Luton-10
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Wizzair are offering 4x Daily to LTN from Bucharest by the summer so that is some capacity between the two on the London Market. Bets please on who makes money and long term will Blue Air hold onto LHR slots and will have to come back to LTN?
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I suspect with Blue Air and SunEx both seemingly having duplicated services at LTN scheduled at similar, if not same times, to LHR and LGW that they're probably trying to secure slots there and just keeping LTN handy in their back-pocket if unsuccessful.
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pabely
The London Market seems to have gone Bucharest crazy!
Wizz also have daily flights out of Gatwick and Southend too, do that makes six flights a day just for Wizz!
Along with Wizz and Blue Air, you also have come the summer two daily flights with Ryanair from Stansted and three weekly from Southend!
Then on the legacy carrier front, two flights a day with BA and a daily service with TAROM, both from LHR.
The London Market seems to have gone Bucharest crazy!
Wizz also have daily flights out of Gatwick and Southend too, do that makes six flights a day just for Wizz!
Along with Wizz and Blue Air, you also have come the summer two daily flights with Ryanair from Stansted and three weekly from Southend!
Then on the legacy carrier front, two flights a day with BA and a daily service with TAROM, both from LHR.
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Construction update
I have been messaged to do another construction update so for those people this is for you and thanks for your support. Note not all of these photos are mine with some coming from a source at the airport.
The opening date for the Dart has been put back until 2022 meaning the build will take 4 years to complete.
Foundations are going in for the missing section of the Dart station at Parkway. This will increase the building by a third.
So with the missing section of building now under construction, that will connect to the passenger footbridge over the railway tracks, what is this walkway for seeing they now have a year to finish the building?
The view from the trackbed from Parkway. Note the track is protected by glass walls and sliding doors
View from the top of the bridge ski slope with the approach lights crossing the track. I am surprised this obstacle was allowed to be built so close to the approach. Anyone remember when a Dan-Air 727 took out the approach lights and ILS at this end of the runway? It will eventually be backlit in blue LED lighting to make it pretty at night.
The actual ski slope structure is covered in scaffolding and has been for weeks. The road from the airport has been closed since the scaffolding went up. The cars on the left are parked up.
Heading towards the terminal
Under the taxiway. Note the cable in place which seems a bit thin so maybe it isn't the final version.
Terminal station from the trackbed. The yellow ceiling can be seen under construction with one of the escalators seen on the right
The opening date for the Dart has been put back until 2022 meaning the build will take 4 years to complete.
Foundations are going in for the missing section of the Dart station at Parkway. This will increase the building by a third.
So with the missing section of building now under construction, that will connect to the passenger footbridge over the railway tracks, what is this walkway for seeing they now have a year to finish the building?
The view from the trackbed from Parkway. Note the track is protected by glass walls and sliding doors
View from the top of the bridge ski slope with the approach lights crossing the track. I am surprised this obstacle was allowed to be built so close to the approach. Anyone remember when a Dan-Air 727 took out the approach lights and ILS at this end of the runway? It will eventually be backlit in blue LED lighting to make it pretty at night.
The actual ski slope structure is covered in scaffolding and has been for weeks. The road from the airport has been closed since the scaffolding went up. The cars on the left are parked up.
Heading towards the terminal
Under the taxiway. Note the cable in place which seems a bit thin so maybe it isn't the final version.
Terminal station from the trackbed. The yellow ceiling can be seen under construction with one of the escalators seen on the right
Last edited by LTNman; 19th Feb 2021 at 10:25.
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I also missed the construction updates, so thanks LTNman. I believe the walkway in your second picture will connect the existing rail footbridge to the DART terminal. In the last plans I saw it was always envisaged this connection would be made, even when the new footbridge is connected up. The slope in the walkway is due to the slight height difference between the existing footbridge and the DART terminal upper level.
Also, if people are interested, Google Earth updated an aerial view of the airport recently (from March 2020) - it shows the DART route, second multi-story, new taxiway and de-icing pads and of course the picture is full of parked up planes from the first lockdown.
Also, if people are interested, Google Earth updated an aerial view of the airport recently (from March 2020) - it shows the DART route, second multi-story, new taxiway and de-icing pads and of course the picture is full of parked up planes from the first lockdown.
ClearLand - maybe I'm missing something... but the satellite images I see of Luton airport on Google Earth show car parks absolutely full of cars, and very few aircraft on the ground - as if Covid didn't exist... is there some alternate image source you are referencing ?
