and we are out there actively now talking to airlines". Could he be talking about a certain disgruntled marketing person from BHX??

[Romaro]

If Rigby has knicked Marc Watkins from BHX, which BHX routes/carriers could possibly be courted away from BHX unless they pay less than £1/passenger, indeed get paid by Coventry to move?

Pretty tough call?

[call100]

Emirates??

[x1150]

Call 100

It might mean using the A46 Coventry Eastern By-Pass to start the RunUp should just clear the rooftops in Stoneleigh.

[piky]

XX115:

WTF you on about?

[niknak]

With proper marketing Cov could easily attract a lot of non scheduled traffic (exec, private owners of significant aircraft and perhaps even some freight) from Birmingham.

I don't think for a moment that there's any chance of significant scheduled passenger traffic operating from Cov' but as Brum expands, or even gets too big for it's own boots, Coventry has a lot to offer with regards to charter and freight traffic.
The significant factor they have to offer is an H24 ATC service (not necessarily radar, combined APP & ADC will suffice 2200 -0600).

The new owners must take advantage of every opportunity now or they may as well not bother.

[x1150]

My wish for Coventry Airport is firstly it thrives in these still difficult times, as Nik Nak says its strengths are for GA freight etc but maybe there are opportunities for the capture of some passenger work in a modest fashion, domestic and short haul Europe built on the Small is Beautiful basis.
Of all the people I knew who flew from here in Thomson and Wizzair days all spoke of a relative hassle free experience. If costs are kept down for any incoming Airline they may be able to attract a number of well established operators who are looking for alternative bases.

[Dawdler]

X1150.
I concur with your second paragraph. I flew with Thomsom from CVT many times. The lack of hassle and efficiency was normally a wonder to compare with larger airfields. That said, if there was ever a delay for any reason, the terminal struggled to cope. We arrived one to find flight to Germany had been delayed and we struggled to check in and get through the terminal in time for our flight which was operating normally.

Incidentally my very first take off from Bagington was in a glider - and the winch cable broke!

[Captain Caveman]

They only way imho of SPR getting flights in and out of CVT would be to fund a small turbo prop venture himself! Say for Jersey and Ireland to commence etc...

[1 long final]

Well I am glad we are back. Good luck Sir Peter and here is to lots of happy landings at EGBE and swift halves at the Oak afterwards

[Firestorm]

Captain Caveman. If you wanted to do that why not do it from Birmingham which has got all the facilities that you could want to operate an airline service, such as a radar for ATC; a terminal for passengers; a car park (not grass); cat III ILS for bad weather; space in the terminal for delays; capacity for many more movements; infrastructure already in place such as handling companies and staff?

He could make it into a business and GA centre I'm sure, and a freight and mail terminal as it was very successfully for many years. But with Birmingham placed where it is it just makes operating out of Coventry more complicated than easier overall. I agree that it has potential, but as Thomson proved that's all it has!

[ejaz]

Good to hear that CVT is reopen and fully oprating, Hope it will stand on its feet or better then before!!!

[Flyingwhale]

Well its not exactly operating now is it, other than Atlantic there is 4 movements total for today, not sure how long it will stay open for because however you look at it you cannot keep an airport open with 20 tonnes a day landing fees. BHX gets 340 movments a day a little bit different to CVT is must be said. But I realy hope it works out for everybody at CVT.

[Leofric]

Well it always was going to take a while to build up. You do, of course, mean four IFR movements. There is also training and VFR traffic. Talk of new operators (not airlines) moving in and dead flying schools being revived - gives it a little while before you judge.

[Flyingwhale]

But how long would it need doesnt the fact it was closed for 8 months say something what operator/airline would want to take on all the costs with the chance the airport closes again, I understand you have to give it time that goes without saying but can you realy see CVT opening 24hr in the near future and making a good go of it I dont think so, the other problem for CVT are that other airline/operators are getting themselves established at other midland airports and dont want to go back to coventry.

[Leofric]

There is very little chance of CVT opening anything like 24 hours or attracting major airline traffic in the foreseeable future. Perhaps they could get an odd flight to Jersey or a skiing destination but no repeat of the Thomsonfly operation is likely.
That does not mean that over a reasonable period, a thriving aviation business cannot be built up with aerial work companies, bizjets, helicopters, general aviation, maintenance and some freight. Sir Peter Rigby is already moving in some of his Patriot Aviation businesses.
One of the most remarkable things is that the airport lost very few resident companies over the "closure" period. In fact is was only a closure for a few days - for the rest of the time it was open as an unlicensed airfield.

[Flyingwhale]

Thats very true there is a great opportunity for biz jets and choppers but is in not true that CVT are charging twich the landing fee's of BHX? The problem I see is that there are many people out there reading this hoping to hear some good news about there jobs but the fact of the matter is nobody knows what is going to happen in the future.