COVENTRY
 

Rumours buzzing around of the airport finally being sold, possible American buyer now, rather than Infratil? More expected to be confirmed later today.

Re: Coventry
 

Confirmed by local radio Coventry Airport has been sold by TUI to a company called CAFCO (sp?) Coventry Ltd, set up especially to buy the airport. Not much more than that apart from "business as usual"...

Re: Coventry
 

All is revealed ...

Coventry Airport Under New Ownership
5th January 2006

NEW OWNER FOR AIRPORT OPERATING COMPANY


5th January 2006 At a press conference held at Coventry Airport today the Airport operating company, West Midlands International Airport Limited (WMIAL), confirmed it was under new ownership.

100% of the Airport operating company has been acquired from TUI UK by CAFCO (Coventry) Limited (CAFCO-C), a new joint venture company constituting Howard Holdings plc, an Anglo Irish property development group, and Convergence-AFCO Holdings Ltd. (CAFCOHL) an Anglo American airport management and development company.

WMIAL will continue to operate as normal and the new owners have confirmed they plan to fully pursue the existing development plans for Coventry Airport. The Public Local Inquiry for a new permanent terminal capable of handling up to 2 million passengers per annum commences on 10th January and CAFCOHL plans for future investment are centred on the new terminal building and other supporting infrastructure.

Greg Coughlan the Chief Executive of Howard Holdings said, “I am delighted that we have formed a consortium with very powerful and experienced partners to be able to take up the exciting opportunities of developing Coventry Airport. I am convinced that CAFCO-C will be a major player in multiple regional airport ownership in Europe in the next several years and we see Coventry as being the launch pad to a very successful part of its ongoing business”

Alan Robinson, Chairman of CAFCO-C and CAFCOHL, together with Chuck Stipancic Chief Operating Officer of AFCO Inc. said, “We are fully committed to the planning application being considered and we plan to develop the airport within an environmentally sustainable programme. We are pleased that Bill Savage has agreed to take the position of Executive Chairman of WMIAL and as his focus will primarily be upon the planning inquiry issues, I am very happy that Adrian Jones, the current Finance Director will also step up to run the business as acting Managing Director. I am sure that the current team will benefit from our vast aviation, infrastructure and property experience and we look forward to the exciting challenges ahead.”

I have noticed recently that the bus service linking Coventry Centre/Train station to the airport isn't well advertised by other modes of public transport (ie. the railway)

Obviously, Gatwick, Birmingham, Stansted, Luton & Manchester airports are all well advertised due to them having their own dedicated rail stations. However, most train companies also advertise the fact that there is a bus link from Loughborough/Derby to EMA, Watford Junction to Heathrow & Milton Keynes to Luton. Surely, the train operators serving the main routes through the Midlands can add a small bit onto all there literature/Route maps advising people there is a regular bus service between the Station & the Airport? (as some people may think the only route to the airport from the station is via Taxi)

Also, any update on new routes/operators since the airport was taken over? Will Atlantique recommence scheduled ops from its home base with its expanding fleet of ATRs?

FC

Uncle 'Spotter' bear has used this service quite a few times having completed his trip up to coventry station.

There was a good link from the Coventry airport web site late last year directing toward this bus operator and its schedule.

FC,

Not sure if I agree. I use Coventry station quite regularly, and there are a few posters, not to mention the huge T'fly banner promoting the airline in general (which afaik is still there).

Last time I went to book a ticket, someone came in asking about buses. The booking clerk said "we don't know about bus times, you need to go to Pool Meadow for that - the only bus we do know about is the one to the airport."

The bus is also very noticeable in the city centre. Of course they could do more, and they should have done all this for when flights first started, but I think it is reasonalby obvious now. It would be nice to see the signs at Coventry station saying "alight here for Coventry airport", as Orpington has for Biggin Hill, but Virgin Trains would probably want a fair whack for this, judging by what they demand from the taxi drivers.

Yes, quite true that once you get to Coventry, the bus service is well advertised. What I was suggesting was advertising the bus onboard trains (The Loughborough - East Midlands bus is advertised on some MML & Central Trains route posters as well as in onboard literature). It's all about advertising the service to a wide audience (not just to the people that use Coventry station) & making them aware that it's just as easy to get to Coventry Airport from the Train station as it is to get to East Midlands or even Birmingham (which has its own train station)

FC

Interesting!!!!! You cannot book a TFly flight from Coventry after October. :hmm: :confused:

Probably because next winters schedule hasn't been finalised yet!!!

Or Boiurnemouth or Doncaster.

At least they feature in the departure airfield list.

Advertising link deleted

A word to the wise - if you are driving to fly from Coventry, don't go in your best high heels - the overflow car park is a field with some roadway matting put down, which is now very muddy.

Don't expect to be able to get a meal there, either - sarnies are about it - they have clearly adopted a low-cost model all the way through.

Low cost sarnies at Cov. airport....you must be joking!:p You can always pop down the Glengary for good home cooked food whilst cleaning your high heels:E

Yorky

[quote=Blighty Pilot]At least they feature in the departure airfield list.

