Regional Air Connectivity Fund - 19 routes
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From what I have seen, All Routes have to show they will be sustainable on their own after 3 years, any route that doesn't show growth or meet the expected demand will have the plug pulled even before the 3 years is up!
There is so much criteria that has to be met I can see a lot of those proposed not making it so I wouldn't worry to much
Yes we have a small country, that is coming ever more crowded!!!
There is so much criteria that has to be met I can see a lot of those proposed not making it so I wouldn't worry to much
Yes we have a small country, that is coming ever more crowded!!!
Yes the population of the country is expanding and when there is enough people within a region to make a route viable it will be viable. Completely agree with the posters on here - empty, damaging, ridiculous, pre election gestures throwing good tax payers money after bad. I would prefer that money to be spent on kids vaccinations etc.
Is that not the whole point of the state - to provide public services that the free market isn't able to provide? Can't see anything wrong with that myself.
Yes the service they have to provide is an airport (or bus station, hospital, library etc) for each region that can properly do the job. Thought has gone into deciding the best location. Making sure the airport has a suitable runway and is easily able to be accessed by road and rail. The airport must be able to provide the services that the individual region will VIABLY require. That is the Government's responsibility. The free market is able to provide these services but only if the Government do their jobs correctly and fairly. The government are artificially distorting demand by giving peoples hard earned money to private companies to help unviable routes work.
This is nothing more than a last ditch unfair way of the government helping finningley airport after they have thrown millions of pounds at it. Much better to do that than spend on ONE proper fit for purpose airport within Yorkshire. North west companies and North west airports will be laughing all the way to the bank.
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This is nothing more than a last ditch unfair way of the government helping finningley airport after they have thrown millions of pounds at it. Much better to do that than spend on ONE proper fit for purpose airport within Yorkshire. North west companies and North west airports will be laughing all the way to the bank.
As far as I can tell there are 19 routes that have applied for startup funding, and only one of them involves DSA (Finningly is the name of the former RAF base not the existing airport)
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I have nothing against finningley if it was between Wakefield and Doncaster it would be ideal but where it is located it will never force LBA to close. Yorkshire already loses passengers to MAN and EMA and therefore it does not need two airports fighting against one another. 1 correctly placed and connected airport for Yorkshire would have 3 flights to Frankfurt without any taxpayers money needed.
The 19 routes will come down to 3 none of which can stand on their own feet. The Government is helping the two airports to limp along because they only truly want to spend money on Manchester. By announcing 19 routes nobody will cotton on.
The long term economic government plan for Yorkshire means making them fly from Manchester. More diversion and cancellations this morning at Britain's highest airport. Government say one thing while secretly planning the opposite.
Government say one thing while secretly planning the opposite
Where's my tinfoil hat!
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Was speaking to a family from Durham flying to Toronto this Summer. They would love not have to travel all the way to Manchester for their flight. The people of the North East would benefit from an airport at CF (if not the enthusiasts). How long from Durham to CF on the train? Ooops thread drift.
Has anything happened with the Regional Air Connectivity Fund n the last two months ? I thought that after two months, somebody in Govt might now be ready to make some sort of announcement as to which routes have passed the primary set of criteria prior to the routes being narrowed down to the final set that would receive funding
To answer Leeds approach, a long time ago there was at least on flight from Newcastle to Canada per week Wardair or CP air comes to mind with DC-10s. SWBKCB can possibly give more info on this route.
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From an article on 27/3/15:
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/1...up-aid-funding
"The announcement of those routes which have passed the initial application stage has been delayed to allow the department more time to consider the relevant evidence before determining whether the route meets the European Commission guidelines.
The announcement of a short-list of routes that have met the criteria of the initial application stage will now be made in early May. Those routes that are successful at this stage will then move forward to the strategic and economic appraisal stage, with successful bids being announced in July 2015."
There wasn't any announcement in May - due to the election perhaps?
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/1...up-aid-funding
"The announcement of those routes which have passed the initial application stage has been delayed to allow the department more time to consider the relevant evidence before determining whether the route meets the European Commission guidelines.
The announcement of a short-list of routes that have met the criteria of the initial application stage will now be made in early May. Those routes that are successful at this stage will then move forward to the strategic and economic appraisal stage, with successful bids being announced in July 2015."
There wasn't any announcement in May - due to the election perhaps?
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Indeed it was delayed due the election.
DfT is not able to make any comment re the process today (have just spoken with them)- but will hopefully make comment next week -- 8 or 9 June.
DfT is not able to make any comment re the process today (have just spoken with them)- but will hopefully make comment next week -- 8 or 9 June.
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According to Thursday's Guardian the Fund has been scrapped: "Savings of £16m are made by not subsidising further regional air links – the kind of money that has kept planes going to Newquay and Dundee (whose flights stay protected)."
George Osborne's £4.5bn savings plan: what's being cut? | Politics | The Guardian
George Osborne's £4.5bn savings plan: what's being cut? | Politics | The Guardian
To be fair, back in the 70's this was the same at most of the major regional airports (at MAN there was regularly 3 or 4 Wardair widebodies on the ground at the same time). Market is a lot smaller now.
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Has Canada gone down in popularity? I'd have thought the opposite would have been the case but aviation was very very different then.
I was surprised when Jet2 canned their planned Toronto charters (and Boston) a few years ago. Westjet is the only airline I could see being viable for Newcastle's future really... Not sure how an A319/A321 would go down on a transatlantic route with Air Canada Rouge... 767 more than likely too large unless it was a double drop with an existing route
I was surprised when Jet2 canned their planned Toronto charters (and Boston) a few years ago. Westjet is the only airline I could see being viable for Newcastle's future really... Not sure how an A319/A321 would go down on a transatlantic route with Air Canada Rouge... 767 more than likely too large unless it was a double drop with an existing route
Yes - used to be a huge VFR market - judging by the number of wheelchairs that used to meet the MAN Wardair flights I'm not surprised the market has declined...