Agreed
 

Yeah CO did use a 764, it also said they were gonna use one yesterday so i went up to get a few pics, sadley no 764:sad: :mad: but the two 752s were there before 10am which was odd considering the secxond flight dosnt arrive till later............

Along with the possibility of Delta or someone else starting up do you think that CO would start a new route to Houston or somthing?

I think the 2nd flight is due in around 9.30ish. I wouldn't have thought Houston will be happening anytime soon,could it be made off Bhx's runway? AA to Boston has been talked about before so it is a possibility.

I'm not sure about the Houston flight....EK get the 772 off the BHX runway but i'm really not sure about the distances.
I think AA could be a real possibility and maybe US if they emerge from there money probsm who knows though.

BHX really need a runway extension, it would open up a whole load of new flights.

Yeah long haul seems to be the way forward in recent years, thanks to CO and EK. Apparently it can be a bit of a squeeze for the EK to get out of Bhx so a runway extension would be crucial so it can pick up the long haul market, like MAN have done.

Yeah well as long as they can get off the BHX runway for now, who cares lol :ok:
I agree, the runway length has limited who wants to fly to BHX and what equipment they use, when i was up at BHX yesterday i noticed they are building another exit taxiway of RWY 15 and i got a picture. They are also going to build a high speed turn-off taxiway.
They should get on with the runway extension while they are at it
:)

Would I be right in saying that the same distance is less of a problem flying east because of the prevailing winds?

BHX runway extension is a much larger project than just adding a few metres to the taxiway. Would need re-alignment of the A45. Would certainly open up many more route options & avoid a lot of hassles going through London, but the usual self-interest groups will add several years to the process, as they won't see the wider picture.

I heard they were actually considering having the A45 going under the new extended part of the runway so planes would literlly be landing over the A45......self interest groups will cause hassle.
What is the minimum length a runway needs to be to allow say a fully loaded 744 to get off the deck?, BHX's main runway is 8654ft i think....

The EK would have plenty of runway spare at BHX if it just took pax- the main reason it seems to use so much of the runway is due to the large volume of freight that it takes as well.

Plus the 773 operated into BHX last xmas!

Rgds
Scott

Yeah thats true, i have seen the large amount of freight they remove sad that the 772 won't be around but then we do get the twice-daily A330 service:ok:

Update on Continental, CO did operate a 764 today, ship N59053

Strange you should say that as bhx is not known for its freight! Does East Midlands not have a dedicated freighter service to Dubai or the middle east?

Well BHX really dosnt have a major frieght operation but when viewed from T1 and the Outdoor Viewing Area i can see the large amount of "Emirates Sky Cargo" they remove, it drives past the viewing area lol

I will look out for that next time i'm in :ok:

Getting back to Delta though, how are they financially these days as I guess they won't be expanding too much if they are in trouble?

About time they expanded in the UK though!:D

On the runway extension at BHX, it won't be for another 5 years as the board think the current length is suffiecient for now......

Any idea what the runway would be extended to BHXviscount?

Plan is to extend 33 and A45 coventry rd to go under, although there was a plan for re-routing the A45 a while back. 475mtrs was a figure heard but in feet I have heard it will end up as 10,000ft+!!
All depends on solihull council and that peoples champion Jim Ryan(cnlr for Bickenhill)-very anti airport, except fot CVT as wanted expansion there rather than BHX.

When I was an ATCA at Brum in 1969/1970, there was talk then of an "underpass" for the A45 so the r/w could be extended. :(
fp117, all pax fights carry freight if they can, even the E145s carry a few kilos of freight and mail. The "longer" routes are [almost] subsidised by freight. 200 pax at £1 per kilo isn't as good as 250kilos @£15 per kilo [my figs, not airline:ok: ] I have know airlies to "offload" pax so that the could carry freight
watp,iktch

Chiglet

"£15.00 per kg for freight"

I escaped from the freight industry 4 years ago, and on USA bound cargo the airlines were fighting for business as 65 pence per kg! If it's gone to as much as £ 15.00 I think I ought to get back in whilst the money's good!

That aside, the arguement is sound. On a wide-body in particular freight is a valuable earner, which is why successful carriers such as EK, SQ and LH give it such a high profile.

Andrew

10,000ft+!!!!
 

A runway 10000ft!! plus would allow any fully loaded aircraft to depart wouldnt it,:ok: .
Just worked that out, if 475mwas added to BHX's main runway that would increase the length to 10,205ft!!! i can't see that happening for a while though.........

Hey I agree with all that BHX deserves a few more long haul routes.

But i do feel that BHX is up against it, and not just because of the runway. With England being so geographically small, the airlines see Manchester covering Birmingham and up, and London serving Birmginham and south!! So why incur all the costs associated with a new set-up, when passengers are no more than 2 hours from one of your services anyway?

What does everyone else think?

Hey i agree that BHX does need some new long haul routes:ok:
I also have to agree that BHX is blocked in by the likes of bloody MAN :mad: and LHR/LGW etc. The problem is people don't like travelling down to London and up to Manchester and they wonder why the "Second City" hasn't got an airport with all these services but as mentioned above with England being so small we are boxed in.
As already seen though some airlines can make long haul services run very well, examples are CO operating from BHX twiced-daily in Summer and most of Winter aswell as from LGW and MAN, the same can also be said for EK with twice daily services next year to BHX but they also operate to MAN aswell as loads of flights to London. Long haul can work from airports that are this close together.
:ok: :) :D