LUTON - 3

[LTNman]

Ryanair new route start dates from Ltn

old news but coming soon

October 31st

Malta
Fez

November 1st

Marrakesh

[CAP493]

Putting two and two together. Local rag has a large advert for Ramp Agents. Are DHL increasing their presence at Luton I wonder as the ad was placed by them?

Well....some time ago, you heard it here first!

Various snipets being overheard: a 'significant' increase in cargo business - a lucrative new sub-contract for a 'major national carrier' - a large proportion of flights will be daytime and NOT at night - a/c will be A300s + B757s - Cargo Apron will be extended and re-vamped - timing is from late October onwards.

[kala87]

The photo posted a few days ago certainly brings back memories. I think the young fellow standing on the left side of the bench is my good self. That viewing area was almost my second home from 1966 to 1969. Vintage ATCO was another regular there, and we had many a lively debate/argument on all kind of things to do with aviation. I used to ride up to the airport on a vintage green bike with my VHF radio in the saddlebag. The photo looks like 1968 or 1969, couldn't be before 1968 as Monarch's first Britannia's only arrived in that year (2 of them). You needed to be patient in those days with long gaps between any movements for much of the day. Maybe we're waiting for the Sudflug DC7C to arrive on a Monday afternoon (or was that 1967?) Happy days, life was certainly simpler then.

[CAP493]

Vintage ATCO was another regular there, and we had many a lively debate/argument on all kind of things to do with aviation.

Surely not? VA would have been in long trousers by then, probably gainfully employed and so paid to be there...!!
You say that there were 'long gaps between movements' - so when did Court Line start at Luton (thought it was about 1970)??

[22/04]

IIRC Sudflug DC 7s were Sunday afternoons in 1967. Yes there were long gaps until at least 1970- in '68 after the morning rush of 3 BY Britannias, 1 Monarch Britannia, three Autair One Elevens and an Ambassador/748/Healrd or two, and a couple of Dan Air One Elevens (all over by 09.30) there was little except a BY Britannia to Rimini (12.20) until they all started coming back (OM Brit at 12.30, but most after 13.30, (Bits took 7 hours to go to PMI and back), except for the odd Midland Viscount or two. We had to amuse ourselves with antics of Cessna 150s of LFC on the grass.

The airport got busier in 1970 with Cout Line, but wasn't really busy until they had grown ( '72/'73).

As was said earlier, happy days!

[22/04]

Oops! delete the Dan One elevens, they didn't come until 1969

[Buster the Bear]

Sudflug, just a bit before my time!

http://www.williamdemarest.com/image...flug-dc7-1.jpg

[vintage ATCO]

The photo must be around 1968/69 and, yes, I was in the gainful employment of the Borough of Luton so not me in the picture. I certainly remember it though.

[ebenezer]

Cargo Apron will be extended and re-vamped

For once, LTN appears to be in danger of being overwhelmed with new business. Harrods are desperate to increase their handling & parking capacity, and LLAO's original intent was to allocate virtually all of the Cargo Apron to Harrods, relocating their operation there with a new purpose-built 'corporate aviation terminal'. Then came the renewed and significant interest from various trucking companies that's now going to lead to a resurgence of LTN's cargo business (although not on the scale of the early to mid 1980's). With Harrod's having signed up to handle Silverjet for example, the pressure is 'on' for LLAO to deliver - and it also needs the South Apron stands back for use from April '07 onwards because of additional routes and therefore, more overnight aircraft parking.

Against this background, LLAO continues to negotiate with Luton Borough Council over the Concession and how to pay for the further development needed on the existing airport site, now that the Council has effectively killed-off Project 2030 by withdrawing its support.

The Council apparently is doing what it's always done - procrastinating, dithering and delaying.

[Powerjet1]

Against this background, LLAO continues to negotiate with Luton Borough Council over the Concession and how to pay for the further development needed on the existing airport site, now that the Council has effectively killed-off Project 2030 by withdrawing its support.

In other words, very little is likely to happen. There just isn't the space for any major expansion within the existing airport boundary and with the ongoing argument re an extension to the Concession Agreement to our "Spanish friends(ACDL)", further substantial invesment may be hard to come by. Well done LBC, yet another c**k up.

[King Pong]

The truth is that the road network in the central area is already above capacity for parts of the day and I can’t see what they can really do about it. Before the closing of the drop off area traffic would queue beyond the Ibis and down the hill. Now that all traffic is directed to the short-term car park nothing has changed despite the car park having three entrance barriers. Lets not forget that the current arrangements are what the airport tried to implement around 18 months ago as a solution to traffic congestion and it is clear that it isn’t working despite the extra manpower used in directing traffic.

At the moment traffic flows into the airport are regulated by the constraint of the single lane road from where the existing dual carriageway ends from the motorway. This bottleneck will end next year allowing a doubling of traffic rates to reach the airport. If you think that the traffic is bad this year just wait to next year.

[ebenezer]

Well done LBC, yet another c**k up.

