CORK - 5

[ryan2000]

I'd be slightly surprised if they go from 5 back to 3 on BCN but it's great to see Lisbon back as it did very well last year and it's also used by at least one inclusive tour operator. There is some growth with EI and EIR but I'm not as optimistic about overall growth at Cork in 2014 as I was a few months ago. There are plenty of hidden cuts in the Shoulder Season and Winter Schedules which never get reported in the media. Happy Christmas Jack!

[Jack1985]

How dare they not fly to places we don't want to go to!

Haha, well look airlines react to demand and thats what the industry is focusing on now, who'd blame um!

I'd be slightly surprised if they go from 5 back to 3 on BCN but it's great to see Lisbon back as it did very well last year and it's also used by at least one inclusive tour operator. There is some growth with EI and EIR but I'm not as optimistic about overall growth at Cork in 2014 as I was a few months ago.

Let's just hope for 2014, we can grow even by the smallest of margins, I'm just hoping we get this autonomy pretty soon! Although I'm not holding my breath for change even if we do, thats what worries me.

Just to show how challenging flying is, EI724 has just returned to Cork after cancelling the approach in Heathrow, had to declare emergency and head back home as no airports were accepting them in London what the hell! The pilot reported winds in LHR as 190 at 54kts with severe turbulence all the way down from 2,000ft. You should be able to listen to it on LiveATC he was just talking on the radio about 5mins ago.

Let's hope everyone gets home this Christmas hey!

[840]

I wonder how Lisbon will do next year.

In previous years the slots were perfect for weekend break, which won't work out so well next year. Also, it's missed some sale time for package holidays.

[bnt]

Severe winds on the Irish south coast with red warnings tonight. RYR380 from Wroclaw in to Cork did a couple of laps, but with winds > 40 kts it's had to divert to Shannon.

EICK 262030Z 22040G59KT 7000 -RA BKN004 BKN011 BKN040 11/11 Q0969 BECMG BKN012

[Jack1985]

The below flights all diverted to Shannon:

RYR380F WRO-ORK
EIN84X AMS-ORK
RYR543J STN-ORK
RYR8825 KRK-ORK
EIN877 ACE-ORK

The Regional's landed on RWY25 so they were unaffected. Tomorrow will be see an affected operation also, EI-DVH and EI-DVK are still on the ground at Cork so Aer Lingus flights to AMS and LHR early morning will get away ok, LPA will be delayed as they have two aircraft still in Shannon (EI-DES and EI-DVI). The Ryanair flights tomorrow will be all over the place both aircraft are in Shannon (EI-DYR and EI-EFL). And it looks like the UK will be a mess altogether tomorrow with this current weather moving there overnight/early morning - So I'd imagine the operation tomorrow will actually be worse then tonight was!

Let's hope there's no shattered glass in the Terminal tomorrow, heard the glass is flexing away quite a bit.

[ryan2000]

Thanks for the update Jack. I'd love to know what was in the mind of the Person who decided that the main runway at Cork should be at 90 degrees to the prevailing winds. Although on a night like this no airport is diversion proof!

[Jack1985]

Thanks for the update Jack. I'd love to know what was in the mind of the Person who decided that the main runway at Cork should be at 90 degrees to the prevailing winds. Although on a night like this no airport is diversion proof!

I think if we discussed that topic we would open a whole can of worms! Even if Runway 25/07 were extended to say 6500ft we would see a lot less disruption in terms of prevailing winds, though as ever the weather will always find a way to disrupt I guess.

[confused atco]

I would suspect that any extension of 07/25 would have to happen at the 07 THR and west.

The PCN is given as 55/R/C/W/U.
R rigid
C low strength

So this too would need to be upgraded otherwise you are maxing out at A320 and some A321 but B738 is out

Therefore I would surmise that the only realistic upgrade of 07/25 would effectively be a new runway.

what was in the mind of the Person who decided that the main runway at Cork should be at 90 degrees to the prevailing winds.

I would surmise that when the airport was first mooted that the 4 runway orientations 07/25 and 17/35 were deemed acceptable to cater for all wind directions.

Since then the "main" runway 17/35 has been extended to accommodate bigger and newer jet traffic.
The 07/25 had been maintained and is used for turbo prop operations like 13/31 was in Shannon.

When the time comes for major works on 07/25 the taxpayer will have to foot the bill if there is an independent Cork and the economic justification here will be thin.
You better hope the Dauphin is returned to power for this to happen.

If Cork remains a "Subsidiary" of the DAA good luck to you getting them to foot this bill.

