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flybe
thats good news lets hope we do and lots more also LH got big plans for baby and we may see Airbus 319s http://www.pprune.org/airlines-airpo...bmibaby-7.html
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Nothing is certain as of yet. They are clearly exploring different scenarios for when they receive control in January.
Scenario's i have heared so far
Sell off BmiBaby (Could be bought by Flybe)
Keep BmiBaby (fleet renewal will surely follow)
Sell some LHR Slots (Means domestic regional are sure to go)
The only people that will know are those that are on the top of the ladder. We will have to wait and see but i surely hope that if they do sell Baby, then Flybe will be the buyers as otherwise i can see us loosing a lot at Cardiff.
Scenario's i have heared so far
Sell off BmiBaby (Could be bought by Flybe)
Keep BmiBaby (fleet renewal will surely follow)
Sell some LHR Slots (Means domestic regional are sure to go)
The only people that will know are those that are on the top of the ladder. We will have to wait and see but i surely hope that if they do sell Baby, then Flybe will be the buyers as otherwise i can see us loosing a lot at Cardiff.
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TOM -I note that TOM have stopped their flight to FUE on a wednesday until mid February. TCX, however, continue throughout.Are TOM sharing with TCX during this time?If not,why suspend? If its to do with low demand during this period,how are TCX passenger figures looking like? Wise commercial decision by TOM or not?BABY - I see from the Baby thread that the reduction in thier aircraft from 22 to 17 will affect BHX and EMA....good to see for once that CWL is not the 'sacrificial lamb' unless someone knows the contrary?!
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TOM - FUE restarts 17/12 until 7/01 (4wks), then stops until mid Feb. The Dec/Jan flights are operated on the 757 as PFO has finished until March.
TCX last FUE is today. There is a one off on Christmas Eve, then also stops until mid Feb. So both are near enough doing the same thing.
January always is a quiet month for charters.
But i am surprised PFO has finished until March.
Whilst on the subject of charters....
TCX will operate to Antalya (AYT) next summer on a Sunday.
Looking at next winters schedule - TCX pretty much the same, but appears TOM will only have 1 a/c based. Early days though!
TCX last FUE is today. There is a one off on Christmas Eve, then also stops until mid Feb. So both are near enough doing the same thing.
January always is a quiet month for charters.
But i am surprised PFO has finished until March.
Whilst on the subject of charters....
TCX will operate to Antalya (AYT) next summer on a Sunday.
Looking at next winters schedule - TCX pretty much the same, but appears TOM will only have 1 a/c based. Early days though!
.
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CWL (Flybe) Routes Launched for S09
Flybe Routes has been released for Cardiff. These are the main points that i have found.
GLA - 10 x Weekly (2 midweek days & weekends only has 1 flight a day)
JER - 4 x Weekly
BHD - 9 x Weekly
EDI - 13 x Weekly
NCL - 5 x Weekly
There were rumours of a possible new route from ABZ but nothing new has been released from Cardiff.
On some weekdays there are also no early morning deps for EDI which can't be ideal fro business passengers.
I would like to add that some of the routes had their schedules cut S08 and W08 due to not high enough demand and i am guessing that the S09 schedule reflects this.
On the plus side, Flybe are still at Cardiff and have increased the JER frequency. It's a long way until summer and there may yet be a new route on the cards yet. (Fingers Crossed)
- No Base
- No New Routes
- Reduction in frequencies on 5 routes EDI/GLA/CDG/BHD/NCL
- Increase in frequencie for JER
GLA - 10 x Weekly (2 midweek days & weekends only has 1 flight a day)
JER - 4 x Weekly
BHD - 9 x Weekly
EDI - 13 x Weekly
NCL - 5 x Weekly
There were rumours of a possible new route from ABZ but nothing new has been released from Cardiff.
On some weekdays there are also no early morning deps for EDI which can't be ideal fro business passengers.
I would like to add that some of the routes had their schedules cut S08 and W08 due to not high enough demand and i am guessing that the S09 schedule reflects this.
On the plus side, Flybe are still at Cardiff and have increased the JER frequency. It's a long way until summer and there may yet be a new route on the cards yet. (Fingers Crossed)
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The JAG flight was a private aircraft, Servisair looked after it, nothing big and nothing exciting....................wishful thinking !!!!
I though Flybe were keen to expand at CWL and would have though some new routes would have been introduced for Summer 2009, for example the ABZ route has been talked about for years and possibly expansion into France would have been good...............CWL is seriously dropping its destinations ten fold..........no Orlando, no EU capital other than AMS, DUB & CDG.
