IRELAND WEST AIRPORT KNOCK

[sawtooth]

Said the same of all the uk routes, Tut tuts coming from EI types, no change there in 25 years.

[PPRuNeUser0176]

MOL talks a lot of bull, he says about all these major expansion plans but 90% of the time they don't happon as FR and airport fall out. All you have to do is look at so many press releases from FR and see if they have ever happoned.

Cork, Dublin, Shannon, Belfast and maybe Kerry next...

FR and NOC are happy for now but it will never last long term, as NOC is just about making a profit what will the airport do when Gov funding is scaled down over the next 2 - 3 years, they will have no choose but to increase charges or the departure fee for passengers. It all smiles now but for how long...being so dependent of Ryanair is like a ticking time bomb..Although NOC has other carriers coming, they will always be very dependent on Ryanair.

Not putting a downer on things but what I am saying is fact and NOC needs to be careful like other airports that deal with Ryanair.

[aer lingus]

@sawtooth
Shannon had to go crawling back to EI after FR regnaged on it's deal with them, and again I ask the question, in the middle of a ression with the country almost bankrupt where are all the passengers for 24 plus routes going to come from? I am not trying to get at NOC and FR, I just stating facts.

[Kinocker]

Kinocker, what's the other forum?

It was on the Boards Aviation and Aircraft forum.

Shannon had to go crawling back to EI after FR regnaged on it's deal with them, and again I ask the question, in the middle of a ression with the country almost bankrupt where are all the passengers for 24 plus routes going to come from? I am not trying to get at NOC and FR, I just stating facts.

As has been said, most outside observers couldn't have imagined that Knock would ever get to the level it is at now so who is to say that more cannot be achieved. Shannon is continuing to look more and more like a lost cause in terms of competitiveness so if the two airports go head to head for a route, Knock always has a chance of a win. In terms of passengers its catchment area is ever widening as more people begin to see it as an alternative to often more expensive DAA airports. The ongoing improvements to the N5 at Longford and Ballaghaderreen will aid connectivity to a wider population base also.

Of course, if such a level of expansion was ever to be attempted (and MOL saying he'll do it and actually doing it are two very different things) Knock would need to be careful to protect their position i.e. if the expansion failed they would need to be able to scale back to their current position without the airport going to the wall. As long as they can achieve that I see no reason why they shouldn't seek new routes.

What will the airport do when Gov funding is scaled down over the next 2 - 3 years, they will have no choose but to increase charges or the departure fee for passengers.

Lets face it, the reality is that Knock doesn't need to be overly worried about significant funding cuts while the current government are in power.

[Johnny Tightlips]

Are FR planning to have a base in NOC?

[j636]

Lets face it, the reality is that Knock doesn't need to be overly worried about significant funding cuts while the current government are in power.

That maybe so but the Irish Government is not making many decisions are they....EU/IMF doing most of it, and even though Enda is from mayo he can't get money to sustain NOC when he hasn't got it.

[Jack1985]

A replica of Cork

NOC at the moment brings me back to the days of 2000-2003 at Cork loads of UK services and EU expansion into bucket and spade routes (the majority). Credit is due to NOC with DUS from LH a good long term sustainable route, i think the idea though of launching European Sun has to change to European City Markets example Rome, Milan, Prague etc.. sustainable growth is needed not Summer Sun and Nuclear Winters (When the Sun routes cease).

[sawtooth]

Start dates for new/restarting routes now on FR site....

From Knock to
Alicante 26 Mar 12
Barcelona (Girona) 27 Mar 12
Bristol 25 Mar 12
Faro 27 Mar 12
Frankfurt (Hahn) 27 Mar 12
Gran Canaria 27 Mar 12
Milan (Bergamo) 25 Mar 12
Paris (Beauvais) 27 Mar 12

Ryanair - New flight offers

Cheap Flights from Knock to Alicante

[CCR]

Ryanair to add four Knock Europe routes - RT News

The success continues..well done Knock!!

