Plymouth City Airport Closure
 

Closure of Airport
Sutton Harbour Holdings PLC

28 April 2011

For Immediate Release 28 April 2011

Sutton Harbour Holdings plc (the "Company")

Closure of Airport

The Company today announces that it intends to cease the operation of Plymouth City Airport by the end of 2011. Plymouth City Airport has been loss making for a lengthy period of time and the Board has concluded there is no realistic prospect of trade improving in the near future.

Plymouth City Airport Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, holds a 150 year lease agreement with Plymouth City Council for the airport (143 years unexpired at a peppercorn rent). The Company will retain the lease following the closure of the airport.

In line with its stated intention the Company is focused on waterfront regeneration and developing new opportunities closely related to its core marine and regeneration activities.

Sutton Harbour Holdings plc


This information is provided by RNS

The company news service from the London Stock Exchange

A very sad day for the Southwest as a whole. I wonder what will happen to ASW?

I take it that this means they don't have to hand the airport back to the council but can dig the whole thing up for other uses.

Scandalous.

As far as I understand it any sale of the land is split 50-50 with Plymouth City Council. But you dont put a redevelopment company in charge of an airport for 150 years and expect them to make it pay when land prices are nice and high.

I heard this a few minutes ago on the R4 news. This is very sad news for the City.

However, the 'City' has prevaricated over the airport question for over 50 years and has ducked the issue at every turn so the bird has come home to roost.

Blame the local politicians that failed to grasp the nettle. :ugh:

sad sad day but not exactly unexpected !

MX has already moved to NQY, ops is in the process of moving to T3 and the only real route that didnt include NQY has just started (JER)

i think they will continue as just a NQY operation under T3, however i expect the DH8's to be gone fairly soon

cs

Is there anything else other than ASW at PLH that will get homeless? Like GA, air taxi operators etc.?

I am surprised that a city would sell its airport to a private company without any legal remedy to get the airport back if the private owner should at one point decide to be no longer interested in running an airport (that is - if the city itself is more interested in an airport than new housing, which may not be the case here).

Exeter Airport being forty or so miles up the A38 from Plymouth will perhaps lessen the blow to Plymouth but it leaves me wondering how many cities of Plymouth's size in this country lack an airport. Poor old Plymouth so often seems to lose out be in in terms of jobs, the Navy or all round lack of ooomph which is sadly needed seems to me.

Its seems crazy that Plymouth is the largest city on the South coast, with a large population of students and is suprisingly isolated to the rest of the country (take it from a former janner!) and now sons airport.

That said, it has been on the decline for a decade and everyone knew it was never going to expand with the WX records, the STOL and poor location. EXT will cream off anything worth having and NQY will probably look to expand any charter traffic. Failing that, it is BRS if you want a regional hub/scheduled flights.

It may seem like a backwards step for a city that is ever increasing, but the airport never really existed in a commercial capacity. The old logo said it all - the aircraft did a fly-over and then diverted to another airport!

Sad day for any staff that are left on site - Devon is a nightmare for interesting employment at the best of times....good luck guys.

This in todays local press

SUTTON Harbour Holdings this morning announced its plan to close Plymouth City Airport by the end of the year.

The airport operator made the announcement at 7am as the stock market opened in London.

The announcement read: "The Company today announces that it intends to cease the operation of Plymouth City Airport by the end of 2011.

"Plymouth City Airport has been loss making for a lengthy period of time and the Board has concluded there is no realistic prospect of trade improving in the near future.

Its in keeping with the citys plan get rid of the airport and keep the nuclear scrapyard that is the dockyard and build a nice big incinerator to take everybody elses crap down here. Good times ahead for the city NOT.



"Plymouth City Airport Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, holds a 150 year lease agreement with Plymouth City Council for the airport (143 years unexpired at a peppercorn rent). The Company will retain the lease following the closure of the airport.

"In line with its stated intention the Company is focused on waterfront regeneration and developing new opportunities closely related to its core marine and regeneration activities."

Well-placed sources believe the group, which off- loaded airline Air Southwest last year, is looking to sell its interest in the loss-making airport and quit the aviation industry altogether.

Sutton Harbour last night declined to comment on what it called "rumour and speculation".

Senior business figures told The Herald an 'early warning' announcement was due to be made this morning confirming Sutton Harbour's intention to close the airport within six months unless a deal over its lease can be struck.

The city-based regeneration firm sold Air Southwest last year after the airline posted losses of £3.94million in 2010.

New owner Eastern Airways quickly scrapped flights from Plymouth and Newquay to London Gatwick, prompting heightened fears over the airport's future.

Sutton Harbour operates Plymouth City Airport on a 150-year lease from Plymouth City Council.

