Viability of Gibraltarian National Airline?
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Viability of Gibraltarian National Airline?
Thought of this earlier reading my recently delivered visit Gibraltar brochure.
They tried to do it before but it fell through, does anyone think it could be viable?
Set up with 2/3 second hand aircraft, A32x/737 maybe part of IAG?
I haven't thunk it through properly yet, but I estimate that there would be some commercial viability, more connections to London (BA codeshare), reinstatement of flights to MAD (IB codeshare) and then other EU/UK regional routes such as MAN, EDI, DUB.
Do people from Gibraltar go on holiday? I know Air Malta used to operate GIB-MLA... Maybe GIB-MLA-ATH? GIB-TFS? GIB-FCO?
They tried to do it before but it fell through, does anyone think it could be viable?
Set up with 2/3 second hand aircraft, A32x/737 maybe part of IAG?
I haven't thunk it through properly yet, but I estimate that there would be some commercial viability, more connections to London (BA codeshare), reinstatement of flights to MAD (IB codeshare) and then other EU/UK regional routes such as MAN, EDI, DUB.
Do people from Gibraltar go on holiday? I know Air Malta used to operate GIB-MLA... Maybe GIB-MLA-ATH? GIB-TFS? GIB-FCO?
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Not viable, the home market is too small to support an airline. the only way it could theoretically work is as a hub but GIB is not suitable for that either and has competition.
I know there are a lot of business people travelling to and from GIB but to wrest that business away from the established carriers on the route would be a huge task. It is also subject to politics due to the volatile situation with regard to Spain.
If I have time over the next couple of days I'll look up load factors on routes serving GIB - primarily UK.
I know there are a lot of business people travelling to and from GIB but to wrest that business away from the established carriers on the route would be a huge task. It is also subject to politics due to the volatile situation with regard to Spain.
If I have time over the next couple of days I'll look up load factors on routes serving GIB - primarily UK.
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I fly to Gibraltar regularly and the airport is well used by people outside of Gibraltar as well. I know Malaga isn't too far but there are quite a lot of people I know use Gibraltar to fly to the western Parts of the Costa Del Sol, like Estepona. There are also a few people who probably use it for the south west part of Spain as well.
I don't think a National Airline would work, but tis year will be the most routes GIB has ever had, and I can also see routes from Ireland and Scandinavia working too.
I don't think a National Airline would work, but tis year will be the most routes GIB has ever had, and I can also see routes from Ireland and Scandinavia working too.
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By the end though, GB airways had expanded somewhat outside of Gibraltar, from wikipedia:
"The airline's main operational base was at London Gatwick. Some of its aircraft were also based at London Heathrow and there was a small base at Manchester. Flights from the latter operated as 'BA Connect' services, which operated a no-frills airline style "buy on board" service. The airline mainly served destinations in the Mediterranean region and the Spanish and Portuguese islands, as well as a small number of destinations in inland continental Europe. Thus its main market was British people looking for a holiday in the sun.
London Gatwick (Agadir, Ajaccio, Alicante, Arrecife, Bastia, Corfu, Dalaman, Fez, Faro, Funchal, Gibraltar, Heraklion, Hurghada, Ibiza, Innsbruck, Las Palmas, Mahon, Malaga, Malta, Marrakech, Montpellier, Mykonos, Nantes, Palma de Mallorca, Paphos, Rhodes, Sharm el-Sheikh, Tenerife-South, Tunis)
London Heathrow (Casablanca, Faro, Malaga, Marrakech, Tangiers)
Manchester (Heraklion, Innsbruck, Malaga, Malta, Paphos, Salzburg, Tenerife-South)
In addition to the above destinations the airline also operated several charter flights from London Gatwick to destinations across Africa, Asia and Europe during Winter months."
Gibraltar does rely on (but does have) a large inbound tourist market - if my hypothetical airline were to strike agreements with tour operators around Europe it may become more viable, and if they could operate the LHR-GIB flights on behalf of BA with a better service, meals all round - proper business class etc. There shouldn't be too much protest from the businesspeople.
I personally don't know why Gibraltar has so few routes... If Jerez had more flights it would make more sense but GIB could easily market itself as a gateway to Cadiz, Algeciras etc. Providing the Spanish stop their childish antics.
On the topic of aircraft, the original plan for a National airline about 10 years ago discussed getting some 737 300's - There's still a few on the market pretty cheap that they could use, although A320's would seem more likely if it was to be part of IAG. Unless BA transferred some 734's.