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Just pulled the plans out. The walkway will locate down the side of the building on the railway platform side. The mauve shading is being paid for by Railtrack and shows the two extra canopies that the new build will contain.
Last edited by LTNman; 19th Feb 2021 at 15:36.
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davidjohnson6
If you click on the Historical Imagery button, it will let you go to the March 2020 image - needs to be in the Google Earth app, not showing on usual google maps website for some reason.
If you click on the Historical Imagery button, it will let you go to the March 2020 image - needs to be in the Google Earth app, not showing on usual google maps website for some reason.
Paxing All Over The World
Thanks LTNman. Am I right in remembering that there is no intermediate car park stop? Just a simple Up/Down? Looking at the cable you mention, I wonder if they use a light cable that can be drawn easily and then use the main winding gear to pull the heavy main cable?
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There is provision to build a station in the mid term car park but it was not part of this build. To be honest LLAL is up to its eyeballs in debt with no income and is in a bad way. Looking at projections for the return of a dividend to the Council the Council is expecting nothing for at least 5 years.
The capital programme for the airport for this and the next financial year is £164m. Much of this expenditure is historical with most of it going on the Dart.
Net income to the Council from the airport for this financial year and the following financial year will be £20m per year but that money will be borrowed by the Council and handed over to LLAL so they can pay it back as income.
Regarding leverage, Debenhams had a debt to top line annual earnings ratio of 5 to 1 and went bust. LLAL ratio is 8 to 1 of debt and that doesn’t include latest borrowing for its most profitable year which was 2018/2019.
Force Majeure, which was written in 1999 has yet to be settled and might well end up in court but it is likely to cost LLAL millions and might even sink it and that excludes legal costs.
Let’s not forget the terms the government set regarding the Councils dependency on the airport as it wants to see a plan. At the moment it is LLAL that is dependent on the Council to bail it out while the Council is dependent on LLAL to pay it £20m. The latest Council proposed cutback is to close the towns golf course at Stockwood park.
With the Councils proposed expansion of Luton Airport it has spent money like water in anticipation of earning more but it might end up with not owning the airport. That would indeed be a bleak day but the airport would always survive.
Dart train news https://www.lutontoday.co.uk/news/tr...n-dart-3140455
The capital programme for the airport for this and the next financial year is £164m. Much of this expenditure is historical with most of it going on the Dart.
Net income to the Council from the airport for this financial year and the following financial year will be £20m per year but that money will be borrowed by the Council and handed over to LLAL so they can pay it back as income.
Regarding leverage, Debenhams had a debt to top line annual earnings ratio of 5 to 1 and went bust. LLAL ratio is 8 to 1 of debt and that doesn’t include latest borrowing for its most profitable year which was 2018/2019.
Force Majeure, which was written in 1999 has yet to be settled and might well end up in court but it is likely to cost LLAL millions and might even sink it and that excludes legal costs.
Let’s not forget the terms the government set regarding the Councils dependency on the airport as it wants to see a plan. At the moment it is LLAL that is dependent on the Council to bail it out while the Council is dependent on LLAL to pay it £20m. The latest Council proposed cutback is to close the towns golf course at Stockwood park.
With the Councils proposed expansion of Luton Airport it has spent money like water in anticipation of earning more but it might end up with not owning the airport. That would indeed be a bleak day but the airport would always survive.
Dart train news https://www.lutontoday.co.uk/news/tr...n-dart-3140455
Last edited by LTNman; 19th Feb 2021 at 21:46.
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T2 a bit nearer?
https://www.lutontoday.co.uk/news/po...y-park-3146855
https://www.lutontoday.co.uk/news/po...y-park-3146855
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I doubt it. Sometimes less generates more. The Council airport company would be debt free if the Council had not got greedy with an income stream that would have delighted every other Council in the country.
Without debt LLAL would be generating a substantial dividend for the Council in the next financial year yet now according to the Councils accounts, it won’t generate a single penny in dividends until at least 2025/2026 and that is as far as the Council has looked forward.
We all know here that the application for a business park was a rouse as it was all about getting a T2 £124 million access road approved and built and keeping this road outside the scrutiny of a DCO application to government for airport expansion that occupies the same public park.
Due to Corporation Tax rules the Council needs to fund the road directly rather than LLAL taking out yet another loan to add to its half a billion debt mountain and there lies the problem. The road has been deferred for not only the short term but also the medium term and will now be delayed indefinitely as the Council can’t even fund social services in a meaningful way without a government bail out.
