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-   -   MANSTON (https://www.pprune.org/airlines-airports-routes/202125-manston.html)

Rupert369 13th Dec 2005 19:26

Manston
 
Thought I would start a new MANSTON thread under the new rules, as there are a few separate posts but no single location for news about Kent International Airport.
May I start by asking if anybody yet has any further news on Twitcher's earlier information that "There definitely IS something going to happen very soon."? If this is true then its very exciting news for the airport and for Kent.
What exactly is being done to the runway?
To ASCIL, whilst I am really optimistic for the future of the airport, I really cannot see it being "the next STN." True, it does have a huge runway, more than capable of handling 747 movements, but the rail link to which you refer doesn't exist (nearest station = Ramsgate, and there are currently very poor transport links to this.) In addition, the airport is essentially surrounded on three sides by sea (give or take a mile or two) and is further from London traffic than STN. Nevertheless, with other airports nearing capacity, Manston certainly has a strong future, IMHO.
I hope this thread can be used for all future Manston / KIA news, as it will be good to have a single home for such posts, as other airports do.

fj1 18th Dec 2005 16:23


May I start by asking if anybody yet has any further news on Twitcher's earlier information that "There definitely IS something going to happen very soon."? If this is true then its very exciting news for the airport and for Kent.
Doesn't seem like it, no contracts have been signed etc. However there are still talks with freight operators.

Unless Twitcher meant Richard Banson's lastest world record atempt which is finshing at manston in early 2006.


What exactly is being done to the runway?
A bit of threshold work has just me completed.

Jes 30th Dec 2005 09:02

Nick Davis is part of a new company that is seriously looking at running Fk 50s twice-daily to Manchester from April 06.

pamann 30th Dec 2005 17:06

I've used the Manston - Manch route when it was operating with EUJet, be great to see it back. Is this an existing airline or a start up? What really are the chances of anything happening here? And is there any chance of getting some kind of charter operation out of Manston even if it is a once weekly Palma or Malaga in the summer??? The Malaga route operated by EUJet actually faired quite well in terms of loads during the all but short peak summer season before the airline went skint.

Twitcher 4th Jan 2006 11:18

Re: MANSTON
 
It seems this is a new start up venture. Based at Manchester and flying several routes. He says it will grow slowly, maybe another one or two other Manston routes added this year.
He also says a charter operation would do well if a travel agent arranged the full package.


Oh, and Planestation went skint, not Eujet. Planestation funded Eujet. Slightly different.


Originally Posted by pamann
I've used the Manston - Manch route when it was operating with EUJet, be great to see it back. Is this an existing airline or a start up? What really are the chances of anything happening here? And is there any chance of getting some kind of charter operation out of Manston even if it is a once weekly Palma or Malaga in the summer??? The Malaga route operated by EUJet actually faired quite well in terms of loads during the all but short peak summer season before the airline went skint.


takeoff2006 5th Jan 2006 15:34

Re: MANSTON
 
Does anybody know the name of this airline Nick Dvies is working for or his previous background?

WOWBOY 5th Jan 2006 15:37

Re: MANSTON
 
Do you have anymore info on this proposed airline?

fj1 5th Jan 2006 16:02

Re: MANSTON
 
Does anybody know the name of this airline Nick Dvies is working for or his previous background

He hasn't said, but it will be a current ACMI operator aircraft and crews, but there is more info on the TMF board.

takeoff2006 9th Jan 2006 12:47

Re: MANSTON
 
Having spoken to business develoment at Manchester airport it appears that there is no depth to these comments regarding F50 out of kent to MAN, they have had no approaches to develop this route,Nobody on the thread has yet been able to aswer any questions concerning Mr Nick Davies' background, can anyone shed any light??

Jes 9th Jan 2006 13:57

Re: MANSTON
 
I've taken the liberty of copying what Nick said about himself on another board -

(I) got transferred to (Wiggins) head office in mayfair and was the person that made the Melbourne deal happen, had the contract offer from ryanair on the 16th Sept 2002 - and the KLM excel deal, and the exel airways deal, and the aurigny deal and the eastern airways deal and the euro celtic deal. (These all relate to Manston).

all in writing - firm offers - all available for viewing - the only caveat being i needed a marketing / underwriting fund of circa £600,000 in total for all of the above airlines to operate.

so when OI said no - i said you're wasting my time and resigned - again all correspondence available for anyone that can arsed!

