MME is, as a few folks have already pointed out is a business, and its a business thats becomming increasingly unviable.

The folks at MME need to realise that it can't exist on its current level of business. Its inevitable that it will loose its link to London in the future as BMI is only keeping the link going as a means to safeguarding slots. Flyglobespan have reduced based aircraft to one from winter 07/08 and the smart money is that any expansion from them in Summer 08 will be at NCL with flights across the atlantic. Thomsonfly are pulling out at the end of this Summer.

The facts whether MME folks like it or not is that two more successful airports ie NCL and LBA are too close for comfort and expanding the range of destinations at a rate MME can't match.

Even travel agents in Teeside recommend holidays from NCL.

So yes its a business but the land alone must be worth more to Peel than they can ever hope to make from the place as an airport.

This is making very depressing reading, Flyglobespan could still announce routes for a second aircraft; they didn't announce the original base operation all at once, and they don't announce routes from other base operations all at once.

If Peel are only interested in MME for the land it's on, which we're still no further forward to establishing, then we need new owners; and when I say new owners, I mean a single party who owns all 100%, not a consortium of local authorities or a company that only owns so much.

Now I thought long and hard before taking the bait and posting, but what the hell.

ncleflights- What evidence do you have that the airport business is becoming unviable? Why can't it exist on the current level of business? What evidence do you have that bmi are only keeping the route going for slots? Re Flyglobespan- There is still time before winter 2007 and things might change, and don't other operators at Newcastle reduce their operations during winter periods? What evidence do you have that they are going to do transatlantic flights from Newcastle? If IT operators are reducing their business for next year, more business from MME for flyglobespan. Can you provide the figures that you base your last quote on please?

In fact isn't the airport just about to have its most successful Summer yet? 2 based flyglobespan aircraft, new route to Warsaw with Wizz, Gerona doing well with Ryanair, all the advertised IT flights running.

People seem to have also forgot FRA, Flight Precision, 2 successful flying clubs, TNT freight flights and maintenance base, MOD trooping flights. For a small airport (people seem to forget that too, it is a small airport) with huge competition from 2 larger airports near by it is not doing too badly is it really? Peel were not silly they knew what they were getting into.

Now the ATC situation is not good, and the worrying thing is that management do not seem to be doing anything about it, but when the maternity leavers go back and the sick leavers return it would help. I am not saying it solves the problem but it would help.

The other matter is of course the local politicians, do you really think they would let it close down? I am sure the airlines wouldn't want it close either? I wonder how many have got good deals at Newcastle by threatening to fly from MME instead? Ryanair have played the 2 against each other as evidenced by the Gerona flights being split.

The management need to sort the ATC situation out quickly, but I am sorry Newcastle fans it aint going to close.

Yes the ATC situation needs sorting out quickly, but no more closures have happened over the last two days as far as I'm aware so thats a step forward at least.

As for Flyglobespan, well who knows what they have planned for the winter, not all of their program has been released yet, hopefully they have something else left for us, there are still gaps in the single aircraft schedule. I would have thought a Geneva or Chambery would be a definite, even if its only once a week.

As for Peel well they've got all the plans passed and now I'm just waiting for them to start the building works, possibly towards the end of the summer once everything starts calming down for the winter. The south side has been started by knocking down all of the old buildings so it's a start!

Once the terminal, apron, taxiways and the maintenance base etc has been finished DTVA will be in a much better position in terms of business.

As always the truth is somewhere in the middle - Peel probably don't see aviation as the main money spinner at MME, but it is useful in getting development funding (airports are sexy) and attracts a certain type of business, giving the business park a unique selling point over yer average industrial development, so if they can keep the airport open without spending too much they probably will (and imagine the grief they'll get if they do decide to close). However, if they are losing money heavily on the aviation side and have to close they still get some nice property with infrastructure on the cheap.

The problem is in attracting new customers/operators - while GSM are to be welcomed they have only really replaced baby, bmi have quite clearly been holding on to LHR for the slots (evidence - the downsizing from Airbus to Embraer, lack of advertising, messing about with timings, everything I've ever read on 'OpenSkies'...), Wizz and Ryanair screwing the best deal out of NCL,LBA,DSA,MME. All other operators just bobbing along with no significant development.

What we don't know and probably never will is how hard Peel have gone out to attract new business - have they really tried and got no where or are they just happy to keep things ticking over and use the lack of new customers as a lever to get new planning permission and other infrastructure development out of the local authorities (who will be desperate to keep the airport open)?

To me there is one little pointer as to how serious they really are - the road signs. How long is it now?

You read one post and think, oh no - the airport is going to close, then you read another and think, oh yea - that's true, we're safe. The confusing bit about all of that is whether you read a bad post or a good post, both are true, and now, I don't know what to believe.

It would seem however that BD are just using the MME-LHR route as slot protection, you'd think they would knock one or two rotations off several domestic routes to make room for LHR-USA flights, rather than cull entire routes, that way, you still keep the domestic flights to feed the transatlantic ones.

mmeman

To the same degree what proof do you have to back up your wild allegations - NONE, mainly becuase their aint any.

First its probably the worst kept secret in the industry that BMI are slot protrecting by keeping the MME routes going, you appear to be the only one that thinks this is not the case.

Flyglobespan management have been at NCL a lot lately why? in fact when was the last time they were at MME.