By getting the government involved the government is now finally having a good look at Luton Council and how it is run. Many have known for years that this Council thought it was untouchable and not accountable to anyone and could do what it likes particularly with its airport when it came to approving its own planning applications. Now the Council is fighting to keep ownership of its own airport and can’t blame anyone apart from itself.
For those of a nervous disposition and who want the Council to keep the airport I suggest they do not read the following report. I also think the Council should own its airport but it truly needs to be independent with no Council involvement. At the moment all the directors are Councillors who are not known for their intellectual abilities and just do what they are told. A bit like the Planning Committee in my opinion. After Tuesdays meeting it was clear that many in this committee can’t even read a simple map or plan yet they make major planning decisions that affect lives.
. https://www.lgcplus.com/finance/luto...aF8oSQ_94DJJ3g
Without debt LLAL would be generating a substantial dividend for the Council in the next financial year yet now according to the Councils accounts, it won’t generate a single penny in dividends until at least 2025/2026 and that is as far as the Council has looked forward.
We all know here that the application for a business park was a rouse as it was all about getting a T2 £124 million access road approved and built and keeping this road outside the scrutiny of a DCO application to government for airport expansion that occupies the same public park.
Due to Corporation Tax rules the Council needs to fund the road directly rather than LLAL taking out yet another loan to add to its half a billion debt mountain and there lies the problem. The road has been deferred for not only the short term but also the medium term and will now be delayed indefinitely as the Council can’t even fund social services in a meaningful way without a government bail out.
By getting the government involved the government is now finally having a good look at Luton Council and how it is run. Many have known for years that this Council thought it was untouchable and not accountable to anyone and could do what it likes particularly with its airport when it came to approving its own planning applications. Now the Council is fighting to keep ownership of its own airport and can’t blame anyone apart from itself.
For those of a nervous disposition and who want the Council to keep the airport I suggest they do not read the following report. I also think the Council should own its airport but it truly needs to be independent with no Council involvement. At the moment all the directors are Councillors who are not known for their intellectual abilities and just do what they are told. A bit like the Planning Committee in my opinion. After Tuesdays meeting it was clear that many in this committee can’t even read a simple map or plan yet they make major planning decisions that affect lives.
Luton resists possible sale of airport after £35m bailout
Last edited by LTNman; 26th Feb 2021 at 09:55.
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I'm not convinced anything I have seen or heard about this "scrutiny" will amount to anything much or have any significant consequences for the airport ownership.
On the access road - am I right in thinking the government choose not to call it in like previous applications? Surely that implies they don't have any concerns and decisions are sound from a legal and planning process point of view?
On the access road - am I right in thinking the government choose not to call it in like previous applications? Surely that implies they don't have any concerns and decisions are sound from a legal and planning process point of view?
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avidspotter
You are indeed correct that the government didn't call in the application last year. SEMLEP ( South East Midlands Local Enterprise Partnership) have costed the road at £140m and stated "
so if it is going to be built who is going to fund an unviable road and when?
They also said
Private as in LLAL, which is 100% owned by the Council. SEMLEP were going to fund part of the cost of the road but withdraw that offer 18 months ago to the dismay of the Council. Now we have Covid.
It might end up being funded by the new 2031 concessionaire but then the government might turn the DCO application down. The next question is will the Council dare submit their DCO this year when there is a climate conference in Glasgow this year hosted by Boris but the longer they leave it the harder it will be to get it passed as climate change is not going away.
Also has the cost of the Dart gone up again as the council accounts states an additional £53.7million for the DART
You are indeed correct that the government didn't call in the application last year. SEMLEP ( South East Midlands Local Enterprise Partnership) have costed the road at £140m and stated "
Key barrier is the £140m access road cost which means all development options potentially unviable
They also said
Funding Sources for the Investment Plan. Delivery of the Luton Airport Enterprise Zone is a shared responsibility between the public and private sectors. The relationship between London Luton Airport Ltd and Luton Borough Council give an interesting take on private/public partnership.
It might end up being funded by the new 2031 concessionaire but then the government might turn the DCO application down. The next question is will the Council dare submit their DCO this year when there is a climate conference in Glasgow this year hosted by Boris but the longer they leave it the harder it will be to get it passed as climate change is not going away.
Also has the cost of the Dart gone up again as the council accounts states an additional £53.7million for the DART
Last edited by LTNman; 27th Feb 2021 at 04:43.