London City: New Routes, Airlines, Infrastructure
 

Although LCY does not seem to have a strong local supporter's base on this forum, I though it would be worthwhile to open a dedicated thread for the airport similar to the ones we have for almost all the other airports.

To get the thread started:

- EAE European Air Express is to cease its twice daily ATR42 service to DUS with effect Mar, 18. If I am not mistaken, the route was operated for approx. a year with rather disappointing loads.

- As has already been reported, VLM Airlines will introduce a new route to AMS in April with initially three daily (mo-fr) departures -
LCY 08:00 AMS 10:20 VG 214
LCY 15:15 AMS 17:35 VG 222
LCY 18:50 AMS 21:10 VG 226
- bringing their LCY network to eight destinations. Rumours have it that a NCL route is also in the pipeline.

- Luxair debuted their new jet service from Luxemburg last Monday (Feb, 14) and now operates on the route with a ERJ135. Luxair's Fokker 50s have been sold to a Swedish company. VLM Airlines has reacted with adding a fourth daily rotation (VG304 STD 0840). As for the battle on this route: Luxair's CEO C. Heinzmann is the former VLM CEO.

- Next Monday, Feb 21, will see the inauguration of Darwin Airlines' new X6 service to Berne and Lugano, operated with a Saab 2000.

- As was announced back in December, KLM cityhopper will start a second route from LCY on April 1 and compete with VLM Airlines to RTM. As a reaction, VLM Airlines has added a 10th daily rotation on its LCY-RTM route with effect Feb, 14 (VG294, STD 1815)

Good idea.

we are having difficulty working out who will operate the LCY - NCL route. VLM have denied it.

Have a look at the Newcastle thread about a charter operation to be offered on the above route by Centreline.

BA are planning to base a fourth a/c at LCY from April. According to the LCY website it will operate another frequency on the EDI route but looking at the timetable this seems to originate in EDI.
What new routes might BA open?

Virginblue,

Great idea, even if I'm not sure if any of Mr Branson's companies will ever get a foot in there!

"Although LCY does not seem to have a strong local supporter's base on this forum"

I guess they are all too busy to come here!

I have used LCY a couple of times - the first time out of curiosity, and the second due to having events on in London and Edinburgh on consecutive days.

LCY and EDI have the best approach views in the UK imho, both for their own reasons! Of course, that's not its raison d'etre, but facilities-wise it is an incredibly efficient operator. No doubt they will grow further still when the DLR link opens, and as more and more people get fed up with LHRs ground delays, and the distances needed to get to other so called London airports!

Eastern were rumoured to be looking at NCL-LCY with a Jetstream 41.

I didn't think BA had any aircraft based at LCY, I thought all planes/crew were from B'ham/Manchester?

Biggest area of growth for LCY at the mo' is Corporate traffic

FC

I've always thought LCY was a great airport to operate into, and out of. I would highly recommend it to any pax wishing to go to London, particularly when the DLR extension is completed.

I also think it would be a fantastic subject for a documentary.

As far as BA is concerned, there are no aircraft or crews based at LCY (though I understand it would make financial sense so to do!)

It seems possible that BACX could base RJ100s elsewhere (taken from either MAN or BHX) in order to operate a number of routes through LCY.

Two questions: Is it really true that the A318 will be certified for LCY, and secondly: Is there a plan to increase the number of stands, since at times, this seems to be the limiting factor.

There are actually quite a few of us !

It doesn't really make much sense to base at LCY, notwithstanding the good business there. That's because the commercial demand from provincial points starts earlier in the morning than from LCY so it makes sense for domestic aircraft diagrams to start/finish their day at the other end of the route. It's more apparent from Continental Europe with the one hour time difference. So even VLM, the No 1 operator here, doesn't base aircraft here. Only Scot overnight one aircraft, of 3 used on their Edinburgh shuttle.

LCY has a disappointingly high proportion of routes that just don't work out. Disappointing for me that we are losing yet again a Dusseldorf route (VLM to Monchengladbach went about 18 months ago). Domestically Cardiff, Glasgow, Sheffield, Belfast City and others have all gone in recent times. I went up to Leeds last month on BMI on a business hours day return. About a dozen pax each way, probably well under break-even.

The DLR (which I'm a regular user of) won't offer much benefit apart from a PERCEPTION of being connected. The best way from this part of London into the centre is by the Jubilee Line, changing from the DLR at Canning Town. There's already an LCY shuttle bus that does this run to Canning Town direct, over uncongested roads. Going into The City from Royal Albert (the station you can see across the dock from the LCY lounge) always feels like a lot of stops and time, and it puts you off at unconnected Tower Gateway terminus, apparently because the DLR Bank terminus is at capacity for trains, so Tower Gateway presumably is where the LCY trains will have to go too.

(Edited - typo)

The problem with LCY indeed is that it is a typical inbound airport. Back when I was involved in some consulting work I discussed the problem with three airlines that served or where interested to serve LCY from Germany (none of the routes materialized or still exists). You will always have a reasonably full aircraft on the inbound morning run and the outbound late afternoon / evening flight(s). However, quite often you will have a literally empty aircraft on the morning return flight and on flights at noon time if you don't give tickets away. Add to this the high fees at LCY and the high costs of marketing in a market where five airports compete,, and it is quite evident why it difficult to build a route successfully as a smaller regional operator.