I have 17 years' experience in commercial aviation in business development and commercial operations, have been an accountable ops manager for a regional airline in Scotland and set up the current PSO route between Stornoway & Benbecula in the Outer Hebrides on behalf of the scottish executive. This is run by Highland Airways - we won the PSO from Loganair/British Airways.

I had 32 days to take a freight airline who did a few passenger charters
to a scheduled airline operating 19 seat Jetstream 31's.

We started on time, on budget and it is still going strong today.

blue skies

nick davis

Twitcher 9th Jan 2006 16:19

Re: MANSTON
 
To be fair to Nick he never said it was finalised. He was hoping to get it up and running. It may take longer, did the man at MAN mention any other routes from there starting with a F50?

Trusted1963 10th Jan 2006 11:11

Re: MANSTON
 

Originally Posted by Twitcher
To be fair to Nick he never said it was finalised. He was hoping to get it up and running. It may take longer, did the man at MAN mention any other routes from there starting with a F50?

Out of interest, does anyone have any contact details for Nick currently?

Jetscream 32 15th Jan 2006 16:50

Re: MANSTON
 
My name is nick davis - So Desk Driver do enlighten me - im intrigued myself?

Official Quote:

There is a possibilty of an ACMI operation operating thro MAN including a MSE sector on a double daily using a F50 - being as the primary meeting was only on the 10th Jan you are all getting way to excited over something that may not happen.

MAN will not know anything about this yet as steps with another airport have to be completed first which is more important.

Calm down and wait for an announcement by me and me only - i own 2 other companys that require my attention and as you can probably see i do not frequent the gossip columns of this site that often.

I AM ONLY THE ORCHASTRATOR -

"Take Off 2006" - why the interest in me

Note for wannabees - no crews needed as acmi operation - but thanks for showing an interest.

virginblue 16th Jan 2006 13:30

Re: MANSTON
 
Didn't the DUB route do reasonably well so that Ryanair might be interested in operating a daily flight, provided some marketing funds can be found ? Or someone else like Aer Arann with a smaller aircraft ?

r3500vdp 20th Jan 2006 14:18

Don't mean any disrespect to previous posters and the people who look at Manston to revive employment in the region.
But I find it hard to believe that the airport is going to do very well this year. A few F50's per day would not bring the type of revenue to offset the investment in personnel. Even Infratil on their website quotes passenger services as secondary to cargo in their business plan.
Now cargo would mean larger aircraft i.e. larger landing and handling fees as well as employment. However I think the one company the airport was trying to get to return, MK Airlines, has now made some very substantial investments at EBOS and is not coming back, aside perhaps from the occasional charter.
Again quoting the Infratil statements, their focus is on the African / Asian produce market (fruits, fish, etc.). Well other airports are trying just that and having a hard time making ends meet. Also, there's not that many airlines in that niche market (DAS Air Cargo, African International, Saudi Arabian, etc.) and competition would be strong to get them to use Manston as a base.
One avenue of business that could be good would be aircraft maintenance, repair and scrapping in combination with general aviation, similar to what is done at Lasham.

fj1 20th Jan 2006 14:41

Both MK(4 flights a week) and African International currently use Manston.

r3500vdp 20th Jan 2006 16:31

That's good but may not be the stable source of revenue with a chance of growth that the airport should be looking for since neither Mk Airlines nor AIA are planning to invest.

http://www.portofoostende.be/news/detail2.asp?idnr=247

Rupert369 21st Jan 2006 22:26

"A few F50's per day would not bring the type of revenue to offset the investment in personnel."

I agree that a few F50s per day probably wouldn't be huge revenue earners for Infratril given the large fixed costs of keeping the terminal open etc. However, I think that given infratril are probably running the airport at a loss at the moment, it is very important to have regular passenger flights ASAP, whether profitable or not.

