Blackpool happenings
 

nothing? must be something. what are this city hopper lot like?

There was an article in airliner world a month ago or so.

Ryanair start Gerona service soon

is that the lot then?

Virgin Atlantic are starting services to Sydney, New York and Chicago in July next year using A340-600s. see link, www.imboredandneedsomefunavaition.com

Seriously though, wouldn't of thought much would be happening at Blackpool. Your best bet is Ryanair announcing more flights there in the future as they need to put those shiny new aircraft somewhere. Maybe Frankfurth Hahn and possibly more flights to Spain if your really lucky?

What about Milan Bergamo or Rome CIA

Not to sure if Rome or Milan would work as it would threaten the current Liverpool market which already has to compete with Manchester.

i think airhumberside may have been joeking

Any expansion from that little airline with the Pa31?

WNC :p

Actually I was being serious. Dont forget that Blackpool - Gerona will compete with LPL - Gerona.

I dont think both BGY and CIA would work though

SO WHY GO TO BLK WHEN YOU CAN GO TO LPL THEN?

I don't know but the point aout Gerona was in relation to nikmanl's comments

so what exactly are ypu saying humbugside

Would Blackpool to Bergamo or Rome work on Ryanair, bearing in mind these two routes are served from Liverpool and so is Gerona, which is also served from Blackpool

BLK nothing? - not quite
Apparently planning permission has been applied for a 2nd terminal to accomodate all the millionaire gamblers and showgirls flying in from london and paris once the Vegas of the north is up and running.
There has been a story running for weeks in the FTimes about share price increase in companies selling olive oil, apparently hoteliers and diner (cafes + chippy's) owners in blackpool have been factfinding in nevada casinos and in the first blackpool forum of tourism chiefs held in the back of dave's chippy next to the karaoke bar on market street, they have come to the conclusion that if they are to keep up with forecasts for a new era of diner in the area they must do away with cooking with lard and using margarine....

You can already fly to hundreds of destinations from Blackpool. The sensible option is to fly people to a hub-and-spoke airport such as Stansted or Dublin, and if you pick up passenger traffic for those destinations as well, so much the better. Ryanair are not a charity organisation.
As for the PA31 operation I wish them well, but the choice of aircraft leaves absolutely no flexibility, even a Trislander makes better sense. Does it operate with some kind of subsidy?
Another Blackpool problem for inbound passengers is the lack of decent 21st century standard accommodation in any reasonable volume.....thousands of awful little boarding house/hotels just don't cut it any more.....you need affordable quality and plenty of it.
The state that the Vulcan got into due to years of neglect was a good illustration of the overall Blackpool problem. My best suggestion is to invest in a runway extension of at least 500 metres and provide either a turning loop or parallel taxiway for R/W 28......drag the airfield out of the Dakota-strip era.

Re-BLK Happenings
 

Hello,

Thought I would participate in this topic.

I get the impression a lot of people are taking the mick out of BLK
airport which I do find a little unfair. Not that it will ever become a LHR but didn't that start off with just a few tents? (not that BLK has still got them mind you!!)

Anyway, apparently City Hoppers are going to announce more new routes soon. Thats what they were quoted has saying anyway. I think they want another 7 or 8 routes, domestic and to Europe.

Britannia operate weekly 757s to spain, Air 2000 weekly 757 and A320/1 to spain and Air Europa 737s to Tenerife. So its not just Ryanair who use the runway at BLK. There have also been a marked increase in one of charter destinations using a variety of airlines from BLK. I think in the last few weeks there has been Lapland, Prague, Salzburg and plenty more planned.

FlyKeen continue to fly to IOM and BHD, perhaps they will introduce new routes and yes the PA31 crew are still knocking about between BLK and IOM.

I think BLK needs more in the way of charter destinations(not one offs) and maybe a new operator to increase presence at the airport. Its been Tenerife and Alicante for a few years now, only during the winter months though. I'm sure if MAN can support the usual 15/20 Palma flights each day during the summer BLK can manage 1!!

Other happenings I guess would be a steady stream of biz jets
and light a/c traffic.

Well thats my take on this topic for now. Anyone else got 'hot off the press' news?

cheers

I HAVE A QUESTION

what about the runway at BLK??? Surely Ryanair won't be able to use 800's to GRO fully laden from 1800m's???

Do they plan to lengthen it?

BLK already have plans to increase the runway length. when the issue first arose last year, now was the time when work was going to start(or plan to) but nothing as yet. The airport has hinted again about its plans to extend the rwy. When I do not know.

Also plans to either extend existing terminal or build a new one.

Ryanair already use 738s on the Stansted route which by the look of it always seems pretty full.

bpl321

taking the mick out of blk ? it does that itself. all talk and little action me suspects of that city hopper lot. ryanair are great for the consumer, but how much is blk making out of them? very little i suspect, and the more routes they operate from places like blk, the less thay'll end up paying.

new terminal - why? the curent one was only built a few years ago - what's up with it - the previous one lasted from the war and handled upwards of terminal passenger numbers comparible to todays yearly totals.

runway extension - why ain't it happened then ?

do you work there bpl321 or fly an airbus?

Who owns Blackpool Airport and can you buy shares in the controlling company?