Ballymoss

TSR2
One must remember, Jet2 signed the contract with MAR Properties/CityHopper Airports. With a lost court case and appeal, I would question BB's due diligence at the point of purchase.

The airport can't even function normally to the end as can be seen by the homepage here, I believe there are just a few flights to operate yet. Someone could be actively seeking the live flight info.........

Rgds
The Moss

Cleared For A Coffee

Any idea what's happening with Bond?

horatio_b

Bond to move Blackpool rig support flights to Warton | Helihub - the Helicopter Industry Data Source

west lakes

As regards alternate airports (Carlisle, Woodvale etc.), of course what they have now may not comply with this but will have to if they are to become fully licensed.

http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/33/CAP168.PDF

Buster the Bear

Was Blackpool just simply caught up in the financial meltdown of Balfour Beatty? With a £75m black hole recently discovered and the Chairman resigning, maybe another operator of the airport might have made more of a success, but that is hindsight?

TSR2

The speed at which the whole episode developed would suggest you are correct.

take-off

Think what may of helped a new buyer , would give been getting their hands on the land too , for any future investment to be worthwhile to any potential new owners , anyone buying it , you would hope to be in it for the long term , had it still been operating , possibly renegotiating the deal with jet 2 , if not for higher fees then maybe more guarantees of route expansion for more paying pax , I would have thought higher fees and a guaranteed expansion would been the ideal situation . But of course at the moment that's all pie in the sky so to speak.
Fylde council still say they want the airstrip protected , but the areas where the hangers and the terminal are , are prime development land , as when challenged they wouldn't deny houses could be built in place of hangers , but surely if that happened ,t hat would be the end , no going back , hopefully something will come of these on going talks that keep being mentioned. Should somebody take the airport on , will they now go in as a new company , now that the airport as it is , has been wound up ,so would new company have the losses/debt to contend with that has happened with former business ?

colinhunn

Sad situation. Remenbered my only visit in the 70s. Had a great steak pie and chips in the cafe and some stored derelict double-decker busses on the site!

Ernest Lanc's

take-off

If anything Blackpool council should have took the airport, until a new buying could be found. They after all spent The Blackpool Airport contingency fund and that would have helped.

In the absence of that - It should have been made clear by the local authorities involved - There would be no chance of planning permission to build on the site - That would have made the plot, fit only for aviation.

If the terminal in built on, no point in preserving the runway - My guess Blackpool has come to an end. I thought my town had a rubbish council, Blackpool Council take the Gold Award for ineptness.

IB4138

Didn't take BB long to shut things down

Liquidators appointed for Blackpool airport firm - Blackpool Gazette

Ernest Lanc's

So who now owns the airport?

NorthSouth

Balfour Beatty! It's only the operating company that's pulled out, not the owning company

take-off

Yes reported in tonight's gazette that the liquidators appointed the sell the business , are now charged with selling assets to pay off debts , so much for the reports of mothballing not taking place for a while , also yesterday's local media reporting that terminal side can be developed , for a variety of uses including retail , but aviation obviously is their first choice ... Noticed on Facebook that city wing have suspended BLK flights now until spring 2015 , so maybe a glimmer of hope for next year . I'm thinking that 2015 is going to be a long hard slog for BLK not just the airport future but the town itself , think this is going to rumble on for a long while yet ....

Sandgrown

City Hopper also got their hands on Biella-Cerrione Airport in Italy.

They sold out to BB.

The whole Blackpool fiasco seems to have been handled in a Mafia-style fashion.

Everyone including the Council unwilling to intervene.


Food for Thought...?

Ballymoss

So, BB have now seen Blackpool Airport Ltd is liquidated, ensuring that all those longstanding employees will now have to pursue HMGov for any statutory redundancy payment..............Scandalous Surely they could have shuffled a bit of Crossrail petty cash up north to look after them!

And now the airfield is unlicenced, any attempt to rise from the ashes will involve much work and effort. No more dispensations

Rgds
The Moss

take-off

With it being unlicensed now, surely that will put any potential buyers second or thirds thoughts , what with any extra investment that is likely just to now get it licensed before reopening, with it being unlicensed now can the helicopters and GA aircraft still use it , or is that it shut for good/ until further notice..

LTNman

If I have got my fact's right the saving grace is the BB own the airport but not the land it sits on so the land can't be sold. Saying that they could strip out anything and everything that has a value right down the the runway light bulbs.

Ernest Lanc's

Who actually said it was now "unlicensed" ? I mean because an airport is not operating, and the liquidators in. Surely the airport must still be licensed in order to try and sell the place.

Germstone

Ernest I believe that there is a notam in place stating the ATZ is suspended indefinitely. Also the operating company have laid off all staff and employed a private security firm to maintain perimeter security. No way can egnh be licensed on that basis.

mad_jock

not only the light bulbs but they could also strip the runway to the point it could never be used again. And they have the equipment to do it as well.