The departure board is looking very boring & naff to be honest
I though Flybe were keen to expand at CWL and would have though some new routes would have been introduced for Summer 2009, for example the ABZ route has been talked about for years and possibly expansion into France would have been good...............CWL is seriously dropping its destinations ten fold..........no Orlando, no EU capital other than AMS, DUB & CDG.
The departure board is looking very boring & naff to be honest
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Am sure Flybe do intend to expand at CWL, however, the past few months have been unlike anything seen for a long time, as shown by the names that have disappeared. Unfortunately I'm sure there will be several more bankruptcies in the industry over the next year.
I would love to see CWL prosper and have a multitude of airlines, aircraft and destinations, however, we're just going to have to sit tight and wait.
As mentioned it's good that Flybe are still there, and they're an airline with money in the bank to weather this current storm.
I would love to see CWL prosper and have a multitude of airlines, aircraft and destinations, however, we're just going to have to sit tight and wait.
As mentioned it's good that Flybe are still there, and they're an airline with money in the bank to weather this current storm.
Welsh Assembly guilty of ‘un-businesslike’ approach says airport executive
Welsh Assembly guilty of ‘un-businesslike’ approach says airport executive
Dec 10 2008 by Tomos Livingstone, Western Mail
Dec 10 2008 by Tomos Livingstone, Western Mail
THE Assembly Government has been guilty of an “un-businesslike” approach, an executive at Cardiff International Airport said yesterday.
Steve Hodgetts, the airport’s director of business development, said the devolved administrations in Edinburgh and Belfast had been quicker to offer support to their regional airports. Devolved governments can give short-term financial support for new air routes, known as Route Development Funds (RDFs).
Mr Hodgetts told MPs on the Welsh Affairs Committee: “We have a good working relationship with WAG but we do find that their approach can be somewhat delayed and un-businesslike at times. The late arrival of the Route Development Fund meant that it came in post changes to the EU rules, when a lot of the benefit and flexibility that Scotland and Northern Ireland had enjoyed had actually dissipated. So that sort of hamstrung the ability of the RDF to work. We see far more evidence of support from tourism bodies...the Visit Wales equivalents elsewhere in the UK and European regions, and we would like to see the Welsh Assembly Government emulate the best practices we see elsewhere.”
He said he supported WAG’s aims of improving air connections to Wales to boost economic development, but he added: “If that objective is to be achieved...then there will need to be support to defray the impact of market conditions.”
Discussions were ongoing to attract German airlines to fly new routes into Cardiff, he said, with Germany identified as a large potential tourism and business market for Wales.
Aviation expert Martin Evans, from the University of Glamorgan, told the MPs: “Some of the English regions that have equally poor demographics as Wales have been successful in attracting new airlines and new routes, particularly Newcastle. They have done this by focusing on in-bound passengers rather than out-bound passengers. That message can only be put out by the government, saying come and visit Wales, this is somewhere to do business, for tourism opportunities. The way Cardiff can try to compete is only if the WAG throws itself wholeheartedly into a partnership with the airport.”
An Assembly Government spokesman said: “The Welsh Assembly Government is keen to exploit the potential of air services which can improve accessibility, open up new markets, encourage inward investment and provide a focal point for clusters of business development. Officials are working with Cardiff International Airport to develop a strategy to target both freight and international travel.”
Steve Hodgetts, the airport’s director of business development, said the devolved administrations in Edinburgh and Belfast had been quicker to offer support to their regional airports. Devolved governments can give short-term financial support for new air routes, known as Route Development Funds (RDFs).
Mr Hodgetts told MPs on the Welsh Affairs Committee: “We have a good working relationship with WAG but we do find that their approach can be somewhat delayed and un-businesslike at times. The late arrival of the Route Development Fund meant that it came in post changes to the EU rules, when a lot of the benefit and flexibility that Scotland and Northern Ireland had enjoyed had actually dissipated. So that sort of hamstrung the ability of the RDF to work. We see far more evidence of support from tourism bodies...the Visit Wales equivalents elsewhere in the UK and European regions, and we would like to see the Welsh Assembly Government emulate the best practices we see elsewhere.”
He said he supported WAG’s aims of improving air connections to Wales to boost economic development, but he added: “If that objective is to be achieved...then there will need to be support to defray the impact of market conditions.”
Discussions were ongoing to attract German airlines to fly new routes into Cardiff, he said, with Germany identified as a large potential tourism and business market for Wales.
