Now they'll see why it pays to invest in a reliable back up power solution.

How old is that Nottingham Post photo? British Midland Fokkers??? :ugh:

And I wouldn't imagine it would be MAG picking up the tab!!!

I thought it was windy yesterday, weren't the windmills working?

Windmills cannot supply power independently of a mains supply.

I'm looking now and both turbines are spinning (I'd hope so in winds as strong as we've got at then moment but the pair of them provide just 5% of the power to the airport. Not enough to compensate for the loss of a generator (if the tweets I saw are to be believed)

Though, a trailer mounted generator was seen arriving so it would seem a solution is in hand already.

There should/would have been a weekly or monthly test of any generator. Either the airport was just unlucky that the day they needed it it went U/S or they hadn't touched it for months and paid the price.

From where I work I do see the generators fire up fairly regularly but I couldn't guess how often.

Many places fire generators up regularly but fail to actually test them on full load. This often leads to failure just when they are needed.
In many locations the standby power will often not even cover the full power demand of the site and needs users to reduce their requirements I doubt we will ever find out what went wrong

Aer Lingus/Stobart
 

Having launched their DUB-EMA route at double daily and then reduced it to double daily on Mon and Fri only, with just four weeks before the first flight their online timetable suggests the schedule is being reduced further. From 11th May it shows a single rotation throughout the week.

I would imagine that advance sales have been poor (probably not helped by little or no advertising from what I have seen) but by withdrawing the day return opportunity for business, and I would imagine severely reducing the attractiveness of connections to the States, they have lost most of their advantages over FR, who do not even appear to see it necessary to compete by continuing their increased schedule into the summer season.

I cannot see the situation improving, especially when you take into account today's DSA announcement. Diluting their potential uplift across LBA/EMA/DSA does seem a rather strange strategy?

Balair

February Pax Figures
 

202,167 pax in Feb, which is 12.8% more than Feb 14.

Rolling YTD is 4,550,592.

That's a 4.8% inc year on year.

EMA is UK's No. 10 ranked by pax volume.

50 Years Old Today
 

Happy Birthday East Midlands Airport.

Opened to passengers as East Midlands Airport 50 years ago today, 2nd April 1965.

Makes me feel very old! Thanks for that.

Me too! My first visit to the airport was on this very day 50 years ago.

Departure of Monarch
 

Any news on who will fill the slots abandoned by Mon.

An increase by Ryr/Exs perhaps?

It's already happened.

RYR/EXS both increased their EMA fleet by 1 aircraft each taking their fleets to 9 aircraft and 5 aircraft respectively and adding/expanding on routes

aah ok thanks

DHL
 

Detailed plans of DHL's proposed hub expansion have now been submitted and can be viewed on NWLDC's website. I understand they are hoping to complete the work by the end of 2016.

Balair

March Passenger Numbers
 

258,386 pax used the airport in March, 16% more than the same month last year.

The rolling year to date is 4,587,347. A 5.7% on the previous 12 months.

50 years of EMA
 

So we have had Ema operating for 50 years, there has been nothing i have seen on the website no extra routes to commemorate it. We are lagging behind, when Mag took over it was stated then that we (Ema) would have transatlantic flights within 5 years it must be about 10 years since that statement, Bhx are flying to Usa again, and China, and what have we got and what do the public see us as a low cost scheduled airport, get your finger out Ema and get some worldwide routes, are we going to compete with Bhx? or just sit back and watch the world go by

And which area of the departure lounge is ready for a 777 exactly?

EMA is a transatlantic airport.

Please don't forget the amount of cargo flights that operated at EMA. This will no doubt increase when dhl further expand.

Cargo employs lots of people at EMA


cs

I think that's a slightly pessimistic view. EMA is the busiest airport in the UK in terms of cargo flown on freighter aircraft, it has, and has had, scheduled transatlantic cargo services for many years (UPS were operating DC8s daily between Louisville KY and EMA more than 15 years ago), DHL are also operating nightly transatlantic and aside of those regular operation, EMA handles high profile business for the like of F1.

I wouldn't count that as some sort of failure, or sitting back and watching the world go by.

Passengers are a different story. EMA has been unsuccessful in offering a meaningful level of service (routes and frequency) to principal European destinations; principally because of it's big neighbour down the M42 which already has the main alliances operating multi daily services to many (though some at BHX would say still too few) destinations. The East Midlands as a region is probably too small to attract this level of business, especially when the surface infrastructure makes travel easy enough to BHX from much of the region. This has left EMA to find a niche as a major centre for leisure travel. EMA last year offered more seat to Malaga, for example, than were available from BHX!

Scheduled long haul passenger business is likely to remain a pipe dream, again because of BHX; and probably also because of the policies of EMA's owner, MAG, which concentrates on getting long haul passenger schedules to Manchester - which has already evolved into the UK's major gateway outside of London.

Usually in life (and business) we have to be realistic and live with what we have, and play to our strengths. EMA is no exception in that.

The Canaries and Med holiday routes are well covered at EMA. It is often the best/cheapest Midlands/Yorkshire departure airport for flights to and from any of these type of destinations in or out of peak season.