Has LCY been closed this evening ? I note that the Cirrus flight from/to MUC has been diverted to LTN and arrival in MUC is indefinitely delayed.

A new charter service linking Plymouth with London City Airport has been launched.

Air operator Centreline is running the service and says it is a cost-effective way to reach he capital in just over an hour.

The service runs between Plymouth City Airport and London City Airport, at Canary Wharf.

The airport is closer to central London and means that travellers can cut down on the journey time normally involved in getting from Gatwick into the heart of the capital.

The Bristol-based firm has 14 aircraft ranging from a four-seater PA34 Seneca up to a luxury seven-seater Beech Kingair 200.

It says that chartering a plane to get seven people to the capital can work out at £350 per person, an option it says is cost-effective when compared with the cost of travelling to London and putting up in a hotel.

Centreline has been flying passengers around Europe for seven years, and is now licensed to fly craft in and out of London City Airport.

The flight between Plymouth and London City Airport takes one hour and five minutes.

Managing director Philip Brockwell said: "Time is the most valuable asset for many professional and skilled people who have to commute between the two cities on a regular or occasional basis.

"Clients using this service can choose when they want to depart and return and because check-in and check-out times are so quick, be in the air within ten minutes of arriving at the airport.

"At London City Airport, we will arrange transport to and from their next meeting if required."

The firm says it can arrange for the plane to be liveried with corporate branding and can supply refreshments during the flight.

In the past seven years, Centreline, a Civil Aviation Authority-approved operator, has increased its turnover to £2 million.

A spokeswoman for the company said Plymouth had been chosen to launch the service because of its distance from the capital.

"It has been launched in key areas because we thought business people might want to commute to central London quickly. It's a long drive from Plymouth."

The service has also been launched in Manchester, Liverpool, Dublin and Carlisle.

Saw the Darwin flight this morning (Crap pic I know but it was from the Dep lounge!)

http://www.pbase.com/kbmphotography/image/40130214.jpg

And how can you NOT like this airport...... (This afternoon.....)

http://www.pbase.com/kbmphotography/image/40130297.jpg

(Sorry for the poor quality)

are those jets not parked really close to the appproach path?

No, its an optical illusion. They are actually closer:D

The Darwin Saab made a truely awful landing. The Saabs seem very rigid, and it is the first time I have seen one bounce.

The pilot sounded a bit worried on the RT as well when reading back taxy instructions. Hope they improve, or they might scare off the few passengers who might want to fly to Bern;)

Centreline have also announced their intention to provide a service between both BFS and BHD to LCY.

Slightly off tpoic, not long ago, VLM wre interested in aquiring a small number of Jets, of course, these would have to be LCY certified. Hasn't the CEO of VLM been trying to get the Fokker company back up & running? (Fokker 70 is LCY certified)

Also, mentioned recently on another thread that Airbus/LCY were looking at the possibilities of the A318 being certified, anybody any more news on this?

Fried Chicken

Centreline announced NCL as well. I don't quite understand what they are offering other than advising that a company etc can charter a plane between LCY and another UK point.

Didn't centreline operate a service from Exeter to Luton a while ago ? Or am I confusing something ?

On a German forum there is a rumour (repeat: rumour) that European Air Express is offering the soon-to-go DUS-LCY route to another airline. EAE needs the DUS-based ATR42 elsewhere because the German Anti Trust Authority has forced Lufthansa to surrender two domestic routes that have been snapped up by EAE (STR-LEJ and CGN-NUE) and EAE only has 5 ATR42 available. Talk is that another operator with a somewhat smaller aircraft might be approached to continue the route. However, the only smaller props certified to to operate into LCY are the Dornier 328, Saab 340 and Jetstream 41 and I have difficulties imagining what operators of the types might be interested (I am leaving unsuitable aicraft such as the Do 228 and the Twotter out).

I am not sure what the situation regarding the slots at DUS is - I suspect that EAE got them from Lufthansa as they are peak-time slots which are extremely difficult, if not impossible to get at DUS for a new entrant. Instead of simply handing them back to Lufthansa, EAE might be interested in making some money by continuing the orute with the help of a partner. We shall see.

Ntw, EAE has already some sort of "joint-venture" on two of their routes from FMO (to ZRH and THF) where the flights are operated by Regional Air Express with Metroliners and sold by EAE.

Scot Airways might be interested. They always have wanted to go to DUS

Yes, heard that some years ago as well (SOU was mentioned). Talk back then was that the airport tried to talk them into using MGL in order to save DUS limited runway capacity for larger aircraft (and probably refused to support a service from DUS).

DUS now retired long-term CEO was famous for bringing the blood pressure of Lufthansa's DUS chieftain up by always complaining about the use of "Lufthansa Challengers" on many of Lufthansa's DUS services - he was referring to the Canadair Regionaljets that, as he was convinced, were a waste of runway capacity.....

OLT who operate the SAAB2000 into LCY have some Saab340s

Fried Chicken

Hi,

Yes, the PR guys got a little carried away when the CAA approved our LCY procedures. The press releases were half made ambiguous by the PR company, half misinterpreted by the Newspapermen. The upshot is that we can now go into LCY on ad-hoc charters. Where we depart from is up to you.

Phil
Centreline Air Charter
Think the Exeter - Ltn was Fly Victoria? think they went to Manchester too, for about 3 week!