UK airports closing
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To answer the question about MSE and cargo ops, I think it's Cargolux, Ethiad and Saudia but not 100%.
Phileas is correct about the two to close, PZE is infact well gone, gone with no hope of return as the site is now another supermarket.
cs
Phileas is correct about the two to close, PZE is infact well gone, gone with no hope of return as the site is now another supermarket.
cs
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Good point NorthSouth. Admittedly, LCY, as an example, was not under public ownership, but the previous owner was not 'modern' insofar as he used his own money to buy and maintain a major piece of infrastructure (very well too, I should say) for the duration. The new owners jammed (in every sense of the word) through 30% additional passengers during their first year of ownership, restricted aircraft to 70+ passengers, and increased airport fees. They had loans to pay off and a return to make on investment by anonymous shareholders, after all, that being the bottom line. Now they want to build a second runway. Why? To further increase passenger traffic and the 'value' of their investment so that the airport can be flogged at a handsome profit (my prediction). More passengers at bigger airports means bigger airplanes able to offer cheaper fares (on a seat basis). Regional airports without the financial wherewithal to join this merry circus will too often fall by the wayside. The pity of it is, the UK is running out of capacity at the same time. And no-one has mentioned yet that regional airports actually provide a more environmentally friendly alternative to massive hubs. /steps down from his pulpit/
Brunel to Concorde
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Filton's runway also closed at the end of 2012 although the aviation industries around the site remain.
It was never a fully blown airport, despite BAE trying to turn it into a city airport in the mid 1990s but were rebuffed after a planning enquiry, but as well as its MRO traffic it saw biz jets and air taxi as well as regular shuttles for some of the industry employees to other plants. Filton also took some BRS diversions in the past.
Any lingering hope that it could still become Bristol's airport has now gone for ever.
It was never a fully blown airport, despite BAE trying to turn it into a city airport in the mid 1990s but were rebuffed after a planning enquiry, but as well as its MRO traffic it saw biz jets and air taxi as well as regular shuttles for some of the industry employees to other plants. Filton also took some BRS diversions in the past.
Any lingering hope that it could still become Bristol's airport has now gone for ever.
How sad to see these aviation infrastructures disappearing. I see parallels with the railway system post Beeching. If only we had had the foresight to leave the tracks in place!
In 20/30 years time we might be needing more airports and lamenting what happened.
In 20/30 years time we might be needing more airports and lamenting what happened.
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I think there's a lot of truth in LGS 6753s reply to which I would add.
It would be interesting to study trends in premium (ie business) traffic from regionals. For example, whereas LBA has done well on bucket and spade,vfr and other such leisure markets, I suspect business traffic is down or maybe level over say 20 years. One reason for this is that rail has improved its offer so business traffic to destinations such as Paris and Brussels have switched, and Bristol, Edinburgh etc are no more. By improved offer I mean frequency, hours of operation, wi-fi enabled, not just speed.
Small airports -- excepting islands-- relied for a baseload on third level scheduled services which have now largely gone, and charters which have now largely gone to big brother down the road which offers more choice and a better value proposition.
The economy is centralising around a few growth areas -- places like Middlesbrough are sadly not what they were economically.
There's a pull factor too-- the condition of the housing market. Where might you build houses these days without getting massive grief?
The bloke from Birmingham Airport was pilloried for saying England needed about ten airports but actually he was probably about right.
It would be interesting to study trends in premium (ie business) traffic from regionals. For example, whereas LBA has done well on bucket and spade,vfr and other such leisure markets, I suspect business traffic is down or maybe level over say 20 years. One reason for this is that rail has improved its offer so business traffic to destinations such as Paris and Brussels have switched, and Bristol, Edinburgh etc are no more. By improved offer I mean frequency, hours of operation, wi-fi enabled, not just speed.
Small airports -- excepting islands-- relied for a baseload on third level scheduled services which have now largely gone, and charters which have now largely gone to big brother down the road which offers more choice and a better value proposition.
The economy is centralising around a few growth areas -- places like Middlesbrough are sadly not what they were economically.
There's a pull factor too-- the condition of the housing market. Where might you build houses these days without getting massive grief?
The bloke from Birmingham Airport was pilloried for saying England needed about ten airports but actually he was probably about right.
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M-JCS, two things, no one has suggested a second runway at LCY and secondly the UK is a free market not a planned Soviet economy. There are buckets of capacity in the UK but not where the pressing need is.
London as a global city is not helped by more capacity in Birmingham, in a global competition with FRA/CDG/AMS, the market won't tolerate that. There is no direct link between capcity "over there" and a pressing need "over here". Pulpits are for the pub, there's got to be a rationale and a business case for having something.