At the time of the Air Southwest sale, it insisted it would hold onto the airport.

But in December last year bosses admitted they were reviewing their interest in the airport after a £9.18million loss in Sutton Harbour's interim results.

Plymouth City Council has been in recent talks with the city's Chamber of Commerce and other businesses leaders over a study into Plymouth's future transport needs.

Business sources said last night they were putting together a "contingency plan" to rescue the airport from closure.

One aviation industry insider said Eastern Airways appeared to already be planning its exit from Plymouth.

The airline said it was unaware of any impending announcement about the Roborough site, while the council declined to comment.

Mind you it is in keeping with the city plans.
Scrap the airport
Keep the nuclear scrapyard that is the the Dockyard
And build an incinerator to burn everybody elses crap from the south west

Glory times ahead for Plymouth me thinks NOT.

Do what should have been done years ago, build a 6,000ft runway circa 476ft nearer to sea level than Roborough is and operate some regular aircraft types whilst taking on the opposition in NQY & EXT.

asw
 

asw can all ways have a new home at cvt 0523 covman .

Sad, sad day for the region, the city (ex Janner here) and more importantly, the staff and crews at ASW/the airport.

Hard times for sure - but to close and sell off? To be left without an airport for ever is a hard pill to swallow.

:ugh:

The scandalous closure which involved Sheffield City Airport comes to mind... this is just as bad. ASW will settle at Newquay, and every janner and business person alike will have to go 40 miles to Exeter.

What a shame.

Sad, sad day.

I remember sitting with my Mum, Dad and brother in the car park at Roborough, nose up against the fence, seeing the Islanders, Twin Otters and Dash 7s come and go.
Seeing all those, and the Chipmunks of the RN Grading Flight, go over the house where I grew up in Plympton got me interested in aviation in the first place. It's a shame that thousands of youngsters in Plymouth will never get that experience now. :(

You wouldn't have seen a Herald, nor Heralds bearing in mind Brymon only operated one Herald, come nor go at Roborough, Roborough was a struggle for a (lightweight) DH Heron!

Learned to fly Tiger Moths there via Naval College, Dartmouth. Will have a little tear.

Looking at other airports which have had the same fate ,it appears that these development companies buy the an airport that is in the middle of two other viable ones , run the airport down over the years and slap charges on to stop people coming so they then can go to the powers to get it redeveloped into buisiness estates and housing... i feel from what i can gather from other sites that have had the same fate that the council has had a hand in the run down right from the start when these companies come in.......my opinion only....

PLH's problem has always been it's size, it takes a special breed of airliner to operate in and out of PLH, a breed that are far and few between, how many airlines in UK operate airliner type(s) that can operate in and out of PLH and what are the chances of any such airline filling any such airliner in and out of PLH?

Hence PLH has been living on borrowed time for years!

Phileas Fogg

On a different tact can you recall your wheraabouts some 30 years ago for the last Royal Wedding?

Isn't it time to come clean and beg forgiveness!!!! :\

Mr Angry,

This thread brought memories back to mind:

http://www.pprune.org/aviation-histo...rocedures.html

I do recall a rumour that an unnamed individual was seen up British Airtours flagpole on the eve of William's parent's wedding half hinching a brand new Union Jack specially flown for the event.

I also recall a rumour that pPruner 'Skytrain10' bet the unnamed individual 50p that he/she wouldn't half hinch the shiny new flag.

Alas just rumours :)

Phileas

Indeed your memory is right although on the night in question I suspect it was clouded by the Carribean Airways rum punch that was taken to celebrate the Royal Wedding...Why only a fool would scale the scaffolding outside Lakers Office to undertake such a daring mission...:\

A,

And that Caribbean Airways rum punch was bl00dy good stuff ... Do you recall a memo that went around the cabin crew to ensure that they stirred the punch better before serving it cos half the pax would be singing whilst the other half would be as sober as judges :)

Very sad for Plymouth, and especially for the dedicated employees who've done their best for the last few years in the face of Sutton Harbour's determination to run the place into the ground. There's virtually nothing left - they made sure that the paying operators were pushed out several years ago. But that's what you get when property developers are given some prime city land on a plate. The company who decides whether the airport is viable or not SHOULD NOT be the same company who stands to profit in terms of millions from redevelopment of the same site if it closes, not when the site is owned by the City.

Best wishes to all at Plymouth.

Very sad day but oh so inevitable. Runway length pretty much dictated everything, critically limiting. The airport was run on a shoestring, bare minimum staffing, a lean machine but very efficient with it. Very good people there.