Aviation expert Martin Evans, from the University of Glamorgan, told the MPs: “Some of the English regions that have equally poor demographics as Wales have been successful in attracting new airlines and new routes, particularly Newcastle. They have done this by focusing on in-bound passengers rather than out-bound passengers. That message can only be put out by the government, saying come and visit Wales, this is somewhere to do business, for tourism opportunities. The way Cardiff can try to compete is only if the WAG throws itself wholeheartedly into a partnership with the airport.”
An Assembly Government spokesman said: “The Welsh Assembly Government is keen to exploit the potential of air services which can improve accessibility, open up new markets, encourage inward investment and provide a focal point for clusters of business development. Officials are working with Cardiff International Airport to develop a strategy to target both freight and international travel.”
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Mixed blessings for Cardiff Airport if takeovers go ahead
RECENT reports that UK regional airline flybe is considering buying British Midland Airways subsidiaries British Midland Regional and bmibaby could have a considerable impact on Cardiff International Airport.
If it happens, the airline with an ambition to be the largest at Cardiff International will take over the airline which is at present the largest.
The opportunity has arisen out of the acquisition of a controlling stake in British Midland Airways (known as bmi) by Lufthansa. The deal, due to be completed in January, is the result of the owners of bmi exercising an option that forced Lufthansa to buy their shares.
Lufthansa has been extremely acquisitive in buying up the weaker airlines in Europe and has seen the recent high fuel costs and weakening demand as an opportunity. Other recent deals have seen it take a 45% stake in SN Brussels Airlines with an option to acquire the remaining 55% by 2011. They have also acquired the shares they didn’t already own in Eurowings, a German regional airline.
Bmi had an ownership shared between the management (50% plus one share), Lufthansa (30% minus one share) and SAS, 20%. It is believed that the options over the management stake were entered into in 1999 when SAS sold part of its shareholding to Lufthansa.
It would have been a two-way option with the management being able to force Lufthansa to buy and Lufthansa being able to force the management to sell.
From the language of the announcement it appears that the bmi management forced Lufthansa to buy at a time when the trading outlook for airlines looks extremely challenging.
The history of bmi is that of a UK regional airline that benefitted from having a large number of services from UK regional airports into Heathrow.
The arrival and departure slots at Heathrow that were being used for these regional services could instead be used for more lucrative European services and more recently services to Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
This move to being the second largest slot-holder at Heathrow is the key to the attraction that bmi had for Lufthansa. Lufthansa can now compete at the world’s most popular international airport.
That leaves British Midland Regional and bmibaby as the least attractive parts of the deal.
Bmibaby came into existence in 2002 as a defensive move. Bmi was replacing the aircraft fleet at Heathrow with Airbus aircraft leaving the existing fleet of Boeing 737 aircraft to be disposed of. At the same time, the low-cost airline Go (later to be taken over by easyJet) was threatening to open a base at East Midlands Airport, the home base of bmi.
Bmi decided to start a low-cost airline to both use the redundant fleet and compete with Go at East Midlands.
The new airline, looking for other opportunities to expand, moved on to open a second base at Cardiff later in 2002.
The airline has not developed in the way other low-cost airlines have. Instead of rapid growth and large orders for new efficient aircraft, it has stagnated and kept the same old inefficient fleet.
Flybe has its roots in the regional airline, Jersey European that became British European. It was transformed by fleet rationalisation to use only two fuel efficient aircraft types and by changing to internet-based distribution, mimicking the low-cost airlines.
In 2007, it acquired the business of BA Connect, having to absorb an increase in routes and the complication of additional aircraft types until the fleet could again be rationalised. The takeover has been very successful, taking a business that lost money and absorbed management time under British Airways and turning it into a profitable business.
If this new takeover goes ahead, there will inevitably be changes to flights from Cardiff International Airport. As seen from the takeover of British Regional Airlines, there will probably be a cull of any loss-making routes and the Boeing 737 aircraft will be removed from the fleet as soon as they can be replaced.
It has to be remembered that flybe is not a low-cost airline, it is a regional airline that offers low fares and operates new fuel-efficient aircraft. Capacity is likely to be reduced and fares are likely to be higher.
Domestic routes to Edinburgh, Glasgow and Belfast would probably be operated by the turboprop aircraft that flybe already uses out of Cardiff, instead of the jet aircraft of bmibaby. Flybe does operate to the sun destinations in southern Spain from other bases but it is likely that capacity will be reduced and fares will be raised.
Bmibaby has been a disappointment at Cardiff and its passing would not be any great loss. However, while flybe is likely to develop a better balanced route network from Cardiff, it is unlikely to offer the explosive growth of passenger numbers that a true low-cost airline could deliver.