London as a global city is not helped by more capacity in Birmingham, in a global competition with FRA/CDG/AMS, the market won't tolerate that. There is no direct link between capcity "over there" and a pressing need "over here". Pulpits are for the pub, there's got to be a rationale and a business case for having something.
As far as I can see, the UK is already a very well connected country in aviation terms.
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filton mail flights
filton handled the mail flights from brs when the runway was closed for resurfaceingt.
royal mail built a big sorting building at the end of the runway, but could not get permission to run them on a regular basis. all mail went by road like it does now.
royal mail built a big sorting building at the end of the runway, but could not get permission to run them on a regular basis. all mail went by road like it does now.
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Too much tarmac chasing too few pax. Consolidation of UK airports has been talked about for years and is inevitable.
What is sad is seeing GA facilities like Wellsbourne going for building land.
What is sad is seeing GA facilities like Wellsbourne going for building land.
Paxing All Over The World
LGS6753 had the key points. Although I'm going to be picky about the phrase 'in a generation' I think the current depression is the greatest in 100 years. Although the govts have down a lot of behind the scenes footwork (and moneywork) to prevent it showing up in the books as a Great Depression - it certainly is. End of picky!
The regional fields have been further deeply affected by the BA/LHR situation. We have discussed in here before how BA bought up the regional feeders and moved the flights to LGW to get the LHR slots. This was all legal but the lack of capacity at LHR prevented the regionals being strong. Consequently, KLM, LH and others took them to their continental hubs and the LCCs did the rest. Now the M.E. carriers are doing the same for long haul. There is no way back from this.
So because the market place was not allowed to operate normally (provide more capacity at LHR) it caused the regional fields to open up. In time, the regional carriers were picked off by the big people, overtaken by the LCCs or withered on the vine. Now the regional fields are bbeing withered. There is no way back from this.
One of my regular domestics was IOM, using LHR then LTN across 25 years. Now EZY has taken the route from BE and run it from LGW. In 1981 I paid £175 and short notice £250 for a long weekend, now (booking ahead) it's £45. I go no more than once a year now but no one can argue with that price. Yes, there will be fewer flights but that is how markets work and I agree that subsidising is pointless.
I agree that more small fields and operators will go. The customer, however, will still have a choice wider and cheaper than they had 25 years ago. To some, that might be considered good, to some the loss of the local field is understandably frustrating and I'm irritated that my local LTN service to the IOM is now from LGW but, even with the cost and time of getting there, it's still cheaper. I, like one or two other people, are trying to spend as little money as possible!
In passing, I find it amusing that NIMBYs who don't like airports, like the idea of them being turned into housing even less.
The regional fields have been further deeply affected by the BA/LHR situation. We have discussed in here before how BA bought up the regional feeders and moved the flights to LGW to get the LHR slots. This was all legal but the lack of capacity at LHR prevented the regionals being strong. Consequently, KLM, LH and others took them to their continental hubs and the LCCs did the rest. Now the M.E. carriers are doing the same for long haul. There is no way back from this.
So because the market place was not allowed to operate normally (provide more capacity at LHR) it caused the regional fields to open up. In time, the regional carriers were picked off by the big people, overtaken by the LCCs or withered on the vine. Now the regional fields are bbeing withered. There is no way back from this.
One of my regular domestics was IOM, using LHR then LTN across 25 years. Now EZY has taken the route from BE and run it from LGW. In 1981 I paid £175 and short notice £250 for a long weekend, now (booking ahead) it's £45. I go no more than once a year now but no one can argue with that price. Yes, there will be fewer flights but that is how markets work and I agree that subsidising is pointless.
I agree that more small fields and operators will go. The customer, however, will still have a choice wider and cheaper than they had 25 years ago. To some, that might be considered good, to some the loss of the local field is understandably frustrating and I'm irritated that my local LTN service to the IOM is now from LGW but, even with the cost and time of getting there, it's still cheaper. I, like one or two other people, are trying to spend as little money as possible!
In passing, I find it amusing that NIMBYs who don't like airports, like the idea of them being turned into housing even less.
In passing, I find it amusing that NIMBYs who don't like airports, like the idea of them being turned into housing even less.
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I think Ryanair and other LCC's like Wizz are having a change in their business model and are moving away from the ****ty regional airports like Prestwick and shifting towards the more mainstream airports like Glasgow. Passengers no longer want to land one and a half hours away from where they intend going. Maybe this is what is leading to the demise of the "regional" airports. The increase in passenger number and yields will far outweighh the increase in landing and handling charges imposed by the nore "major" airports.
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There seems no room for small airlines, small aircraft and high fares in today's market. Even FlyBe struggle for profitability with a large fleet of efficient turboprops.
Pivotal to this success has been the successful implementation of a business strategy which works. Perhaps it is the undertaking of an unsustainable strategy or the poor implementation of strategy which prevents the likes of Flybe or other small airlines from being successful in the current industry climate.
