Luton-10
Luton has no chance of making it to number 3 unless a major enlargement happens and T2 is built. The pandemic and its associated collapse in air traffic, along with a potential CO2 tax on aviation leave significant uncertainties for any investor.
The Dart has been a big enough adventure for now. Luton needs to focus on getting itself back to 2019 levels of traffic, before any of us even dream of LTN starting major new building work
The Dart has been a big enough adventure for now. Luton needs to focus on getting itself back to 2019 levels of traffic, before any of us even dream of LTN starting major new building work
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W6 restarting Larnaca today and both U2 & W6 restarting Porto.
I haven't clocked an Inverness for a long time so that might be back on a domestic front by U2..
I haven't clocked an Inverness for a long time so that might be back on a domestic front by U2..
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Lee Baker Street
Two ways of looking at this. Luton is the 5th busiest airport in the country due to the efforts of the airport operator who received financial intensives from the Council to pass onto the airlines or an airport owner who overspent, has no income and would be bankrupt without a bailout from the Council who in turn needed emergency loans from the government. So far nearly £500m spent which hasn't added a single passenger. Now the airport is taking out loans just to pay the interest on other loans it can't pay. Not bad for a company with no staff that was set up just to collect rents and concession fees and was seen as zero risk.
The big losers are now the Council taxpayers and staff. Services cut to the bone and hundreds made redundant as nothing was kept back for a rainy day.
So why did the airport operator refuse to fund the Dart? I assume it was because it made no economic sense.
A little disappointing news as new train service launched.
https://www.northantstelegraph.co.uk...ervice-3226299
'New' East Midlands Railway trains will not be refurbished in time for electric 'Connect' service
Two ways of looking at this. Luton is the 5th busiest airport in the country due to the efforts of the airport operator who received financial intensives from the Council to pass onto the airlines or an airport owner who overspent, has no income and would be bankrupt without a bailout from the Council who in turn needed emergency loans from the government. So far nearly £500m spent which hasn't added a single passenger. Now the airport is taking out loans just to pay the interest on other loans it can't pay. Not bad for a company with no staff that was set up just to collect rents and concession fees and was seen as zero risk.
The big losers are now the Council taxpayers and staff. Services cut to the bone and hundreds made redundant as nothing was kept back for a rainy day.
So why did the airport operator refuse to fund the Dart? I assume it was because it made no economic sense.
A little disappointing news as new train service launched.
https://www.northantstelegraph.co.uk...ervice-3226299
'New' East Midlands Railway trains will not be refurbished in time for electric 'Connect' service
Last edited by LTNman; 22nd May 2021 at 12:53.
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"Luton Airport" is now betwixt the veritable rock & hard place...
£109m has been loaned/promised from the Public Loans Board with that total also including tens of millions in emergency capitalisation to keep the airport operational/functioning.
This support is tied to an assurance review that will explore "reducing the council`s financial exposure to the airport".
In plain form...present value for taxpayers money & no further spending on expansion planning.
Also required is strict adherence to green & noise issues which appear to have been flouted until now & with the Government bailing the airport out leaves it totally at the mercy of their own airport policy what ever that will bring.
£109m has been loaned/promised from the Public Loans Board with that total also including tens of millions in emergency capitalisation to keep the airport operational/functioning.
This support is tied to an assurance review that will explore "reducing the council`s financial exposure to the airport".
In plain form...present value for taxpayers money & no further spending on expansion planning.
Also required is strict adherence to green & noise issues which appear to have been flouted until now & with the Government bailing the airport out leaves it totally at the mercy of their own airport policy what ever that will bring.
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Good summery by southside bobby except spending continues on modifying plans and another round of consultations. The consultations were phoney as the Council just went through the motions but now some 2 years later they claim they listened after they figured out their plans were too expensive. Also there wasn’t a question regarding did the public want the airport expanded. That question wasn’t there because most people didn’t want a bigger airport.
The last lot of consultations cost £20,000 per event which covered 3 counties and went out as far as Aylesbury. The trouble is too much has already been spent to call it a day. I would think the approach road will now be part of the DCO application rather than a gift to the next concessionaire.
LLAL still hasn’t produced its accounts for 2019 to March 2020 and are now subject to fines. This despite a record period of passengers but written during the pandemic.
The last lot of consultations cost £20,000 per event which covered 3 counties and went out as far as Aylesbury. The trouble is too much has already been spent to call it a day. I would think the approach road will now be part of the DCO application rather than a gift to the next concessionaire.
LLAL still hasn’t produced its accounts for 2019 to March 2020 and are now subject to fines. This despite a record period of passengers but written during the pandemic.
Last edited by LTNman; 22nd May 2021 at 18:29.
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London Luton Airport Group is the airport operator LLAOL.
LLAL https://find-and-update.company-info...mpany/02020381.
Still no accounts as per the government link
LLAL https://find-and-update.company-info...mpany/02020381.
