SOUTHEND - 2
Possible Buyer
According to reports in the Irish press, Howard Holdings are considering making a bid for the purchase of SEN.
Presumably this would be in conjunction with Convergence-AFCO, with the operating company being CIAO (Convergence International Airports Organisation), as is the case at Coventry.
Howard Holdings boast an investment and property portfolio worth 3 billion Euros and this combination of a major property developer and an airport management company could make them an ideal suitor for SEN.
Presumably this would be in conjunction with Convergence-AFCO, with the operating company being CIAO (Convergence International Airports Organisation), as is the case at Coventry.
Howard Holdings boast an investment and property portfolio worth 3 billion Euros and this combination of a major property developer and an airport management company could make them an ideal suitor for SEN.
SEN Sale
I believe all bids have to be in by the middle of this month with a sale completion date of early June being the aim.
The relocation of the check-in area starts in the next week or so, for completion during May, with an extension of the airside departure area to the west providing an additional gate.
The relocation of the check-in area starts in the next week or so, for completion during May, with an extension of the airside departure area to the west providing an additional gate.
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By Mark Leftly
Sunday, 16 March 2008
London City airport has made a surprise bid in the £100m auction of rival Southend airport.
The sale is taking place amid a civil war in the aviation industry, with airlines, unions and politicians fighting over whether the airport holdings of the market-leading operator BAA should be broken up.
City's bid was unexpected, as its management had thought the airport's core business passenger base would not want to go to Southend in Essex.
However, Richard Gooding, City airport's chief executive, said: "There is a shortage of airports in the South-east, and Southend therefore presents an opportunity."
A source close to Regional Airports, Southend's owner, insisted that City was one of the more logical suitors, given that the two airports are within an hour's train journey of each other. City has been backed by its owners, AIG, the insurance giant, and Global Infrastructure Partners, a joint venture between GE Infrastructure and Credit Suisse.
More than 40 parties were sent information memorandums on Southend last month. Dawnay Day, the owner of Oxford airport; Cognetas, the private equity group; and Macquarie, the Australian bank, are all thought to be interested.
Regional Airports is expected to reinvest at least £35m from the sale into upgrading Biggin Hill, the company's private jet facility in Kent.
If politicians get their way, this will not be the only major UK airport sale in the next two years. Yesterday, the Transport Select Committee clashed with Unite, the biggest civil aviation union, over the future of BAA's airports. The committee threw its weight behind the campaign to force Grupo Ferrovial, BAA's owner, to sell at least one of its South-east airports, which include Heathrow, Stansted and Gatwick.
Sunday, 16 March 2008
London City airport has made a surprise bid in the £100m auction of rival Southend airport.
The sale is taking place amid a civil war in the aviation industry, with airlines, unions and politicians fighting over whether the airport holdings of the market-leading operator BAA should be broken up.
City's bid was unexpected, as its management had thought the airport's core business passenger base would not want to go to Southend in Essex.
However, Richard Gooding, City airport's chief executive, said: "There is a shortage of airports in the South-east, and Southend therefore presents an opportunity."
A source close to Regional Airports, Southend's owner, insisted that City was one of the more logical suitors, given that the two airports are within an hour's train journey of each other. City has been backed by its owners, AIG, the insurance giant, and Global Infrastructure Partners, a joint venture between GE Infrastructure and Credit Suisse.
More than 40 parties were sent information memorandums on Southend last month. Dawnay Day, the owner of Oxford airport; Cognetas, the private equity group; and Macquarie, the Australian bank, are all thought to be interested.
Regional Airports is expected to reinvest at least £35m from the sale into upgrading Biggin Hill, the company's private jet facility in Kent.
If politicians get their way, this will not be the only major UK airport sale in the next two years. Yesterday, the Transport Select Committee clashed with Unite, the biggest civil aviation union, over the future of BAA's airports. The committee threw its weight behind the campaign to force Grupo Ferrovial, BAA's owner, to sell at least one of its South-east airports, which include Heathrow, Stansted and Gatwick.
This week's edition of Property Week (normally a reliable source of information) reports that there is a short-list of seven bidders for LSACL as follows:
Macquarie, the Australian conglomerate
Dawnay, Day, who own Oxford, Kidlington
Barclays Capital
Hochtief
Balfour Beatty
Albertis
AIG (the LCY bid)
If this is accurate it represents a pretty heavyweight collection of bidders.
Macquarie, the Australian conglomerate
Dawnay, Day, who own Oxford, Kidlington
Barclays Capital
Hochtief
Balfour Beatty
Albertis
AIG (the LCY bid)
If this is accurate it represents a pretty heavyweight collection of bidders.
Janes Aviation
It's reported on the Air Humberside forum this morning that HS748 G-AYIM will today route BLK-SEN-CVT-SEN for Janes Aviation and that the aircraft will then be SEN based.
If so, it will be nice to see that occasionally rumours actually come to something
.
Update: Just been told it's ETA SEN is 10:20 today.
If so, it will be nice to see that occasionally rumours actually come to something
.Update: Just been told it's ETA SEN is 10:20 today.
Last edited by Expressflight; 20th Mar 2008 at 08:28.
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Yes Expressflight a very heavyweight selection of potential bidders. I do have to say that not all airport operators are all they are cracked up to be, The particular operator that gets it will very much determine the sort of airport that is run in the future.
Albertis - Have had results at LTN in terms of filling the stands and terminal. Their biggest problem at Luton is the short lease that is left which is why investment has stopped. One problem that they would not have at SEN.
