Eastern Airways
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BMI is/was based at EMA because that's where it was born. You tend not to move your head office operations unless there's a very good reason i.e. significant cost savings. It doesn't actually matter where your head office is as long as the time zone isn't massively different from when most of your ops depart.
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I doubt there was much difference in the cost of the head office ops in fact, at that time, I suspect STN was more than happy to incentivise a carrier to come there and be a based carrier. Airports like to have at least one based carrier.
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Once established, its very difficult to move a HQ, not just your running costs, but your staff as well. Back office staff contracts will be tied to a location, unlike the crews who are no doubt expected to work anywhere. You tend to find you will have to recruit and train a whole new group of staff, as many won't want to move to the other end of the country, even with generous relocation packages, probably leaving you with large redundancy costs, plus the cost of recruiting and training a whole new group of back office staff to the point where they know your business, processes and systems.
Eastern are in a good position currently, essentially at HUY, they will be paying rent to themselves, which is keeping that money in the business, rather than paying a third party.
Eastern are in a good position currently, essentially at HUY, they will be paying rent to themselves, which is keeping that money in the business, rather than paying a third party.
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Due to the fact it was a merger between 4 company's they were spread out quite a bit.
Think it went red hill, crawely, then Stanstead for head office.
NWI was the big maint base with a secondary in Blackpool.
HUY with its plentiful supply of local labour and cheap ground rent I suspect is going to be extremely hard to beat cost wise.
Eastern started out in Manchester as Air kilroe and the crew may still be paid from an Air Kilroe bank account.
Think it went red hill, crawely, then Stanstead for head office.
NWI was the big maint base with a secondary in Blackpool.
HUY with its plentiful supply of local labour and cheap ground rent I suspect is going to be extremely hard to beat cost wise.
Eastern started out in Manchester as Air kilroe and the crew may still be paid from an Air Kilroe bank account.
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Thank you gentleman for those very informative replies !.
But still it begs the question in all the years at HUY they have had E Jets of varying designs for a while.
For example who's have expected them to be flying a brand new pair of E170 .
Excellent aircraft and Manchester - Sumburgh .
I guess next they'll be buying Jet 2 cast offs ( tounge in cheek).
But with all this metal . Not a single extra route from
HUY?.
I take your point about Bristow but there is a population there who don't like travelling far .
( Lincolnshire attitudes are very different to those in West Ireland here).
So you'd think they'd be trying to grab pax from York down to Grantham ( for example ) but East of DSA's coverage.
Out of interest as it's been many moons since I was over there .
The local TD in Scunthorpe who's council own part of that airport , spoke of plans to put a big new roundabout on the N18 ? Did they in the end ?.
But still it begs the question in all the years at HUY they have had E Jets of varying designs for a while.
For example who's have expected them to be flying a brand new pair of E170 .
Excellent aircraft and Manchester - Sumburgh .
I guess next they'll be buying Jet 2 cast offs ( tounge in cheek).
But with all this metal . Not a single extra route from
HUY?.
I take your point about Bristow but there is a population there who don't like travelling far .
( Lincolnshire attitudes are very different to those in West Ireland here).
So you'd think they'd be trying to grab pax from York down to Grantham ( for example ) but East of DSA's coverage.
Out of interest as it's been many moons since I was over there .
The local TD in Scunthorpe who's council own part of that airport , spoke of plans to put a big new roundabout on the N18 ? Did they in the end ?.
I assume they based at HUY because the owners are local, along with the other reasons mentioned above.
As for routes. Their reason for being was to serve the offshore industry with an ability to operate at high frequencies on thin routes because business will pay. There aren't any other sectors based in the Humber region to support other direct routes. AMS covers the rest of the local industry very well.
Be a shame to lose Eastern, hopefully they'll be able to carve out another niche and work on the internal relations.
As for routes. Their reason for being was to serve the offshore industry with an ability to operate at high frequencies on thin routes because business will pay. There aren't any other sectors based in the Humber region to support other direct routes. AMS covers the rest of the local industry very well.
Be a shame to lose Eastern, hopefully they'll be able to carve out another niche and work on the internal relations.
Last edited by pug; 27th Aug 2017 at 11:56.
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There just isn't the market for it.
They did have a few more routes out of HUY and more rotations years ago in the Jetstream 32 days.
They were never near 100% load factor. I presume when they got shot of the JS32's then the J41 was just way to big to support them.
And now there are less oil workers positioning and do so less often to save costs the routes can't be supported.