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A little reality check is needed
The latest ruse with APD or route support grants isn't going to make any difference in the long run. It's been said elsewhere on this forum and it's blindingly obvious: there are simply too many airports in the country, outside the South-East, at any rate. Where did we get this idea that to be more than a hour's surface journey from an airport with flights to everywhere (or anywhere) is unacceptable? Many people travel this sort of distance and more to and from work every day. I know people working at MAN who commute daily from Merseyside, Lancashire, Staffordshire, North Wales and West Yorkshire. If they can travel to work here they can travel to fly from here. For those without the long commute, to make the journey two or three times a year, what's the big issue?
By consolidating flights at the larger regional airports we'll get more massing of traffic and the best chance of more direct services from main well surface connected regionals, e.g. MAN, BHX, NCL, The village green airports can fill the niche market gaps, GA, and aviation-support industries.
By consolidating flights at the larger regional airports we'll get more massing of traffic and the best chance of more direct services from main well surface connected regionals, e.g. MAN, BHX, NCL, The village green airports can fill the niche market gaps, GA, and aviation-support industries.
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Market economics at work
This is not just a UK problem: here is the official view from ACI that represents the worlds airport operators: https://twitter.com/askhelios/status/446595828040622080
The airline market is dynamic and changing fast, the impact of LCC, the Gulf carriers and both of rising taxes and rising fuel costs mean that airlines need to fly larger aircraft with lower seat mile costs. Smaller airports generally don't have the year round demand to support the larger aircraft, as has been said already.
This has been Flybe's market challenge, they have been unable to match the seat costs of competitors. So most potential pax travel to the nearest alternate airport with the airline offering lowest fares. In the UK that's rarely more than a two hour drive. This impacts not only Flybe but every other airline.
I expect that the next ten years will see more UK airports close but the pax traffic will continue to grow and consolidate elsewhere.
Conversely I also expect KLM in particular and Turkish, to seek out more regional airports in UK and elsewhere to serve, as a means of differentiating from and competing with the Gulf carriers. Market dynamics at work.
Interesting times as always!
FF
The airline market is dynamic and changing fast, the impact of LCC, the Gulf carriers and both of rising taxes and rising fuel costs mean that airlines need to fly larger aircraft with lower seat mile costs. Smaller airports generally don't have the year round demand to support the larger aircraft, as has been said already.
This has been Flybe's market challenge, they have been unable to match the seat costs of competitors. So most potential pax travel to the nearest alternate airport with the airline offering lowest fares. In the UK that's rarely more than a two hour drive. This impacts not only Flybe but every other airline.
I expect that the next ten years will see more UK airports close but the pax traffic will continue to grow and consolidate elsewhere.
Conversely I also expect KLM in particular and Turkish, to seek out more regional airports in UK and elsewhere to serve, as a means of differentiating from and competing with the Gulf carriers. Market dynamics at work.
Interesting times as always!
FF
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While I would accept LGS6753's analysis with PAXBoy's revisions, the real problem for smaller airfields is a culture within the industry that stifles real innovation. "Low fares" is not an innovation, no more than electronic ticketting - they're just tweaks to a deeply flawed system.
Real innovation comes from taking risks, and the aviation industry, from ground-level to 45000 feet is endemically risk-averse, so much so that the regulatory authorties insist on approving business plans before granting operating licenses.
Barriers to entry are so high, unnecessarily increased by layers of duplicitous and ineffectual beaurocracy, and brain-dead customers swaddled in so many protective guarantees, that it's next to impossible for any small company to bring real commercial creativity to the market.
Unfortunately, smaller airfields appear to have bought into the notion that they can only survive by offering exactly the same (miserable?) experience as multi-million passenger hubs. Vertical integration and open communication between the airport, small AOC holders and service providers in the catchment area is could easily help define a new identity and offer a real choice in the market.
That needs a lot of people to change a lot of bad habits, which won't be easy.
Real innovation comes from taking risks, and the aviation industry, from ground-level to 45000 feet is endemically risk-averse, so much so that the regulatory authorties insist on approving business plans before granting operating licenses.
Barriers to entry are so high, unnecessarily increased by layers of duplicitous and ineffectual beaurocracy, and brain-dead customers swaddled in so many protective guarantees, that it's next to impossible for any small company to bring real commercial creativity to the market.
Unfortunately, smaller airfields appear to have bought into the notion that they can only survive by offering exactly the same (miserable?) experience as multi-million passenger hubs. Vertical integration and open communication between the airport, small AOC holders and service providers in the catchment area is could easily help define a new identity and offer a real choice in the market.
That needs a lot of people to change a lot of bad habits, which won't be easy.