Original text here
RECENT reports that UK regional airline flybe is considering buying British Midland Airways subsidiaries British Midland Regional and bmibaby could have a considerable impact on Cardiff International Airport.
If it happens, the airline with an ambition to be the largest at Cardiff International will take over the airline which is at present the largest.
The opportunity has arisen out of the acquisition of a controlling stake in British Midland Airways (known as bmi) by Lufthansa. The deal, due to be completed in January, is the result of the owners of bmi exercising an option that forced Lufthansa to buy their shares.
Lufthansa has been extremely acquisitive in buying up the weaker airlines in Europe and has seen the recent high fuel costs and weakening demand as an opportunity. Other recent deals have seen it take a 45% stake in SN Brussels Airlines with an option to acquire the remaining 55% by 2011. They have also acquired the shares they didn’t already own in Eurowings, a German regional airline.
Bmi had an ownership shared between the management (50% plus one share), Lufthansa (30% minus one share) and SAS, 20%. It is believed that the options over the management stake were entered into in 1999 when SAS sold part of its shareholding to Lufthansa.
It would have been a two-way option with the management being able to force Lufthansa to buy and Lufthansa being able to force the management to sell.
From the language of the announcement it appears that the bmi management forced Lufthansa to buy at a time when the trading outlook for airlines looks extremely challenging.
The history of bmi is that of a UK regional airline that benefitted from having a large number of services from UK regional airports into Heathrow.
The arrival and departure slots at Heathrow that were being used for these regional services could instead be used for more lucrative European services and more recently services to Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
This move to being the second largest slot-holder at Heathrow is the key to the attraction that bmi had for Lufthansa. Lufthansa can now compete at the world’s most popular international airport.
That leaves British Midland Regional and bmibaby as the least attractive parts of the deal.
Bmibaby came into existence in 2002 as a defensive move. Bmi was replacing the aircraft fleet at Heathrow with Airbus aircraft leaving the existing fleet of Boeing 737 aircraft to be disposed of. At the same time, the low-cost airline Go (later to be taken over by easyJet) was threatening to open a base at East Midlands Airport, the home base of bmi.
Bmi decided to start a low-cost airline to both use the redundant fleet and compete with Go at East Midlands.
The new airline, looking for other opportunities to expand, moved on to open a second base at Cardiff later in 2002.
The airline has not developed in the way other low-cost airlines have. Instead of rapid growth and large orders for new efficient aircraft, it has stagnated and kept the same old inefficient fleet.
Flybe has its roots in the regional airline, Jersey European that became British European. It was transformed by fleet rationalisation to use only two fuel efficient aircraft types and by changing to internet-based distribution, mimicking the low-cost airlines.
In 2007, it acquired the business of BA Connect, having to absorb an increase in routes and the complication of additional aircraft types until the fleet could again be rationalised. The takeover has been very successful, taking a business that lost money and absorbed management time under British Airways and turning it into a profitable business.
If this new takeover goes ahead, there will inevitably be changes to flights from Cardiff International Airport. As seen from the takeover of British Regional Airlines, there will probably be a cull of any loss-making routes and the Boeing 737 aircraft will be removed from the fleet as soon as they can be replaced.
It has to be remembered that flybe is not a low-cost airline, it is a regional airline that offers low fares and operates new fuel-efficient aircraft. Capacity is likely to be reduced and fares are likely to be higher.
Domestic routes to Edinburgh, Glasgow and Belfast would probably be operated by the turboprop aircraft that flybe already uses out of Cardiff, instead of the jet aircraft of bmibaby. Flybe does operate to the sun destinations in southern Spain from other bases but it is likely that capacity will be reduced and fares will be raised.
Bmibaby has been a disappointment at Cardiff and its passing would not be any great loss. However, while flybe is likely to develop a better balanced route network from Cardiff, it is unlikely to offer the explosive growth of passenger numbers that a true low-cost airline could deliver.
Original text here
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Runway use in bad weather
Does the runway get gritted/salted on these cold nights?
Or is it heated/special tarmac surface?
Or, do planes have 'winter' tyres fitted?
How does Lapland/Russia/Iceland manage when its gets chilly?
Or is it heated/special tarmac surface?
Or, do planes have 'winter' tyres fitted?
How does Lapland/Russia/Iceland manage when its gets chilly?
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Anti-ice fluid(expensive) put down late evening normally does the trick. Grit does not help the inside of a/c engines.
Some managers try and save money by holding off, not that i`m saying thats what happened!!
Some managers try and save money by holding off, not that i`m saying thats what happened!!