They did have a few more routes out of HUY and more rotations years ago in the Jetstream 32 days.
They were never near 100% load factor. I presume when they got shot of the JS32's then the J41 was just way to big to support them.
And now there are less oil workers positioning and do so less often to save costs the routes can't be supported.
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Ops, Commercial etc. relocated from NWI to STN, Engineering remained at NWI and so did Reservations, another department that refused to move.
But, for those of us that did move, it cost them a fortune, they paid all our estate agent fees for selling and buying, Pickfords top of the range removal bundle, something like GBP1,000.00 cash for carpets in the new home, oh something like up to 21 nights in a hotel at STN whilst we found somewhere to live, and it went on!
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The crewing issues are not getting any better with continued departures to BACF, Jet2 and some to Loganair. It will be a wonder if they get through the next few weeks OK, although rumours of some spare Flybe E-Jet drivers being subbed to Eastern this winter abound to help out Eastern. It will be interesting to learn what BALPA will make of that if it happens.
The Flybe deal is supposed to be a joint venture but it is being talked about as a wet lease by Eastern to Flybe. Fascinating to see what the actual truth is, as we will no doubt see when the losses from this venture start to wash through the responsible airline's accounts.
The Flybe deal is supposed to be a joint venture but it is being talked about as a wet lease by Eastern to Flybe. Fascinating to see what the actual truth is, as we will no doubt see when the losses from this venture start to wash through the responsible airline's accounts.
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Roundabout
Yes EGPO, the roundabout is there, and a brand new Hampton by Hilton hotel...don't know why as there seem to be less and less flights from HUY every year, it'll be just KLM and a couple of EA Aberdeen flights soon.
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There just isn't the market for it.
They did have a few more routes out of HUY and more rotations years ago in the Jetstream 32 days.
They were never near 100% load factor. I presume when they got shot of the JS32's then the J41 was just way to big to support them.
And now there are less oil workers positioning and do so less often to save costs the routes can't be supported.
They did have a few more routes out of HUY and more rotations years ago in the Jetstream 32 days.
They were never near 100% load factor. I presume when they got shot of the JS32's then the J41 was just way to big to support them.
And now there are less oil workers positioning and do so less often to save costs the routes can't be supported.
Join Date: Feb 2007
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T3 have been using G-CERY to operate the BA flights from IOM to LCY since the 22nd. I am guessing this is maintainance cover for G-CDKA which is currently at HUY.
Was wondering does anyone know what has happened to the other T3 aircraft (G-CDEB) painted on BA colours?. Looks as if it hadn't flown for a couple of months now.
Was wondering does anyone know what has happened to the other T3 aircraft (G-CDEB) painted on BA colours?. Looks as if it hadn't flown for a couple of months now.
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And they'd also have to find airports, which are usually busier and perhaps more commercially aware, at the other end willing to humour the kind of routes they specialised in operating. A few years ago an airport like Edinburgh might have been interested in someone operating flights to Humberside or Norwich with 6 passengers each in the morning peak. Nowadays they might think they can find something more remunerative...
If Eastern wanted to operate from Edinburgh, could Edinburgh stop them? Last time I was there it was pretty busy but I'm sure they could accommodate a few Jetstreams per day. Not a rhetorical question, I'm an interested observer so not sure how these things work...
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I'm sure they wouldn't want to stop them. But they'd want to charge them what they feel Edinburgh is worth at those times of day, which might be more than it was a few years ago, and which might be an amount more easily paid by the larger number of passengers on a significantly larger aircraft...
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jensdad, they can't stop them from operating but they could do what LGW did a few years ago and stop charging per passenger and start charging per landing/departure. In this way they penalise small aircraft operators or reward operators of larger aircraft depending on your point of view!
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Thanks for the answers TartinTom and 01475. I guess in the specific case of Edinburgh they wouldn't want to penalise small aircraft operators because of the impact on flights to Orkney, Shetland, Hebrides etc. but I definitely see what you mean as a general point. Now you mention it, I now recall the reason that BE pulled out of Gatwick was exactly what you mentioned. 
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They also limit peak periods with slots, so could refuse to give slots for when the punters wanted to actually fly.
Most airports charge by max takeoff weight when it comes to landings fee's LGW and a few others have a minimum charge which makes anything under about 75 seats/30 tons ridiculously expensive.
Most airports charge by max takeoff weight when it comes to landings fee's LGW and a few others have a minimum charge which makes anything under about 75 seats/30 tons ridiculously expensive.