Potential larger airline customers such as Ryanair could then see the place working, and that there is indeed demand for services from Kent. Obviously, in terms of economies of scale, infratril would want more than 2 F50 flights a day, but it would nevertheless be a good start.

On another note, there was a rumour (no source so may not be at all reliable) on keypublishing forum recently that KLM Cityhopper were thinking of a regular Amsterdam flight, and a possible announcement about it in the spring. Anybody know anything about this?

kellyoldsmunt 24th Jan 2006 18:44

ryanair at mansto
 
a friend has said that on Irish news it was stated that ryanair would be operating one flight a day to start, this summer, on the popular spanish routes it was in an interview with the man himself.any feedback ?

furmanek 25th Jan 2006 09:42

No more Ryanair routes for this summer
 
According to Ryanairs own press department they are not going to announce any further routes for summer 2006. I would think that slot bidding for routes would be well and truely finished for this summer by now? (Manston has not been named)




Press Release 21.12.05

Ryanair launches 18 routes from Dublin to Europe

INCREASES FLIGHTS ON 7 DUBLIN - EUROPE ROUTES
5 NEW AIRCRAFT BASED AT DUBLIN IN 2006

Ryanair, Europe’s largest low fares airline today (Wednesday, 21st December 2005) announced the last of its new route announcements for Summer 2006 by selecting Dublin Airport as effectively its 16th European base.........

HZ123 25th Jan 2006 11:02

Keep wishing ?

Woodman 27th Jan 2006 17:59

Gossip around the island says that the airport management has been fired by the new owners.

PAPI-74 30th Jan 2006 09:35

I fail to see what Manston has to offer an operator, apart from short taxi times. Why would the passenger travel over there when Gatwick is so near. The population of Kent surely wouldn't use it that much. Cargo...perfect for late departures with little agro to natives, who are either drunk and fighting or deaf and in front of the T.V.
I agree it needs to be used. We cannot let these great RAF runways go to hardcore and re-development, especially one with so much history.

foamer 30th Jan 2006 10:02

I would take offence to that, if I wasnt so busy having a beer in front of my tv.

bobdee 31st Jan 2006 15:24

Meridian (Local TV) said lunchtime today that Infratil will be making an announcement tomorrow (1st Feb) re a new operator at Manston!!!

foamer 31st Jan 2006 15:27

NEWS/PICTURE ALERT

KENT INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT TO ANNOUNCE NEW CHARTER OPERATOR ON WEDNESDAY

KENT International Airport will announce at a News Conference tomorrow (Wednesday February 1) that it has secured a new charter operator which will start flying from the airport this summer.

It's the first such announcement since owners Infratil Airports Europe acquired the airport last year.


DATE Wednesday February 1
TIME 11.30am
PLACE Information Desk, Main Terminal Building,
Kent International Airport

bacardi walla 31st Jan 2006 15:39

what on earth have they done to their website http://www.kia-m.com/

Mods, don't worry, there's no advertising here as there's nothing on the page :eek:

bobdee 31st Jan 2006 16:04

I bet the colour of the website is significant!

Desk Driver 31st Jan 2006 16:16

I've nothing to base this on other than a hunch, but, could it be Thomsonfly?

Twitcher 1st Feb 2006 10:53

First two routes announced
 
KENT INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT ANNOUNCES PASSENGER FLIGHTS TO BARCELONA AND FARO


Infratil Airports Europe, the new owners of Kent International Airport are delighted to announce that passenger services are returning to Kent International!

Kent Escapes part of the Seguro Travel Group, announced today that they will fly to two of Europe’s premier resorts this summer.

Flights to Faro in Portugal’s popular Algarve region and Barcelona, servicing the holiday destination of Costa Brava, will operate during daytime hours every Thursday from 25 May until 26 October 2006.

With a strong reputation among holidaymakers and travel agents alike, Seguro Holidays currently fly thousands of sun seekers out of Infratil's Scottish airport, Glasgow Prestwick each year, making it the airport’s largest tour operator with a high volume of repeat customers.

Kent Escapes are offering all their Kent customers a special introductory discount of 10% on all bookings.

Prices start from £309 for seven nights all inclusive hotel accommodation in Costa Brava, and £239 for seven nights self catering in the Algarve. The company offers a wide range of 7 and 14 day packages, with accommodation in the two star to five star range.

