BIRMINGHAM - 4
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: BHX
Age: 48
Posts: 59
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
From the Birmingham Post today
Pressure for return of direct India flights from Birmingham
Mar 9 2009 by Tom Scotney, Birmingham Post
Civic leaders in Birmingham are to try to persuade India to change its protectionist policies after its national carrier confirmed that it had no plans to re-establish direct flights from the city.
Air India, which used to operate a service to the north Indian city of Amritsar, had always said it planned to return to Birmingham International Airport this year after the route was suspended last September.
But it recently emerged Air India has abandoned the plan to return, meaning there is now no direct link from the region to the sub-continent.
Local firm Bilga Air announced it would be starting some routes to take the slack shortly after Air India pulled out. But the flights never materialised, leaving Birmingham without a link to Amritsar.
The airport and Birmingham Chamber of Commerce both said Indian anti-competition laws were stopping other firms from coming in and taking up what is a vitally important link for the people and businesses in the city.
A spokesman for the airport said: “We were expecting them to return, but they have moved their flights from here down to Heathrow, and that’s to our detriment.”
He added he had been speaking to Indian airline Jet about the possibility of replacing Air India, but said: “Initially what we were told by Jet is they were stopped from flying into Birmingham by the Indian government, which wanted to keep it free for Indian Air.
“The other thing is while there’s definitely an opportunity here for other Indian air firms, many are actually retrenching because they overestimated the Indian market.
“The other carriers that we have that fly indirectly have been taking full advantage of the fact that Air India have left, and all of their loads have gone up.”
He said he was confident that a deal could be done to keep the Birmingham-India link open.
Letters have been sent to the Indian government – including one from council leader Mike Whitby – asking them to consider changing their open skies arrangements to keep traffic moving to Birmingham.
Birmingham is one of the most important markets for India because of the high number of people from the area living in the city.
About 400,000 people of Indian descent are estimated to live in the West Midlands area, the airport said.
Jerry Blackett, the chief executive of Birmingham Chamber of Commerce, said: “I think what we would now expect is for the Indian government to soften its protectionist stance. If Air India aren’t returning to Birmingham, we want to see Kingfisher or Jet take up the slack, but the Indian government needs to remove its protectionist approach where it has to give approval for new airlines to fly here.
“It’s our number one transport priority at the moment to make BIA a stop destination, now the expansion will make it easier for us to fly anywhere in the world and part of that equation requires airlines to want to use Birmingham.
“We intend to do something about it.”
Air India stopped its Birmingham-Amritsar service, which ran six times a week, in September saying it had to focus on Heathrow flights to keep its slots there open.
Mar 9 2009 by Tom Scotney, Birmingham Post
Civic leaders in Birmingham are to try to persuade India to change its protectionist policies after its national carrier confirmed that it had no plans to re-establish direct flights from the city.
Air India, which used to operate a service to the north Indian city of Amritsar, had always said it planned to return to Birmingham International Airport this year after the route was suspended last September.
But it recently emerged Air India has abandoned the plan to return, meaning there is now no direct link from the region to the sub-continent.
Local firm Bilga Air announced it would be starting some routes to take the slack shortly after Air India pulled out. But the flights never materialised, leaving Birmingham without a link to Amritsar.
The airport and Birmingham Chamber of Commerce both said Indian anti-competition laws were stopping other firms from coming in and taking up what is a vitally important link for the people and businesses in the city.
A spokesman for the airport said: “We were expecting them to return, but they have moved their flights from here down to Heathrow, and that’s to our detriment.”
He added he had been speaking to Indian airline Jet about the possibility of replacing Air India, but said: “Initially what we were told by Jet is they were stopped from flying into Birmingham by the Indian government, which wanted to keep it free for Indian Air.
“The other thing is while there’s definitely an opportunity here for other Indian air firms, many are actually retrenching because they overestimated the Indian market.
“The other carriers that we have that fly indirectly have been taking full advantage of the fact that Air India have left, and all of their loads have gone up.”
He said he was confident that a deal could be done to keep the Birmingham-India link open.
Letters have been sent to the Indian government – including one from council leader Mike Whitby – asking them to consider changing their open skies arrangements to keep traffic moving to Birmingham.
Birmingham is one of the most important markets for India because of the high number of people from the area living in the city.
About 400,000 people of Indian descent are estimated to live in the West Midlands area, the airport said.
Jerry Blackett, the chief executive of Birmingham Chamber of Commerce, said: “I think what we would now expect is for the Indian government to soften its protectionist stance. If Air India aren’t returning to Birmingham, we want to see Kingfisher or Jet take up the slack, but the Indian government needs to remove its protectionist approach where it has to give approval for new airlines to fly here.
“It’s our number one transport priority at the moment to make BIA a stop destination, now the expansion will make it easier for us to fly anywhere in the world and part of that equation requires airlines to want to use Birmingham.
“We intend to do something about it.”
Air India stopped its Birmingham-Amritsar service, which ran six times a week, in September saying it had to focus on Heathrow flights to keep its slots there open.
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Solihull
Age: 60
Posts: 3,326
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
US Air/Qatar
US Air PHL now showing five weekly rather than daily.
BHX departures on Tuesday & Thursday have gone.