Without any significant property portfolio underwriting the airfield side of things, it would never make a penny. You don't make money out of passengers at a place like that, ideed you don't make money out of aeroplanes directly. You need a bunch of warehouses and office blocks from which the revenue underpins everything else.

Even then, the value of the land for industrial or commercial development way outweighs it's use as a very restricted airport - in that particular case.

Is it Dunkeswell that may benefit a little from any GA migration?

Rather good time for Cornwall Council to get their backsides in gear and sell off Newquay now which they don't really want to have to run at council tax payer's expense.

Southwest runway capacity begining to look a little depleted - BAe shutting down Filton, MOD shutting down RAF Lynham, Sutton Harbour shutting down Plymouth. Year of doom on that front.

Wonder to what extent Newquay, Exeter and Bristol evolve hereon with any further development?

Avioactive - don't be so doom and gloom.
People in Cornwall still need to fly places - if anything Newquay's future should now be rather more secure.

i think as far as NQY is concerned you need to keep in mind the MOD factor.

yes the raf no longer operate the airfield, however the MOD still use it on a very regular basis, just yesterday i sat in my garden as 2 tristars headed over my house towards NQY

Other airfield activities also exist at NQY, cornwall air ambulance, BIH and the new SAR training

cs

Captain Blackadder I've got a cunning plan, flying from Plymouth to the centre of London and you don't even NEED an airport and it doesn't involve a helicopter either! Sometimes the craziest thoughts.......off to research it now!

I don't follow how the closure of PLH will affect the future of BRS in any way.

Even if BRS saw all the current PLH passenger traffic migrate to it (which of course it won't) the total would still be insignificant taking into account BRS's current annual passenger throughput of 5.7 million.

What is of more concern to BRS is whether its approved £150 million expansion that would enable it to handle up to 10 mppa will somehow be stopped by the eleventh-hour attempt of the objectors to obtain a judicial review to have the planning consent overturned.

Both sides seem confident of coming out on top in any judicial review but you can never be certain of any outcome when courts become involved.

Cunning plan eh Blackadder! Must be JHE in an Islander just popping it down on the Mall and back to the Hoe for lunch then.........

But very sad to hear of PLH closure it was enevitable as soon as ASW was sold. Lets be honest what was a property and regeneration company going to do with an airport with no operator. From an ops point of view its a blessing have given up counting how many diversions I have seen from PLH. However one night it was Air Wales bolt hole when CWL/SWS/BRS and EXT where out seam to recall the whole fleet of five where there. My thoughts are with all the staff and the companies that will lose out now. Good bunch of Guys and Gals.

No JHE this time, he is busy elsewhere, just a silly idea I had whilst thinking about what I have flown on often the other side of the pond. Stelios told me that everyone thought he was mad setting up easyjet with our 737's but sometimes its not the most obvious plans as you know...If it need ops though you are the man!

Thinks I will need webbed feet.......... Canary warf and back to the Sound me thinks!....

Classic idea though.... whoops sorry mustn't say that.

What the closure of runways at a military airbase (Lyneham) that is nowhere near to Devon/Cornwall and/or the closure of an aircraft/engine factory airfield in Bristol has to do with Devon/Cornwall!

How about the selling off of the runway and heliport in Penzance? Surely that is much closer to home!

In English please.....

A sad day for aviation in the southwest. I completed my PPL at PLY, must have flown C152'2, PA-28's, Arrows and Duchesses in and out hundreds of times. ATC weren't always the friendliest, but you had the impression the airport was a tightly-run operation with high standards.

In many ways we live in aviation unfriendly times, with a distinctly aviation-unfriendly government. Airports with largely domestic-oriented traffic are having a hard time in particular. Maybe we will look back at the 1990's and early 2000's as a golden age in commercial and private aviation, before ever-increasing APD and "climate-change" issues began to bite.

''ATC weren't always the friendliest''
So very true for my time in the area circa the 90's. Generally bad attitude, especially from one very sour individual.

A great loss to the City of Plymouth and it's businesses.
Best of luck to the staff finding new jobs.

Plymouth City Airport closure
 

Totally gutted my Hometown,how could they let this happen grr!!!
As everybody has said what is a city without an Airport or Heliport? i spent most of my youth spotting there and flying from there,very fond memorys of all the controllers,hosties,Pilots,friends,realy good years brings tears to my eyes,though i have lived in Hampshire since 1990 my heart will always be in the westcountry as Alan knows you are always a Janner wherever life takes you,i do hope some positive news comes soon about the Aiport which i love,it got me where i am in Aviation today,the love of Aircraft and people in Aviation was always my dream after Taking to the skies in a DC3 Back in 1983.
Kind regards
Jamie.