The way I see it expanding now would be to try and attract more business from Eastern Europe. We have a few Polish options but Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Romania, Bulgaria and the Baltics all have routes that could work from here. Could Wizz venture up the M1?

Could FR add Tallinn, Bucharest, Podgorica, Plovdiv and fill the seats? I think maybe..

March and April pax figures need to be treated with care when comparing year on year changes due to effect of Easter.

This year it fell in early April (Sun 05). With school hols likely to start previous week a significant number of holidaymakers would depart in March. Last year it was late April (Sun 20). Given how late it was schools probably finished a fortnight before putting the whole of the holiday period in April.

Wizz already has; they're ensconced in Doncaster. I was looking at the airport's website only at the weekend and amazed by just how many destinations they serve from there. They serve a particular market, "gastarbeiter", working in the agriculture / horticulture / food processing industries.

Despite UKIP's protestations there aren't that many Romanians in UK, so I can't see the likes of Bucharest, Timisoira and Cluj working outside the magnet that is London. It's important to remember that to many non Brits. the UK is London, and London is the UK!

Spot on
 

For much of Europe London is the magnet that pull's people in, its shopping, attractions, sight seeing is unequalled anywhere else so its little surprise that EMA has to rely on largely outbound traffic, Gatwick will have around 80+ based easyJet aircraft this summer, 6 flights a day to Geneva, Norwegian have 5 a day to ARN/CPH/OSL EMA is doing well, very well, but its only a short step to a melt down if an operator up capacity at BHX or departs EMA for richer pickings, Monarch gone, Baby's gone, yes FR are up.........so keep doing what you do best and forget long haul concentrate on cargo and bucket & Spades and the Poles

There are fresh rumours going around that Hangar 29 is getting a new occupier.
Does anyone know who?

No idea but my guess would be NPAS as they are planning (as per public news reports a few months ago) on moving to EMA with 1 helicopter and 4 fixed-wing

Hangar 29
 

There is a comment on the Jet2 thread of a rumour regarding the possibility of a new maintenance base. Could this be linked with hangar 29's availability?

Balair

I was aware of the Jet2 rumour. I was wondering if anyone could substantiate it?

Summer 2016
 

LS to base 4x 738's and 2x 733's at EMA next summer (compared to 3 and 3 this summer) plus a 733 flying in from ALC. 2 new routes to Kefalonia and Verona.


TOM have quite an increased programme although I can't make head or tail of their schedules for 2016. 2 new routes to Kefalonia and Pula.


TCX is same old same old, but at least no reduction. No new routes.


Hopefully FR will add a bit more to it's already fairly large EMA base (hopefully more in the way of city/less seasonal routes), though I'd prefer they went back to say 7 or 8 aircraft and flew more sectors in from other bases across Europe. 9 aircraft is quite a lot for an airport the size of EMA and it would take some of the pressure off the early morning period, better spreading flights throughout the day.


Not expecting much from BE but that will probably be a long way off as they haven't even released their winter schedules yet.


So far things look a bit better for 2016 after what seems a slightly disappointing 2015 for EMA.

Ryanair flight to EMA stuck in Limoges as no fuel available
 

FR1633 due to depart 16.00hrs French time for EMA, all boarded but flight deck advise they cannot depart as there is no fuel at Limoges. Pax told that they are negotiating for a shorter routing or a diversion on route for a top up!
You couldn't make it up
Watch this space ,delay is now 90 mins, and prepare for a long delay if you are due away on 9407/9185 to Ibiza/Alicante tonight as this ac is due out on one of those flights
SSF

Both flights are boarding now. They must have found a spare plane.

Well done Ryanair and not so well done to the French at Limoges.

Limoges problem
 

I understand there was a fuel drivers strike that prevented a top up. Pax sat on aircraft as pilot tried negotiating a quick re-routing but it took 90 minutes,sitting in a full aircraft at 29C before they got away. Compliments to the captain :Dwho kept everyone informed and even opened up the flight deck to visitors whilst awaiting the new route, shame all the cold drinks were now very warm. They finally arrived at EMA 95 minutes late- not sure what fuel level was when it arrived on stand (?)
SSF
Ryanair website shows delay due to Belgian ATC strike...!!!

April 2015 Stats
 

April passengers - 362,022 a 1.1% inc on April 14

Rolling year to date - 4,590,792 - 5.2% inc on previous year.

May 2015 Stats
 

May passengers - 463,846 a decrease of 1.6% compared to May 2014

Total rolling YTD - 4,583,460 a 4.4% increase on the previous year.

Does anyone know what the works are in the DHL end of the JetParks Plus carpark?

Presumably the works are to do with the planned DHL extension.
See post 3181 for details.

Aer Lingus/Stobart
 

It looks as if DUB-EMA is to be dropped after the Winter schedule. The last flight appears to be on 26/3/16.
If this is correct it comes as no surprise, as I hear the pax loads to date have been abysmal.
This has been a prime example of how not to try to compete with an airline (in this case FR) already established on a route. Very little advertising, poor scheduling, frequency reductions from the outset and then they potentially dilute their loads even further (and also those from LBA) by introducing flights from DSA.
I must say it does make you wonder why they even thought they could compete with FR on this route in the first place?

Balair