Bournemouth and Doncaster feature in the departure list after October 2006 because they have Charter Flights. Coventry is only a scheduled base. Obviously the Charter season differentiates from the Scheduled season, running from 01 May, whereas scheduled starts from 26 March. This is why a number of Thomsonfly scheduled/Low cost flights operating from the likes of GLA, LGW, MAN and LTN do not start until 01 May: because the scheduled arm of Thomsonfly has taken an allocation on the charter flights.

Expect to see CVT Winter 06/07 routes announced end June/early July

I hear local rumours that CVT has asked for controlled airspace to protect its traffic.

Anyone know the details?

Arky

from memory-the plan document is at work-class D zone and class D stubs to protect the instument approaches to 05/23, butting up to Birminghams airspace, including SIDS and NPR's
personally dont think this will happen any time soon-not sure that Cov have enough traffic to warrant it especially when the effect it will have on transits in the area is taken into consideration- the airspace lies right across a major north south track, almost abutting NEMA airspace to the East, leaving little room for any one who does not want to cross CAS, especialy at a sector safe level! the list of potential 'anti's' is long, BGA, PFA, AOPA, any local politician that thinks his 'patch' will now be overflown, other airports in the vicinity-Cov did protest about NEMA's airspace application!
the airspace sharing that would be required to keep say Husbands Bosworth happy might negate to a great extent the benefits any airspace gave the Cov ATCO's

The application document has been around for some time now - over six months. You used to be able to download it from Warwick District Council's website. It's pretty old news.

Would I be right thinking Coventry pilots have been trying hard to create reasons to get the airspace 'controlled', by registering lots of airproxes?
5 airproxes in a year is 6 or 7% of the national total is it not? Is it really the most congested/dangerous airspace in the country? Or are thomsonfly lousy pilots? Or very efficient and honest at reporting incidents that others ignore?
Airprox Report – 13 October 2005
Date: 01 December 2005
An Aircraft Proximity (Airprox) report has been filed involving a Boeing 737 and a helicopter. The incident took place seven miles south west of Coventry Airport on Thursday 13 October at 1218 hours.
The B737 was approaching Coventry and was receiving an air traffic service from the airport. The incident took place at approximately 2,000 feet.
These details are subject to assessment by the independent UK Airprox Board. During 2004, the last year for which full data is available, there were 79 Airprox incidents involving commercial air transport and 85% of these were assessed as having no risk of collision.
Airprox Report – 6 September 2005
Date: 25 October 2005
An Aircraft Proximity (Airprox) report has been filed involving a Boeing 737 and a light aircraft. The incident took place three miles north east of Coventry Airport on Tuesday 6 September at 1425 hours.
The B737 was approaching Coventry Airport and was receiving an air traffic service from the airport. The incident took place at approximately 4,000 feet.
Airprox Report – 18 August 2005
Date: 11 October 2005
An Aircraft Proximity (Airprox) report has been filed involving a Boeing 737 and a light aircraft. The incident took place ten miles north east of Coventry Airport on Thursday 18 August at 1205 hours.
The B737 was en-route to Coventry and was receiving an air traffic service from the airport. The incident took place at approximately 2,000 feet.
Airprox Report – 14 August 2005
Date: 11 October 2005
An Aircraft Proximity (Airprox) report has been filed involving a Boeing 737 and a light aircraft. The incident took place 14 miles south west of Coventry Airport on Sunday 14 August at 1206 hours.
The B737 was en-route to Coventry and was receiving an air traffic service from the airport. The incident took place at approximately 3,000 feet.
Airprox Report – 1 December 2004
Date: 26 January 2005
An Aircraft Proximity (Airprox) report has been filed with the Civil Aviation Authority involving a Boeing 737 and an Antonov 26. The incident took place at Coventry Airport on Wednesday 1 December at 2235 hours.
Both aircraft were en-route to Coventry and were receiving an air traffic control service from the airport. The incident took place at approximately 200 feet.

2 Stroke, or is it stroker?
You clearly are not a professional pilot. The requirements for the submission of airprox's are published, but always with a philosophy to submit a report if in doubt. I am interested to know how many approaches you have made into CVT in a jet to be able to stand on your soap box and question their skill levels.To suggest that these pilots are needlessly filing reports is absurd. The subsequent investigation by the UK AIB, determines the relevence or severity of the event, so it would pointless to report non events.
BB

bundybear
I never said I was... :)
It was really a question about statistics and why there have been such a cluster of incidents reported.
If they are all highly competent pilots (Ive not the slightest reason to think otherwise), and, as you say, they wouldn't file incident report needlessly, would that not make you think there was some other cause going on here, rather than just random chance?
My suggestion was that nearly-non-events may be being reported in order to help create a statistical case for creating controlled airspace at Cov as a reactive measure. Is that such a wacky theory? Maybe it is.
So why would you suggest that its such a 'hot spot' for airproxes?:confused: