Which UK Airports will survive the decade ?
Brunel to Concorde
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Didn't Paul Kehoe, BHX CEO, also say that Great Britain needed only eight airports? I've forgotten which ones they were.
Capot is correct about the physical size of the government region of the South West stretching as it does from Gloucestershire to Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, and east to Wiltshire and Dorset, and also including the counties of Devon, Somerset and Bristol (no Avon - that mostly unloved county only lasted from 1974 until 1996 despite many data bases still insisting it exists with communications addressed accordingly).
Northern Gloucestershire is as close to Scotland as it is to the southwest tip of Cornwall. Fewer than six million people live in this region though and currently it has six airports: Bristol, Exeter, Bournemouth, Newquay, St Mary's (Isles of Scilly) and Gloucestershire (Staverton). It was seven before Plymouth closed.
A sound case could be made that this is too many for the size of population but whether the entire government region could be realistically served only by airports outside the region (as some here are suggesting by their lists of survivors) must be a debatable point. I would not suggest which of the airports, if any, might close. I could put forward theoretical arguments for all sorts of combinations of survivors and fallers with none of the six being sacrosanct.
The question posed was 'which airports will survive the decade?' It's a relatively short time span, even by aviation industry standards, and I can see no way (short of some almost unimaginable catastrophe being visited upon the country) that Britain will be left with just eight airports, or even 28, in that period.
Capot is correct about the physical size of the government region of the South West stretching as it does from Gloucestershire to Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, and east to Wiltshire and Dorset, and also including the counties of Devon, Somerset and Bristol (no Avon - that mostly unloved county only lasted from 1974 until 1996 despite many data bases still insisting it exists with communications addressed accordingly).
Northern Gloucestershire is as close to Scotland as it is to the southwest tip of Cornwall. Fewer than six million people live in this region though and currently it has six airports: Bristol, Exeter, Bournemouth, Newquay, St Mary's (Isles of Scilly) and Gloucestershire (Staverton). It was seven before Plymouth closed.
A sound case could be made that this is too many for the size of population but whether the entire government region could be realistically served only by airports outside the region (as some here are suggesting by their lists of survivors) must be a debatable point. I would not suggest which of the airports, if any, might close. I could put forward theoretical arguments for all sorts of combinations of survivors and fallers with none of the six being sacrosanct.
The question posed was 'which airports will survive the decade?' It's a relatively short time span, even by aviation industry standards, and I can see no way (short of some almost unimaginable catastrophe being visited upon the country) that Britain will be left with just eight airports, or even 28, in that period.
There might be some relevance to this discussion if airports existed purely to support airline services. Taking MV's list of South West airports as an example
- Staverton is a thriving GA airfield with a few airline services almost as a side line,
- St Mary's is very much a niche airport with its' Scilly runs,
- Hurn again has significant non-airline aviation related business,
- Exeter also has significant engineering presence.
- Newquay is also diversifying and needs to do more.
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Christ knows how you coped in the not to distant past when EDI was in Glasgow's shadow.
Moving a horse from one stable to another and seeing that horse win every race would suggest it was previously nobbled?
I have no ill-feelings..just memories..
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The largest city in Scotland losing it's airport due to improved surface links to EDI? It would be interesting to see how EDI would get round the problem with their already oversubscribed terminal and performance limited runway where any extension would cause major objection from the the affluent class in the west of the city. Interesting theory though 
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Think NQY will eventually be safe from what I hear 
Just this year apple aviation have opened and are already operating from a brand new hangar.
Some new routes in the pipeline including the PSO announent and also the SAR base which is about to be built.
Safe currently no, but well on the way me thinks
cs
Just this year apple aviation have opened and are already operating from a brand new hangar.
Some new routes in the pipeline including the PSO announent and also the SAR base which is about to be built.
Safe currently no, but well on the way me thinks
cs
Read NickBarnes first post then read it again and again until the message sinks in. Diversity is the only way to make marginal facilities pay their way.
Newquay now has a company moved in that is making flat pack furniture I believe, it all goes to making the 'airport' economically viable.
Newquay now has a company moved in that is making flat pack furniture I believe, it all goes to making the 'airport' economically viable.
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NQY also has a wind turbine company from what I understand.
The full offering can be seen here:
Aerohub - Homepage
As far as I'm aware all existing hangars and HAS's are occupied.
Apple have just opened a new build mx hangar.
cs
The full offering can be seen here:
Aerohub - Homepage
As far as I'm aware all existing hangars and HAS's are occupied.
Apple have just opened a new build mx hangar.
cs
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Humberside, Durham Tees Valley and southampton to go if anything happened to flybe.
HUY is on a list of domestic airports that will be connected to LHR if it is expanded
Connecting regions - Taking Britain further - Your Heathrow
paragraph 2:
"A third runway will allow more flights to destinations such as Exeter, Liverpool, Newquay, Jersey, Inverness, Isle of Man and Humberside will give regional passengers more choice over routes and fares."