[ryan2000]

I'd say 25/07 will go the same way as 13/31 at Shannon if it's condition requires any major investment. It's used very rarely nowadays even by ATR's. There was even talk of closing it some years ago to make room for another Business Park near the Kinsale Road but the recession put a stop to that plan.

[FRatSTN]

Isn't the main runway going to become 16/34 fairly soon? I think the magnetic heading is drifting quite close to it now.

[confused atco]

Cork
VAR 5° 46 W JAN. 2006
ANNUAL RATE OF CHANGE -11 W

Shannon was updated in 2010.
I think this was the time when 13/31 became 14/32.

[CCR]

Sounds like a fantastic opportunity for Cork

Airline plans ?300 return flights to Canada - Independent.ie

Let`s hope the newly autonomous airport authority grasp it.

Happy new year everybody!

[840]

Would a flight to St John's really be a good thing? There could only be limited demand between the two cities and neither Cork nor St John's can offer massive opportunities for onward connection. I'd worry that it could just be a false dawn that could discourage real transatlantic opportunities.

If it was a one-stop connection to Toronto, like their Dublin service is, it might improve matters, but that suffers by sticking extra capacity into the limited market from St Johns to Toronto.

Perhaps a stop in Halifax on the way to Toronto might open up more connection opportunities and link to a larger market in Canada.

On the plus side for St John's, it's only around 30 minutes more flying time than a flight to Tenerife.

[ryan2000]

I'd say Westjet will add a 2nd Daily Service from Dublin before they'd look at Cork. Interestingly once Jet 2 withdraw in March, Cork will have no scheduled non-Irish operator for the 1st time in its 52 year History. Not something to be proud of.

[EI-BUD]

840, I think you make a very valid point re a false dawn. But the success of WestJet may prove irresistible for Ryanair, and may result in them re-evaluating Ireland - East Coast USA routes to say secondary airports with the current aircraft type ...

[Jack1985]

Anyone think there seems to be a mass overcapacity from Ireland to Canada? The country has gone from;

Aer Lingus After a near 40 year hiatus serving Canada, in which previously they served Montréal before continuing toward Chicago to now launching a new daily year-round route to Toronto in April 2014 (granted it reduces during Winter), surprisingly they are reporting excellent forward bookings.

Air Canada who used to serve Dublin-Toronto seasonally from May to October are now serving Dublin year-round with there ''Rouge'' brand from May 2014.

Air Transat serve Dublin and Shannon to Toronto, as well as Dublin to Montréal all seasonally and they've been here quite a while.

WestJet Finally a Canadian low-cost airline arrives with daily one-stop flights from Toronto to Dublin via St. John's from June to September and now are interested in Cork and Shannon.

I remember we had flyglobespan the Scottish low-co who previously operated from Dublin to a few Canadian destinations as well as a short-lived Liverpool-Knock-JFK route and I think Boston they served too. I can understand the demand pre 2008 - And I realise now there is further demand created through immigration to Canada.

However I can't help but think, the market could see over-capacity next year and rightly as EI-BUD points out a particular harp you can bet is watching cunningly with new aircraft arriving shortly. I'd welcome any new route, as long as the demand is founded - I'm yet to come across such demand from Cork.

[CCR]

Connections through St John`s to onward destinations in North America would be key.
Given that WestJet has no Shannon service and Shannon already has 6 transatlantic carriers including a service to Canada, Cork may be the favourite on this occasion.

[larry the man]

Guys I think you'll find that Belfast with strong, established connections to Canada, no air tax on t/Atlantic and many northern passengers already forming a core of the business on other DUB Canada services is a much stronger candidate for a new Westjet op than either Ork or SNN.

[Jack1985]

Guys I think you'll find that Belfast with strong, established connections to Canada, no air tax on t/Atlantic and many northern passengers already forming a core of the business on other DUB Canada services is a much stronger candidate for a new Westjet op than either Ork or SNN.

Doubt it Larry, there's a thing called tax which from Northern Ireland and the UK is now actually higher per departing and arriving passengers (even though APD on Long-Haul from NI has been abolished). Evidence of obvious NI public use of DUB services to counteract the higher taxes is also obvious, and also if you believe the Independent is in the fortunate position of such a source of information (ORK, SNN new route rumours) you're mistaken, they were given that information in order to try and play SNN and ORK off each other resulting in further operational advantages, maybe this time the DAA can place Cork in an even better one.

[larry the man]

Brilliant jack - delighted daa exercise such all-encompassing control on the structure of world air travel! Trust 2014 will deliver all that your heart desires.