Sorry, but that's utterly irrelevant.

First, as Phineas points out, Eastern doesn't have a breakeven for the charter operation - they should be in profit on this by definition.

But even leaving that fundamental point aside (and imagining for a second that the commercial risk on this did lie with the airline), the economics of Eastern's business-oriented high-frequency scheduled network are a completely different kettle of fish to a once-a-week 3-hour-sector-length round-trip (with positioning flights), and the breakeven load factor on the one has really zero relation to the breakeven load factor on the other. Without knowing how the scheduled-network yield compares to the yield on this service, it's just not possible to make any meaningful comparison of breakeven load factors.

Hey...don't appologise Cyrano....I accept largely what you are saying.....

Phileas, I was pontificating,were this to be an Easten Airways route instead of a charter, (in very broad terms) the sorts of costs and revenues the airline would face.

The load factor bit ?....well ...To me, Eastern are a niche player...quietly keeping out of the way of the big boys and charging high fares......hence they only have to fill their planes half full.

Runway Extension
 

In a press release issued today the 237 metre extension of London Oxford's runway has been approved by the CAA. According to Business Development Manager James Dillon-Godfrey the airport is looking at Transatlantic charters and I quote ''also looking at the furthest parts of the European airline market''. I kid you not.

Oxford
 

Three things spring to mind re Oxford...

1) The are a lot of well healed folk in the area
2) Quite a lot of foreign students who presumably travel to and from home now and again.
3) A high frequency - and I mean high frequency - express coach service from Oxford to Heathrow and Gatwick. There are two firms operating services.

There must be a good market for air travel in the area.

ah yeh the m40 has always got a wide selection of buses from heathrow and gatwick plying the route day and night - very very popular.

I think the only thing holding oxford is the fact that the terminal can only 100 pax tops at any one time according to something i read - so not sure how they can attract anything more than an eastern or flybe type operation

Wonder why no-one has ever operated plymouth-oxford-edinburgh for eg or another route dropping in there?

Whilst I am skeptical about the prospects for many of the UK's marginal airports, I believe Oxford could carve out a niche for itself due to its location. Although Heathrow is only 40 miles away, it is a congested 40 miles by road and there are no direct trains. Luton is about the same distance, but the roads are very poor. Birmingham is accessible via the M40 but is 66 miles away and has expensive parking. Southampton is no closer, nor is Bristol.

Oxford would be the closest airport for quite a large population, and in a very affluent part of the country. There are lots of high-tech companies in the local area, especially in the medical and pharmaceutical sectors.

If parking remained reasonably priced, and the airport stayed uncongested, I could see connecting flights to a European hub working, as well as perhaps Edinburgh.

LONDON OXFORD ....... Maybe Ryanair's next base.

Actually the run to Oxford from west London on the M40 is pretty good. The only real bottleneck is the High Wycombe 'pinch'. As for rail services, Chiltern Railways are planning to put a new link into Oxford from Bicester. There are also plans to upgrade the Great Western line from Paddington to Didcot and Oxford.

I would have thought radar would have taken priority over a runway extension. Still good news though.

Editted to add: They've got to sort out access to the terminal as well - its like driving on to an industrial estate.

The runway has been there for a while. They've just lopped a few trees and moved the holding points back a little. :E

Oxford to install new Radar System ready for the Olympics : UK Airport News Stories

Oxford to get radar !!

Quote:

The primary and secondary (Mode-S, MSSR) surveillance radar system will enable more efficient transits through local airspace as well as increase the throughput of IFR flight activity.

Summer OXF-PMI with Eastern Saab still operating? - link to the info from airport website no longer working?

Wasn't PMI initially supposed to operate all summer long?

Flights from Oxford to Palma | Oxford Airport Travel

To complement the Jersey service, it was decided to introduce a new short series flight to Mallorca running on 4 Saturdays in September - 3rd, 10th, 17th and 24th

But one can't book nor even get a price so they clearly haven't confirmed these September aircraft yet:

If you would like to receive some more information about our Mallorca programme for September flying from Oxford, then please complete the REGISTER YOUR INTEREST form and we will let you have confirmed prices as soon as these are available

Now it gets really funny ..... flights from Oxford to New York!

In the coming months, it is planned that more and more flights will start operating. These will include a range of scheduled services to a range of UK and European cities, along with some one-off charters, for example, Christmas Shopping in New York

OXF-NYC via SNN (no problem) :sad:

OXF - LBA/NCL on a J41 through ticketed onto a codeshare on the LS xmas shopping special I would have thought is most likely!

Some news on Oxford

Flights to New York now up. They involve Cityjet from Oxford - Dublin using

(I don't think that even BAe had the audacity to market them as 'super-efficient' - four thirsty jets which are quite far from being even 'efficient'.)

Then onwards to New York with Aer Lingus on their 'award-winning service'. And for all the tightly packed text, the price isn't even on there. Turns out that it is £795 for flights only or £999 including 4 nights hotel stay. The latter doesn't seem quite such a bad deal.

Don't get me wrong - I'm very pro-Oxford in terms of expansion. But setting their sights on New York at the prices which they are charging are perhaps setting them a bit high. What about regional services? There has to be potential for scheduled services to some European and domestic destinations on a more regular basis; my best guesses are Jersey (more regular services needed, nothing from LHR), Guernsey (again nothing from Heathrow), a Scottish city (perhaps) and then some European destinations. It would require a decent survey to see where people in Oxford want to fly.