Hochteif - well I belive they run BRS and that doesn't seem to be doing bad right now
LCY (AIG) - The inftasrtucture would get sorted. runway, ramp, terminal and all of the other things that need doing. They have an ability to get the airlines to come rolling in. The airport could rapidly become a very expensive operating environment for the GA operators and dozens of parasitic operators that survive on SEN's low rates though.
Barclays capital - Well they could be working as a front for anyone
Dawnay Day - Are making some changes at OXF but have they got what it takes to take on SEN?
Infratil - God help us look at Manston for God's sake!
Balfour Beatty - well it doesn't sound like they particularly know what they are doing at EXT right now
Don't know anything about the one from Oz
Can't say I thnk much of the CAFCO mob that oprerate Coventry as the airport development seems to have become completely botched and no one knows what is going to happen there now.
I am sure there are many others and I'm not sure which one I'd go for
The worst thing that could happen is someone take it to hold onto for a few years, do absolutley nothing and turn a fast buck. The airport needs heaps spending on it to bring it into this century and that needs to start ASAP
Albertis - Have had results at LTN in terms of filling the stands and terminal. Their biggest problem at Luton is the short lease that is left which is why investment has stopped. One problem that they would not have at SEN.
Hochteif - well I belive they run BRS and that doesn't seem to be doing bad right now
LCY (AIG) - The inftasrtucture would get sorted. runway, ramp, terminal and all of the other things that need doing. They have an ability to get the airlines to come rolling in. The airport could rapidly become a very expensive operating environment for the GA operators and dozens of parasitic operators that survive on SEN's low rates though.
Barclays capital - Well they could be working as a front for anyone
Dawnay Day - Are making some changes at OXF but have they got what it takes to take on SEN?
Infratil - God help us look at Manston for God's sake!
Balfour Beatty - well it doesn't sound like they particularly know what they are doing at EXT right now
Don't know anything about the one from Oz
Can't say I thnk much of the CAFCO mob that oprerate Coventry as the airport development seems to have become completely botched and no one knows what is going to happen there now.
I am sure there are many others and I'm not sure which one I'd go for
The worst thing that could happen is someone take it to hold onto for a few years, do absolutley nothing and turn a fast buck. The airport needs heaps spending on it to bring it into this century and that needs to start ASAP
Last edited by Toxic Thrust; 22nd Mar 2008 at 10:23.
There's a report on the Freight Dogs forum that Janes Aviation plan to have six aircraft in service by the end of this year, with the second aircraft ready for delivery now and the third nearly so.
I assume that much of their flying will be from airfields other than SEN, but they could amount to quite a substantial new resident outfit.
Anyone heard what their operational plans are in order to keep a fleet of that size busy?
I assume that much of their flying will be from airfields other than SEN, but they could amount to quite a substantial new resident outfit.
Anyone heard what their operational plans are in order to keep a fleet of that size busy?
Flywatch Southend to Paris, Pontoise
The Flywatch website today is showing a SEN-POX (don't you just love that designator) service commencing 2 May 2008 with departures SEN 1600 Fridays and 0900 Mondays. They say this will allow either a weekend or a whole week in Paris - and presumably the same in London for French inbound pax.
Fares, wait for it, are an eyewatering £360 return plus taxes.
Aircraft will still be the Navajo, although I doubt they will need even seven seats at those fares. Just who is likely to be prepared to pay that amount is quite beyond me I'm afraid.
The SEN-LTQ will operate just as Saturday and Sunday day returns w.e.f the end of April, although not on the Saturdays that the SEN-OST day returns are scheduled.
Fares, wait for it, are an eyewatering £360 return plus taxes.
Aircraft will still be the Navajo, although I doubt they will need even seven seats at those fares. Just who is likely to be prepared to pay that amount is quite beyond me I'm afraid.
The SEN-LTQ will operate just as Saturday and Sunday day returns w.e.f the end of April, although not on the Saturdays that the SEN-OST day returns are scheduled.
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considering LCY are building more stands, getting larger aircraft approved and possibly able to extend the runway to the west at some point, don't poeple of SEN believe this could be a predatory purchase of the airport? In order to stifle it completely and ensure everything comes into LCY.
I really see no benefit for LCY in spending heaps on SEN only to carve apart its own market. Quite blatantly obvious to me there is something fishy here.
I really see no benefit for LCY in spending heaps on SEN only to carve apart its own market. Quite blatantly obvious to me there is something fishy here.
If LCY could offer increased distances through a runway extension there might be something in what you say, but they cannot.
LCY cannot provide a Runway Strip of sufficient width to meet the CAP 168 requirements for greater TODAs and ASDAs than approximately it has at present.
SEN on the other hand, with a proposed runway of 1850m, would offer new opportunities for LCY's owners without diluting its own current market. Leisure routes from the likes of Flybe and the bizjet FBO market are just two areas where expansion at SEN would have no detrimental effect on LCY.
LCY cannot provide a Runway Strip of sufficient width to meet the CAP 168 requirements for greater TODAs and ASDAs than approximately it has at present.
SEN on the other hand, with a proposed runway of 1850m, would offer new opportunities for LCY's owners without diluting its own current market. Leisure routes from the likes of Flybe and the bizjet FBO market are just two areas where expansion at SEN would have no detrimental effect on LCY.
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Shorts Belfast at Southend
Has there been any activity around the Shorts Belfast recently?
A post in the Freight Dogs forum concerning the CL44 Guppy implies that the Belfast may yet be returned to airworthiness by Heavylift.
A post in the Freight Dogs forum concerning the CL44 Guppy implies that the Belfast may yet be returned to airworthiness by Heavylift.