"The airline's main operational base was at London Gatwick. Some of its aircraft were also based at London Heathrow and there was a small base at Manchester. Flights from the latter operated as 'BA Connect' services, which operated a no-frills airline style "buy on board" service. The airline mainly served destinations in the Mediterranean region and the Spanish and Portuguese islands, as well as a small number of destinations in inland continental Europe. Thus its main market was British people looking for a holiday in the sun.
London Gatwick (Agadir, Ajaccio, Alicante, Arrecife, Bastia, Corfu, Dalaman, Fez, Faro, Funchal, Gibraltar, Heraklion, Hurghada, Ibiza, Innsbruck, Las Palmas, Mahon, Malaga, Malta, Marrakech, Montpellier, Mykonos, Nantes, Palma de Mallorca, Paphos, Rhodes, Sharm el-Sheikh, Tenerife-South, Tunis)
London Heathrow (Casablanca, Faro, Malaga, Marrakech, Tangiers)
Manchester (Heraklion, Innsbruck, Malaga, Malta, Paphos, Salzburg, Tenerife-South)
In addition to the above destinations the airline also operated several charter flights from London Gatwick to destinations across Africa, Asia and Europe during Winter months."
Gibraltar does rely on (but does have) a large inbound tourist market - if my hypothetical airline were to strike agreements with tour operators around Europe it may become more viable, and if they could operate the LHR-GIB flights on behalf of BA with a better service, meals all round - proper business class etc. There shouldn't be too much protest from the businesspeople.
I personally don't know why Gibraltar has so few routes... If Jerez had more flights it would make more sense but GIB could easily market itself as a gateway to Cadiz, Algeciras etc. Providing the Spanish stop their childish antics.
On the topic of aircraft, the original plan for a National airline about 10 years ago discussed getting some 737 300's - There's still a few on the market pretty cheap that they could use, although A320's would seem more likely if it was to be part of IAG. Unless BA transferred some 734's.
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I guess potentially a couple of Dash8s might work serving a small selection of airports but how long it would last is another matter. One thing is for sure if someone were to initiate such a startup, failure would be inevitable if they used the word "thunk" in their vocabulary.
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The main opportunities ex GIB are to the UK, Monarch would have a newcomer without salt, as would easyJet. I fail to see where the opportunities, it is isn't exactly an easy market to develop. Iberia tried and tested a Madrid route and that was not supported.
Attracting sun worshippers to GIB as a gateway to Southern Spain, not easy either given the scale of Malaga which is technically not very far way....
Attracting sun worshippers to GIB as a gateway to Southern Spain, not easy either given the scale of Malaga which is technically not very far way....
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A wee q400 maybe poping over to tangiers kinda thing might work n maybe across to fso or up to MAD might work but I would guess tjat would be about your limit from GIB but as you say u not thunk it out fully is the basis for a lot of airlines philosophy so you might be onto something
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The use of the word thunk was deliberate haha, I thought it added emphasis in it's own little way.
Technically... Q400's could do GIB-LCY, but there's a stigma attached to props so people might not like the idea of 3.5 hours on one, and it would be hard to compete.
2 class E190's?
Technically... Q400's could do GIB-LCY, but there's a stigma attached to props so people might not like the idea of 3.5 hours on one, and it would be hard to compete.
2 class E190's?
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In 1983 I was on holiday in Tangier. I took the opportunity to fly to Gibraltar for the day on their then sole aircraft, G-BBVH, which was ex New Zealand National Airways and was reputedly the most pampered airliner on the British register. This arose due to the fact that its regular work was from the Rock to Tangier and back twice a day plus the odd charter with a "holiday" twice a year in the UK for two weeks for major maintenance to ensure the corrosive atmosphere in Gibraltar was kept at bay.
The Bland family was still in control holding 51% of the shares, the remainder being held by British Airways which had inherited the shares from BEA. A London service had been operated by BEA and BA aircraft for many years under a Gibraltar/BA flight number and Manchester was similarly served intermittently.
When the airline expanded it moved to Gatwick as it could take advantage of its British status, avoid the problems of basing aircraft at a relatively small airfield with a permanent corrosion problem and have a major catchment area around its base without the problems of a testy neighbour which restricted airspace and closed the land border from time to time.
Thirty years on from the move nothing has changed.
Incidentally, the flight times to and from Gibraltar from Tangier were 12 and 13 minutes respectively. Outbound the passengers were joined in the cabin by a cageful of hens and a sheep. The aircraft approached the field over the dockyard, turning finals at approx half a mile. On the return journey the turbulence generated by the Rock was evident on rotation before the main wheels left the ground.
The Bland family was still in control holding 51% of the shares, the remainder being held by British Airways which had inherited the shares from BEA. A London service had been operated by BEA and BA aircraft for many years under a Gibraltar/BA flight number and Manchester was similarly served intermittently.