Richard Burke, Managing Director of The Seguro Travel Group, said: “This is great for us and great for the people of Kent as it brings affordable holidays to their local airport, and removes the inconvenience of having to travel to one of the major airports in the south east of England.”

He added: “Obviously we are starting with two destinations but this is just the beginning. We hope it can become as strong as our operation at Glasgow Prestwick Airport, where we fly 70,000 holidaymakers to seven different destinations every year.”

Phill Vann, General Manager of Kent International Airport, said: “I am delighted that Kent Escapes will bring regular passenger services to Kent International Airport over the summer and we hope they will be the first of many operators to use the excellent facilities we have here.”

He added: “Seguro is a company with an excellent reputation and a track record of providing a high level of service to its customers. This partnership is a step in the right direction for the airport and we will be doing all we can to make it work.”



Kent Escapes operates a policy of “The Price You See is the Price You Pay” – there are £0 flight supplements and no hidden costs in the small print.

All Kent Escapes holidays and flights are protected by Seguro Travel Limited ATOL 3251 and ABTA V7808 licenses.

Kent International Airport offers a speedy, hassle-free experience for travellers with convenient car-parking located less than 100 metres from the check-in desk and modern passenger facilities including shops and restaurants.

Today’s announcement adds to the charter services provided by Newmarket Holidays, who will operate from Kent International Airport in summer 2006 to various Italian destinations including Lake Garda and Lido Di Jesolo.

Findo 1st Feb 2006 11:49

Seguro have an excellent track record at PIK. They are Manchester based company who have built up a strong local following for quality hoildays at good prices. They may not generate dozens of weekly flights but they are more likely to be there in 5 years than some other companies.

As far as the Manston website is concerned I suspect they have employed the same company who redesigned the PIK one along with the slogan " Pure Dead Brilliant" It caused a lot of chat amongst the traditionalists in Scotland who were shocked. The overall look of their airport makeover was pretty snazzy.

Desk Driver 1st Feb 2006 14:13

Anyone know which airline they will use ?

ALLMCC 1st Feb 2006 14:48

LTE using A320s

airborne_artist 7th Feb 2006 11:02

Steve Fossett is hoping to land at KIA on completion of his record attempt.

Edited for spelling of Steve's surname

kellyoldsmunt 8th Feb 2006 18:31

intrepid fosset
 
the reason for using manston isnt due to anything other than a long runway, i hope he knows about the reduced length due a flamming great water pipe being laid under the runway. should make the news, but not sure if it will attract other airlines!
as for the "sacking of the old managers, i think the buzz word is re-structure!!!:{

no slots 9th Feb 2006 11:05


Originally Posted by kellyoldsmunt
, i hope he knows about the reduced length due a flamming great water pipe being laid under the runway. should make the news, :{

Interesting comment.True, there is a water pipe but its actually going thru the 28 approach and I believe the work starts Monday which is 2 days after his proposed landing.We can accept knocks but get your facts correct if you want to be taken seriously.

jabird 9th Feb 2006 11:27

Sky News still calling it "RAF Manston". So if this trip is successful, when can we expect MOL to pop down there with a route announcement on the back of all the publicity?

When FR say "last for 2006" or whatever, this isn't always the case, but I'd still expect to see GRO as their first choice.

Rupert369 9th Feb 2006 11:32

"When FR say "last for 2006" or whatever, this isn't always the case," - jabird

Indeed, they yesterday announced the new Bournemouth - Pisa route, which starts on 8th June, despite having allegedly previously announced that there would be no more new routes this summer.

With all the new boeings coming, MOLs going to have start searching hard for new + profitable places to fly them. Lets hope Manston is high on his list.

aeroground 9th Feb 2006 12:43

For MOL to appear Infrantil will be making it worth there while for a very long time, and MOL expects service delivery which they can do in PIK, but is MSE ready yet, good luck anyhow.

kellyoldsmunt 9th Feb 2006 19:05

well that woke you up no slots,
what are the displaced threshold markers doing up at 10 end ?
and dont be so touchy, i wasnt knocking the old firm
:ok:


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