Finally how is this the most successful summer yet? Flyglobespan have simply replaced BMI BABY, the LHR routes have had capacity slashed this year, Ryanair Girona is simply replacing the ill fated Rome flights, Bristol came and went and if the evidence with Wizz is anything to go by bookings arn't going to well so they will not hang around for too long. Don;t forget the Thonmsonfly pull out at the end of this year.

Do you seriously expect folks to believe this is the way an airports becomes successful and develops.

So mmeman get you head out of the clouds, well their is plenty of room above MME I suppose for you to go, and face reality

mmeman Having read your post you certainly must have thought long & hard just to raise the points raised, but really on consideration they appear less valid the more they are read. Loco operations put pressure on any airports profitablity, the trade off is to offset as much off the pax revenue off by using the increased pax volume or 'foot fall' to their advantage in airport concessions, be it food or retail. This is much harder to address at DTV as the volumes are insufficient & the concessions limited & I can't see much evidence that RYR or GSM are prepared to add much. On the other side the airports fixed costs, ATC,Fire, Security etc.will be considerable. It is all a vicious circle particularly in an uncertain environment. So what is Peel to do ? there are clearly several options, a) plod on & hope that slowly over a number of years that things will improve with the addition of limited investment?,b) Take a more risky strategy & raise large amounts of funding & hope that the 'virtuous circle' can be broken to the extent that the increased revenue obtained more than covers the cost of the additional funding c) do very little, making as little investment as possible without compromising current service levels, keeping their options open d) Adopt a strategy consistent with the ultimate disposal of their investment in DTV. My money is on either a) or c) but clearly both options give Peel more freedom to change their strategy.:sad:

When is the 05 ILS glidepath going to be re-instated?? Been a long time now... :eek:

What is wrong with the 05 ILS glidepath?

The new Wizz Air route to Warsaw is actually selling well, why else would they bring the start date forward from the 28th July to the 13th? Besides, even if it was selling badly, a lot of routes need time to settle in, just take a look at BRU, when it started, there was just 3-4 pax on each flight, now it's only 14% behind the ABZ which is our best performing route!

We are apparently waiting for a part from NATS which should fix it....not sure how much longer it will be, but we have been told that it is off "Until Further Notice". Hopefully it will be sorted by the end of the Summer, though when is anybody's guess?!

-HD-

NOTAMs suggest it's been off for at least a month and a half, possibly longer I think due to a spare part waiting to be paid for. I've heard that management even asked the engineers how much extra work it would create for ATC if the glidepath was removed altogether...if this is true, it's typical of the mentality of upper management - cost over safety???

*Edit - HD just beat me to the explanation :D

Peel Airport division paid for the new terminal front and the car park, the rest is as you correctly say One North East.The Highways Agency will fund the Long Newton Interchange. Given the size of Peel Holdings and their portfolio,what has been committed to Teesside is loose change.Those are facts and are in the public domain. It is a fact also that Stocktons housing needs will increase dramatically in the next 20 years and a new site is needed.

Peel is a property development company (Trafford Park) first and foremost, Airports are just a "hobby".Any big investment by this company will be in the property development market and not in aviation.Thats why the current South side proposal is for 3M sq.Ft of unspecified industrial floorspace and is not necessarily aviation related.
I have been a big supporter of Teesside since the the cold war days of the Lightning squadrons I also learned to fly there, but I'm afraid the day that Peel took an interest the writing was all over the side of Hanger 3 in 10ft high flourescent letters!!!!!
And the pax stats of course are not helping....nor is Globespans pratting around with its timetables

What have GSM been doing with the timetables exactly?

Malaga flight which is shifted back by an hour and ten, seems odd as the aircraft is based at TD and it is the first flight of the day.Apparently there are to be some more, Sundays' Alicante departure I'm told is another and the Friday Ibiza.

DTV - More food for thought Having digested all the 'opinion' expressed on the future of DTV, I have just perused Peel Holdings corporate brochure which is available as a download as a 20 page document from their internet site. The brochure is comprehendsive & as expected deals with their achievements, acquisitions & corporate strategy. Whilst there is considerable hype about their allegience to the North West, and their achievements at LPL & Doncaster, there appears to be absolutely no reference to DTV.... More amunition for the conspiracy theorists..:E

Thomsonfly Might be dropping out At the End of the Summer season - But whats to say Another Charter Airline might Step In? And Just this year TCX did the first Phew flights to Palma , XL Are doing a Larnaca Flight, And BD have Done a Reus So they may see the TOM Dropout as a chance for them to step in.

GSM Winter - They haven't Released all their Winter timetable yet.

Why would Peel pay for the New frontage and car park Get plans Like AIRPORT Hotel If their is'nt Going to be an Airport??

:ugh:

05 Glideslope
 

Hi
Out taking photos today and noticed a farmer sweeping to the west of the threshold..hopefully it was the glide slope and will be back in service soon???

It's not just the glideslope out of action (latest estimate 1st July) but now also the primary radar (off til 9th June).

Also tonight saw another nasty accident at the Longnewton turnoff on the A66, which saw the road closed by police for a few hours (at least). Good job this blackspot is on the way to being sorted!

More overnight closures coming up....
NOTAM's are showing closures for

2200-0540 4th, 6th
2200-0545 11th, 12th, 13th, 17th, 18th, 20th, 24th, 25th
(all in June)

I assume these are GMT times (therefore 2300-0645 local time) ??