I fear that you're probably right. Already it appears that ACDL is starting to flag up the 'break clause' that's in the Concession Agreement in 2015, and the fact that without a 20-year extension to the term (which would make it 50 years in total) there's no business case for investing a significant amount of extra cash in the existing site (unless of course, the Council chooses to spend some money on what's in reality, its own real estate ). The most likely scenario is therefore, little or no further development at Luton followed by a gradual decline in business which, if Stansted eventually gets its second runway and enlarged terminal capacity, will migrate en-mass to Essex within eight or-so years (as did Ryanair and TNT before).

The Town Hall erks at Luton will then be left with a crumbling, rapidly becoming out-of-date edifice that'll be an ever-present memorial to their complete lack of foresight, planning and understanding of the business of commercial aviation.

In other words, a re-run of the Luton situation in 1980s and early 1990s.

[CAP493]

...little or no further development at Luton followed by a gradual decline in business...

...Luton will then be left with a crumbling, rapidly becoming out-of-date edifice

This is very depressing and makes one feel sorry for the many employees of LLAO and other companies at LTN who desperately try to stay motivated and upbeat about working at LTN and about it's future, and who daily make great efforts to give the best service possible to LTN's passengers, airlines and aircraft operators. And if the scenario proves correct, the 'rot' will set in long before 2015 as good quality staff leave or cannot be recruited and those that are left are 'trapped' for domestic & personal reasons and so become thoroughly depressed and de-motivated.

[Buster the Bear]

The government of Malta are meeting today to ratify, or otherwise, incentives for low cost airlines. This could mean an official launch of the Ryanair service proposed last week?

From the press: The government had offered incentives and support schemes totalling Lm1 million in a bid to get airlines to fly to underserved destinations and boost tourism in the winter months. Both Ryanair and Easyjet had submitted proposals.

[Charlie Roy]

Malta times two?

http://www.maltamedia.com/news/2005/...le_11393.shtml

Minister for Tourism and Culture Francis Zammit Dimech announced that the government is accepting all bids submitted in response to the call for low cost carriers to operate new routes to Malta. ... the Minister said that Government was reacting in the fastest possible manner, conscious of the lead time required by the airlines to promote the flights.
... easyJet applied to start daily flights to Luton and five weekly flights to Mulhouse-Basel. Ryanair applied to start daily flights to Luton and three weekly flights to Pisa and Dublin. Ryanair have stated that they will increase the frequencies of the Pisa flight as demand picks up.

So what? BOTH Ryanair and Easyjet will operate daily flights to/from Luton?! Can't see that happening and if it does then it'll be one of the cheapest destinations around as both compagnies launch a war on winter sun fares

[Buster the Bear]

The current debacle relating to the income generated via the passenger tax/charge and future further infrastructure investment is hardly surprising considering the nature of Town Hall politics. Believe me, the only interest a local politician has in the airport, it how much it will generate for the town until the next set of local elections! Looking beyond this requires in depth knowledge of the business, forward thinking and cool decision making. As I have said previously, something that appears to be lacking since the Town Hall turned a yellow orange!

Concession for a Peerage? A legacy from when the Town Hall was painted red? Income is a vote winner and something the No 10 rewards highly it would seem!.

Now here is a question and one that I cannot answer since I left the world of local politics: As the income generated by the airport grows, does LBC lose HM Govt subsidy proportionally? Or do the local politicians get to spend it all?

Look on the bright side, LBC may be left with the biggest and busiest Biz Jet airport outside of the USA when the concession expires, but not generating much in the way of concession tax from the few passengers using the dilapidated tinminal? Mr Franks and his cronies will by then, be assigned to names on the Roll of Honour plaque within the Town Hall lobby?

Based upon my comments above, if you were a local politician sitting down to perhaps re-examine the concession, would you be focused on getting the best deal for Luton folk in the long term, or be more focus on getting re-elected and spending the £millions now? I am in no way blaming the elected council, just demonstrating the driving force of local politics. I am assured that local politics in Spain is even worse so ACDL must have experience dealing with 'the system'?

So where does that leave the airport..........as old father bear once said..."BILMEY I don't have a clue"!

Are the Spanish renowned for their brinkmanship.....I wonder?

[Buster the Bear]

Malta

http://www.independent.com.mt/news.asp?newsitemid=38259

[toledoashley]

Looks like we are going to have no problem with flights to Malta!

[vintage ATCO]

We should boycott Malta . . . .

Help us halt illegal hunting
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From RSPB. Just thought I'd throw this into the pot. I wouldn't dream of imposing my views on others (oh, I just have ) but I would never go there.

[LTNman]

Just heard that there was a ground collision at Luton tonight. Fact or fiction? Couple of aircraft called PANs due to low fuel as the runway was closed. One of those PAN’s was an easyjet that made an approach on low fire cover. The approach was then broken off as instructed by ATC and the easyjet went to Stansted as did a Ryanair.

Update: Now hearing that it was a smoking easyjet but I am still short on facts