Still no accounts as per the government link
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Just the web of semantics & "snow" that is...oh yes Luton Airport.
Luton Borough Council was granted £60m from the Public Works Loan Board to lend it to LLAL to ensure its stability.
Luton Borough Council was also granted a £35m emergency capitalisation direction for 20/21 by the Government in Feb with a further £14m expected this financial year .This support is tied to an assurance review that will explore reducing the council`s financial exposure to the airport.
No councillors of course don`t 'run' the airport but are certainly charged with oversight regarding financial matters on behalf of & with the granted trust of local taxpayers.
Luton Borough Council was granted £60m from the Public Works Loan Board to lend it to LLAL to ensure its stability.
Luton Borough Council was also granted a £35m emergency capitalisation direction for 20/21 by the Government in Feb with a further £14m expected this financial year .This support is tied to an assurance review that will explore reducing the council`s financial exposure to the airport.
No councillors of course don`t 'run' the airport but are certainly charged with oversight regarding financial matters on behalf of & with the granted trust of local taxpayers.
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LLAL is a secret organisation run by the Council, it produces no minutes, meetings are closed to the public and are not publicised yet in effect it is a committee of the Council attended by Councillors who are directors. The directors are protected by Insurance policies against all liabilities from negligence, breach of duty, and breach of trust in relation to the company. The directors cannot speak out regarding the airport and how it is run, which resulted in two of them resigning in 2019 from the board. Despite resigning they can't discuss anything that occurred while they were directors and now they are not directors they know little of what is going on. One thing is for sure and that LLAL directors are not taking any special talents to the table. They are just run of the mill members of the public who just happen to be Councillors who just nod when told to nod.
LLAL has no staff yet it has people who work full time for it but are funded by the Council taxpayer, as they are being paid directly by the Council so are they Council or LLAL employees or both?
Council finance meetings regarding what is happening at LLAL are closed meetings with the public excluded. Clearly the Council is frightened of the true facts coming out despite the fact it is meant to be servants of the people. Now we have late accounts where maybe some unpalatable truths might come out but then the accounts cover the airports best ever period so maybe they won't.
Avidspotter LLAL might not have day to day running of the airport but they have a big say in what happens. So who is really pushing for 19m passengers? Who is providing the discounts to the airlines? Answers on a post card.
LLAL has no staff yet it has people who work full time for it but are funded by the Council taxpayer, as they are being paid directly by the Council so are they Council or LLAL employees or both?
Council finance meetings regarding what is happening at LLAL are closed meetings with the public excluded. Clearly the Council is frightened of the true facts coming out despite the fact it is meant to be servants of the people. Now we have late accounts where maybe some unpalatable truths might come out but then the accounts cover the airports best ever period so maybe they won't.
Avidspotter LLAL might not have day to day running of the airport but they have a big say in what happens. So who is really pushing for 19m passengers? Who is providing the discounts to the airlines? Answers on a post card.
Last edited by LTNman; 24th May 2021 at 12:11.
Back to aviation -
FlyOne have confirmed the launch of their 4x weekly service to Chisinau will be on 28th May with A320.
SkyUp will start their 2x weekly Kiev service from 24th June with B738
FlyOne have confirmed the launch of their 4x weekly service to Chisinau will be on 28th May with A320.
SkyUp will start their 2x weekly Kiev service from 24th June with B738
SSB -
Yes it does - I can read too. However, much of the recent discussion in this thread has been about local government finance and accountability. Hence the distinction.
Yes it does - I can read too. However, much of the recent discussion in this thread has been about local government finance and accountability. Hence the distinction.
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...Which almost certainly affects Luton Airport going forward does it not?
Fail to see how "aviation" as your distinction is different to the header "airlines-airports-routes"...enlighten please.
Fail to see how "aviation" as your distinction is different to the header "airlines-airports-routes"...enlighten please.
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What happens regarding finances at the Town Hall has a direct link to what is happening and more importantly what will happen in the future regarding the airport. I might seem to have a vendetta against those at the Council but questions need to be raised and answered, as they are both the owner of the airport and the planning authority of the airport. Current government investigations into the financial relationship don't bode well. Also the Local Government Ombudsman is holding another investigation into why the ruling party's airport directors didn't declare an interest when voting on airport matters at full council that would have had a financial impact on LLAL.
Then there is the scandal of the missing £1.1m of funds SEMLEP put into the Council's bank account. The funding was a central government investment programme grant, allocated by the South East Midlands Local Enterprise Partnership that disappeared without trace that the Council claims was stolen. Inside job or conspiracy? Meetings about that issue are always held in secret, so why would that be?
Then there is the scandal of the missing £1.1m of funds SEMLEP put into the Council's bank account. The funding was a central government investment programme grant, allocated by the South East Midlands Local Enterprise Partnership that disappeared without trace that the Council claims was stolen. Inside job or conspiracy? Meetings about that issue are always held in secret, so why would that be?