An interesting selection of airports, it suggests that smaller carriers operating thin routes with regional jets and propeller planes will not receive the "Gatwick treatment" if LHR expands.
Not convinced that SOU's future is just dependent on the presence of BE.
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A key consideration in this discussion is the relative power of the low cost airlines. Those that are heavily dependant on a LOCO, over reliant are in risky territory. And as a result probably relying on volume but only being abLe to leverage low fees.
Another consideration has to be the shrinkage in airline numbers, the impact of rising costs and consolidation. Airlines sending aircraft to the highest earners (airports) rather than any market that can offer a return. Ie best Return on investment.
Another consideration has to be the shrinkage in airline numbers, the impact of rising costs and consolidation. Airlines sending aircraft to the highest earners (airports) rather than any market that can offer a return. Ie best Return on investment.
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Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Luton, Manchester, Birmingham, London City, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Bristol, Newcastle, Belfast Aldergrove.
EGNX will still be there, it's bigger than EGLC, EGGD and EGAA.
East mids & Liverpool are bigger than london city, Aberdeen, Aldergrove & are basically on a par with Newcastle. But yeah...
We can debate till the cows come home why a city the size of Belfast needs two airports, and whether the fact that we do is detrimental to route growth and sustainability, but the fact is I don't think either of them is going anywhere in the foreseeable future.
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Reading this thread it seems that LBA is not going to be around much longer. Only 3 million pax a year and a huge catchment area within a 1 hour drive. Guess I'll have to get used to crossing the M6 or toggling up the A to Newcastle then.
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Reading this thread it seems that LBA is not going to be around much longer. Only 3 million pax a year and a huge catchment area within a 1 hour drive. Guess I'll have to get used to crossing the M62 or trogging up the A1 to Newcastle then.
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I'm quite appalled at this thread.
A lot of the people on here do not know or have based their arguments on the true workings on each airport.
Many smaller 'airports' have sideline businesses, many airports have reduced costs allowing them to survive with smaller passenger numbers.
Some airports have owners who see the airport as a means to provide a more lucrative business.
Some airports have extensive non commercial facillities.
You cannot base your arguments on passenger numbers alone, and this thread is potentially dancing on the graves of those who have lost their livelihood of those who worked at closed/closing airports and quite frankly is sick.
A lot of the people on here do not know or have based their arguments on the true workings on each airport.
Many smaller 'airports' have sideline businesses, many airports have reduced costs allowing them to survive with smaller passenger numbers.
Some airports have owners who see the airport as a means to provide a more lucrative business.
Some airports have extensive non commercial facillities.
You cannot base your arguments on passenger numbers alone, and this thread is potentially dancing on the graves of those who have lost their livelihood of those who worked at closed/closing airports and quite frankly is sick.
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Many smaller 'airports' have sideline businesses, many airports have reduced costs allowing them to survive with smaller passenger numbers.
Some airports have owners who see the airport as a means to provide a more lucrative business.
Some airports have extensive non commercial facillities.
Some airports have owners who see the airport as a means to provide a more lucrative business.
Some airports have extensive non commercial facillities.
This is the right thing to do, but whether they are going about it the right way is a different discussion...
This is because in many cases the owners and/or management have little or no real in-depth knowledge and experience about the air transport industry.
NQY is a case in point; if ever a priceless asset was thrown away it is that sorry place. Cornwall CC were about as bad as it can get as owners, and their incompetence included recruitment of management. I have no idea what the situation is now; those comments are about fairly recent history, not necessarily the present day, so please don't sue me! Unless you are CCC, in which case I'm happy to prove that what I said of that recent history is absolutely correct.
Other airfield managements are still in the dark ages about the partnership nature of their relationships with customers and users. I'll bet you could still find operating airfields where you can only rent space for your aviation-related business on 5-year fixed leases, full insurance and repair. This dreadful inheritance from public ownership days is the Holy Writ to some owners.
It's managers that kill or grow airfields; an operating licence is a priceless asset that can always make money once the owners/managers recognise their unique strengths, and focus on that while ignoring fantasies about having zillions of passengers.
Afterthought: The other great destroyer is the ill-informed but influential, wealthy and hypocritical NIMBY opposition to any proposal for commercial airport development. I would cite Bentwaters as the perfect example of how a few such people managed to prevent its re-opening as the primary heavy maintenance base in the SE of UK. They did this by a mixture of outrageous lying, distorted and dishonest assertions, and lying blatantly while giving evidence to a public enquiry. As a result, 2,500 high-skill, high pay jobs were not created in a deprived area where the black economy ruled to service the wealthy, for which the environmental impact would have been virtually zero.
Last edited by Capot; 9th Oct 2014 at 11:13.