When the airline expanded it moved to Gatwick as it could take advantage of its British status, avoid the problems of basing aircraft at a relatively small airfield with a permanent corrosion problem and have a major catchment area around its base without the problems of a testy neighbour which restricted airspace and closed the land border from time to time.
Thirty years on from the move nothing has changed.
Incidentally, the flight times to and from Gibraltar from Tangier were 12 and 13 minutes respectively. Outbound the passengers were joined in the cabin by a cageful of hens and a sheep. The aircraft approached the field over the dockyard, turning finals at approx half a mile. On the return journey the turbulence generated by the Rock was evident on rotation before the main wheels left the ground.
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GB Air wasn't a Gibraltar carrier, it was an odd name for a carrier that happened to serve that route. It was a relic of one of BA's failing franchise operations.
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Capetonian, read my post above yours. The Bland family which owned 51% of Gib Air, later GB Air and GB Airways was based in Gibraltar and owned many other businesses on the Rock.
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Sorry, I understand that, and I am aware of Bland Group's interests in the travel and hotel industry (in fact I did some work for them and they put me up in the rather excellent Rock Hotel which was way beyond what I could then have afforded!) but what I meant was that once BA got their claws into it, it was no longer really a Gibraltar Airline.
That said, you've pointed out an interesting bit of its history that I was not aware of.
I remember taking a photograph of that lovely sign on the runway where it crosses the road to La Linea : "Motor Vehicles must give way to Aircraft."
I have some photographs from earlier visits of graffiti reading "Franco is a fascist war criminal" with Spain in the background. A fascinating place, and a bit of an anachronism. I expect it has lost much of its character now.
That said, you've pointed out an interesting bit of its history that I was not aware of.
I remember taking a photograph of that lovely sign on the runway where it crosses the road to La Linea : "Motor Vehicles must give way to Aircraft."
I have some photographs from earlier visits of graffiti reading "Franco is a fascist war criminal" with Spain in the background. A fascinating place, and a bit of an anachronism. I expect it has lost much of its character now.
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BA pretty much left GB Airways alone until it had established an impressive route structure from Gatwick and Manchester. In the early 1990s the franchise idea took off with Cityflyer Deutsche BA and TAT all assuming corporate livery and "operated by" titles and GB Airwaysvwas brought into the fold.
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Knowing Gibraltar as I do, I can tell you that any such thought is a pipe dream. The Gibraltarians themselves have no interest in such an operation and never will have.It is not financially viable and routes, other than to and from the UK have all failed. Indeed some of the UK routes have done that.The runway is restricted with sea at both ends (Captains only landing)and often wind and fog restricted. The only Boeing that can make it, without upgrade, is the classic (on the wrong end of its lifespan) and the A320.
The Spanish Government are busy at this time trying to exclude Gibraltar from the EU air routes agreements
Were that to happen their only reliable diversion fields would be North Africa
So in reply to the OP, no this isnt a starter, in fact not even a dream as far as Gibraltar is concerned.They are nothing if not realistic
The Spanish Government are busy at this time trying to exclude Gibraltar from the EU air routes agreements
Were that to happen their only reliable diversion fields would be North AfricaSo in reply to the OP, no this isnt a starter, in fact not even a dream as far as Gibraltar is concerned.They are nothing if not realistic
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Madrid closes Gibraltar language school as 'only apes don?t speak Spanish' - Telegraph
This type of nonsense illustrates why a Gibraltar airline, under the current situation, is a non-starter.
Spain is to close its Cervantes Institute culture centre in Gibraltar in a new sign of heightened tension between Madrid and the authorities on the Rock.
Announcing the decision in parliament, the Spanish foreign minister pointed out that the main function of the Cervantes Institute global network was to teach the Spanish language.
“And in Gibraltar, everyone speaks it except for the apes”, José Manuel García-Margallo quipped, referring to Barbary macaques on the Rock, which are Europe's only wild population of monkeys. It is now thought there are more than 200 of the animals.
Announcing the decision in parliament, the Spanish foreign minister pointed out that the main function of the Cervantes Institute global network was to teach the Spanish language.
“And in Gibraltar, everyone speaks it except for the apes”, José Manuel García-Margallo quipped, referring to Barbary macaques on the Rock, which are Europe's only wild population of monkeys. It is now thought there are more than 200 of the animals.
GB airways franchise was wonderful until the gaggero's sold it to EZY for £103m
BEA vanguards to GIB and the viscount over to TGR
BEA vanguards to GIB and the viscount over to TGR