Qatar are starting Doha - Amritsar in 2009, shame that BHX
is not on their radar at the present time. Also Doha - Sydney
is likely to start before the end of the year as well.
Pete
BHX departures on Tuesday & Thursday have gone.
Qatar are starting Doha - Amritsar in 2009, shame that BHX
is not on their radar at the present time. Also Doha - Sydney
is likely to start before the end of the year as well.
Pete
Last edited by OltonPete; 11th Mar 2009 at 19:00. Reason: added text
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Solihull
Age: 60
Posts: 3,326
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
US Air/EK
CC
I agree five is better than nothing and quite sensible in these times.
Better news is that another EK 773 turned up on EK37 tonight although
lunchtime it was a 772 rather than a 77W today.
Pete
I agree five is better than nothing and quite sensible in these times.
Better news is that another EK 773 turned up on EK37 tonight although
lunchtime it was a 772 rather than a 77W today.
Pete
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Birmingham, United Kingdom
Age: 38
Posts: 61
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Runway extension
Now that the new pier is getting to the final stages - quiet nicely may i add - what is the latest regarding the runway extension. I understand BHX had to submit environmental reports or something, but have not heard anything since
It's been aired before, but, again, I wasn't at all impressed with the security lines in T1 around 0945-1015 this morning. Both the boarding card and x-ray checks had long lines. It wasn't even a peak period for goodness sake. I do hope that they're going to improve this. After all, it's in their (BHX Airport) own interest to get pax through as expeditiously as possible as this gives them more time to spend their dosh in the shops, bars and restaurants!!!
I also noted that they have a wonderfully fair (not) pricing system for their Drop and Go and their Long Stay parking. £2.00 for 30 mins is outrageous. Even worse is the Long Stay. Gone is the FREE parking for 1 hour, replaced by £1.00 for an hour. OK, that's not too bad, but if you stray over by the odd five minutes or so, it'll cost you a massive £7.00. Ridiculous. An airport that really cares about it's clients. Money money money!!! Should be a law against this kind of extortion.
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: UK
Posts: 179
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
'It is being addressed in the new plan for the terminals security system......Please be patient..
'
Lets hope the new system will avoid the usual summertime Monday morning queues that run out of the security area, down to the food atrium and around all four sides of it before heading back down to the security area sometime! I've never seen all security gates operating - but then maybe some are purely spares in case of malfunctions?
All said and done though, the staff are generally pretty decent folks - with the exception of a couple of characters with chips on their shoulders.
'Lets hope the new system will avoid the usual summertime Monday morning queues that run out of the security area, down to the food atrium and around all four sides of it before heading back down to the security area sometime! I've never seen all security gates operating - but then maybe some are purely spares in case of malfunctions?
All said and done though, the staff are generally pretty decent folks - with the exception of a couple of characters with chips on their shoulders.
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: BHX
Posts: 418
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I did hear that the plan was for a central security area in the link building to serve both terminals. If this is true I hope they have plenty of staff to man it or there will be major problems.
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: UK
Posts: 126
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I did hear that the plan was for a central security area in the link building to serve both terminals. If this is true I hope they have plenty of staff to man it or there will be major problems.
Of all the airports in the UK, BHX is the one that I think needs to book it's ideas up the most.
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Warwickshire
Posts: 1,062
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
All airports have their issues, nowhere I have flown through is perfect, I think on balance BHX gets it right most of the time (agreed queues at Security can be an issue and have been for AGES) but i'd far rather arrive into BHX than LHR when I come home from the Middle East
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: UK
Posts: 149
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
So BHX has a new-look Website.
Having finally found the Media section I see that Febuary's passenger figures show as 586,356, a reduction of 48,696 over Feb 2008.
Not too bad compared with most other airports in the UK.
Having finally found the Media section I see that Febuary's passenger figures show as 586,356, a reduction of 48,696 over Feb 2008.
Not too bad compared with most other airports in the UK.
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Solihull
Age: 60
Posts: 3,326
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
February pax/Akal Air/Website
Alvechurch
I agree the February pax figures are pretty good, I was expecting more
like 10% down going by the number of flights operated.
March will be bad as well due to the lack of Easter compared to 2008.
Hopefully April shoud be better.
Amritsar
BHX has taken the plunge and posted the new Amritsar service of their
website - change of name here to Akal Air?
2009 Press Releases
BHX website update
The refresh is much better than the previous although I have not looked too deeply at all aspects but it is certainly easier on the eye.
Pete
I agree the February pax figures are pretty good, I was expecting more
like 10% down going by the number of flights operated.
March will be bad as well due to the lack of Easter compared to 2008.
Hopefully April shoud be better.
Amritsar
BHX has taken the plunge and posted the new Amritsar service of their
website - change of name here to Akal Air?
2009 Press Releases
BHX website update
The refresh is much better than the previous although I have not looked too deeply at all aspects but it is certainly easier on the eye.
Pete
Join Date: Nov 1999
Location: Manchester
Posts: 939
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Do we know where Akal Air have sourced a 757 from? Anyway, the Birmingham Post has got the story plus a line that the AI BHX flights were more profitable than their LHR services but chose to cut them in favour keeping slots at LHR.
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Tracey Island
Posts: 1,496
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
That has always been the reason given...