[Kinocker]

Excellent news again - that takes the airport to 19 scheduled international routes next summer I think. 10 of those will go beyond the UK. Not much frequency details to be found yet, will they all be three weekly services?

Also, where will the plane originate to serve Beauvais - I assume they won't be overnighting one at Knock? It says something that they are willing to fly between two non-bases to serve Knock to Beauvais, maybe that there is political financial backing behind the routes, are there any details of Government funding to help the services get off the ground?

Either way it is great news for the airport and Ryanair have managed to resist directly attacking any other airlines' existing routes in the process.



EDIT: from the airport's website -

Starting March 27th 2012 flights from Ireland West Airport Knock to Paris (Beauvais), Frankfurt (Hahn) and Barcelona (Girona) will depart every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, with flights to Milan (Bergamo) starting on March 25th 2012 and operating every Wednesday and Sunday.

[PPRuNeUser0176]

Its says Paris BVA is operated by an aircraft from NOC. A W from a UK base.

Airport site being very miss leading about Frankfurt and Pairs. Hahn and Beavious over 2 hours away form the actual cities.

[FR-]

Which UK based a/c will be flying the NOC-BVA?

fr-

[Kinocker]

Which UK based a/c will be flying the NOC-BVA?

I wonder if it will perhaps be an a/c from EMA, the three additional days added to the EMA-NOC schedule are the same days that the Beauvais route is scheduled to operate.

I suppose the one downside of this announcement is that it greatly reduces the possibility of flybe going direct to CDG anytime soon, their link with Air France seemed like Knock's best hope of getting a major hub/alliance connection from the airport.

A few other snippets in the Irish Times article on the subject (other than the airport having apparently moved location):

- An early prediction from Joe Gilmore of 725,000 pax through Knock next year

- A commitment from Tourism Ireland Chief Executive Niall Gibbons to run a strong advertising campaign to promote the western region to potential European tourists.

Ryanair to open new Knock routes - The Irish Times - Mon, Nov 21, 2011

[j636]

NOC - ALC on sale for summer 2012. Mon and Fri.
ALC 15.15 - NOC 17.25
NOC 17.50 - ALC 22.00


Milan - 50% Irish 50 other (Lake Garda could be cast as sun area)
Barcelona 60% Irish 40% other
Paris - can't call but will struggle if on Tue, Thur and Sat operation
Frankfurt - 10% Irish 90% other

Anyone any thaughts?

[Kinocker]

More like 90% Irish into Barca I would guess - they've just moved the route from one Costa to the other!

Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday doesn't tie in too well for weekend trips to Paris alright, I'd say this route will be more focussed on enticing French holidaymakers to come the other way - maybe a 70/30 split in favour of inbound tourists for that one. Hahn is all about the German tourists, it has worked into Kerry, should work into Knock too.

[Jamie2k9]

Suprised about BVA to say the least. All those times on airport site will change and if BVA is being operated by W from NOC then it is lighlty to be STN but I think it will be done from the BVA side with aircraft from other bases.

Nothing about extending the apron?

[Mayfly1]

I say well done to the airport and ryanair,
it's a much needed boost for tourism access into
the west of Ireland from mainland Europe.
At least Knock has gone and ensured finally there is
direct air access from these markets that will give new
tourists the opportunity to fly in.

[iwak]

Well done to ryanair and knock airport , great day for the west of ireland and will provide a much needed boost to the wests economy.

Great route portfolio now for an airport built on a foggy boggy mountain!!:

[mart901]

Really strange one that, if a W pattern it would have to originate ex UK, my only thoughts are the UK route that was supposed to happen as part of the announcement is yet to come?? I can't see them going for the kill somehow in the current climate, maybe somewhere slightly obscure like Bournmouth, for summer months only?

[mart901]

Shame if bmibaby go, another competitor out of the market. Flybe or ryanair would very quickly fill that void of course. I wonder if Aer Lingus or Aer Arann will ever open anything else out of Knock?