Economic environment hasn't been too conducive towards regionals diving into new territories and airports recently. However tide ought to change soon as OXF has just installed a £4m primary and secondary radar which was one key barrier to the airlines taking the airport seriously to date. Something like £25 has been spent in the last few years modernising everything from the runway, AGL, runway, fire tenders, ILS, new terminal and now the radar - all focused on the business aviation sector to date, but now ready for the commercial side and of course the Olympics opportunities next year.

Richest part of the country, highest economic growth, no competition for an hour's drive in any direction, 5m people in that catchment, an hour down the M40 to west London and the 3rd most visited city in England outside of London - over 10 million international visitors a year. Ticks quite a few boxes - then next year there's a new rail station opening in south Kidlington - under an hour to Marylebone.

Just takes some time and quite a lot of cash!

There's EMB-190s (private jet version) coming in from time to time and with 1592m, pretty much anything that uses LCY can get in and out of OXF

Usual business-oriented near-Europe destinations obvious including Edinburgh, but also islands, niche leisure destinations where the second-home set go and hang out and the occassional one off charters like the Dublin-New York one launched today, ski flights to shorter runways etc.

Lets watch what happens!

"Something like £25 has been spent in the last few years modernising everything"

Not something I'd be boasting about. :}

Wow .... as much as that ;)

the dublin flight could be successful if the price is right, but i cant see new york ever happen, the same thing happened with the palma flights, they never took of either, if the want to start commercial flights they need to get a proper passenger terminal built

Read the text of the press release carefully. It's a one off charter to cater for the specific Christmas trade - not a regular route. You are right - the Palmer flights NEVER did take off - the flights were withdrawn before the scheduled start date due to reasons other than loadings.

There is a proper terminal - a very nice and new FBO VIP facility. I'm sure it would be expanded if scheduled flights happen and loadings dictate a bigger facility but at the moment there are better/other things to spend money on!

This has already been done but is kept as an internal document that was not published to my knowledge. From memory, Schipol came out as the number one international destinaton, followed by Dublin I think. Edinburgh was by far the most in demand domestic route, which is why the airport persuaded Varsity Express to consider Edinburgh instead of Cambridge (though that was before they realised they were dealing with Martin Halstead again).

It seems to me that the airport's operators and GTE are rooting around to try to find a route which sticks - over the past couple of years they've tried Geneva, Guernsey (or was is Jersey?), Palma, and now NYC via Dublin. Part of the problem I see is that they don't appear to advertise the flights very widely - if Ryanair were their they'd have billboard adverts in and around the city etc etc. Also, some clarity over flight-only prices would be helpful, instead of these confusing flight & accommodation offers.

Seeing as the operators obviously read and take on the advice proferred within this thread, I look forward to the announcement regarding the new passenger terminal...

Just a quick note for those of you in Oxford...the Jersey flight next summer will be operated by Blue Islands. Flights as followed:

SI2151 Jersey 14:30 - Oxford 15:25
SI2152 Oxford 15:55 - Jersey 16:50

Most likely will be operated by an ATR42.

Two new routes with Manx2 just announced from May 8th: Jersey and the Isle of Man. Jersey gets new air route to Oxford - Business News | businesslife.co

It was only a matter of time. Good news for the airport. Well done Manx2. Will be interesting to see how it effects the weekly summer Jersey charters.

Ironic to see Linksair back in Oxford. The route is showing both J31s and FLM D228s. MH

I'm not sure it will affect Blue Islands too much because the Channel Islands Travel Service mainly takes bookings for all-inclusive holidays - so most people who want that will go through there. Obviously there'll be a bit of conflict but nothing too major.

Bit of publicity for OXF - welcome I'm sure.

London Oxford Airport takes off / Industry News / Eva International

I would think that they need all the publicity they can manage at the moment with just 27 passengers transiting in March!

Quote: "if Ryanair were their they'd have billboard adverts in and around the city etc etc. Also, some clarity over flight-only prices would be helpful, instead of these confusing flight & accommodation offers."


If Ryanair were there they'd be vigourously marketing OXF as "London North West".

Where did you get that figure from please?

Provisional airport statistics for March 2012. Look on the CAA website.

So what's occurring at Oxford Airport? Two members of senior management dismissed in a month? Any more to follow I wonder?

Perhaps the owners/directors don't require people who want to run an airport!

Who's gone then?

Anybody know what the Starflight Express 737-700 (BBJ) N92SR was doing at Oxford recently? It came in from Stansted, and was parked up on the apron for quite a wwhile...

By all accounts, folk that were set up by more senior management to take the fall for their failings

EGHQ, Oxford Airport now has a fully operating radar.

Alex7557, the BBJ was, just that, parked at Oxford. ;) Parking probably cheaper at Oxford than Stansted, plus Oxford is outside the Olympics zone.

Cheers

Whirls

Manx2 are now advertising OXF-Belfast, but its just a 4x per week extension of OXF-IOM

Anyone know anything about the emergency landing this afternoon? I heard it on the radio, and as usual, the rubbish reports say nothing....