Money? The one thing that LTN has lacked over the years and well documented in this forum.

Money has indeed always been in short supply at Luton but when it comes to wasting money Luton has no limits.

The road markings are only just dry but much of the CTA will be dug up when the rail link, station and second multi-storey are put in.

This means a new drop off zone and new route for much of the CTA ring road. Most of the CTA dual carriageway that is keeping its location will still need to be dug up for the cut and cover rail tunnels.

Examples of extreme penny pinching includes only tarmacing the car park lanes and not the car park spaces of most of the car parks. The poor finish of the pedestrian foot bridges to the CTA car parks. The use of the cheapest materials available for the covered walkways. The extensive use of tarmac for all pedestrian areas. No air bridges or individual lifts to serve any stands. A lack of seating were there is room for seating to go.

I await with a great deal of interest how the flagship canopy will look that will define the appearance of the terminal for the next 20 years. The iconic glass roof of the first artist impressions was replaced by what looked like a series of circus tents made out of canvas. What the airport ends up with might be different again. Not long to wait now, as this new canopy should be going in after Christmas.

Declared distances from 7th December
 

Runway 08 TORA

2162m/7093ft full length
1982m/6502ft Taxiway Bravo intersection (taxiway extension)
1688m/5538ft Taxiway Hotel intersection (former Bravo)

Runway 26 TORA

2162m/7093ft full length TORA
1771m/5810ft Taxiway Alpha intersection.

The new taxiway Bravo will have a 211m longer take off run than runway 26 from Alpha.

It will be 294m longer than before.

Taxiway Bravo will still be 180m from the end of the runway.

I think the new canopy looks OK...

I think people are more concerned about the experience through the terminal than the look from the outside, especially when the experience has been so poor in recent years.

https://roundme.com/embed/77047/193007

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m...%20Roof....jpg

We will have to see what the airport ends up with. The shape of the roof means it might be made out of canvas as I can’t see it being made out of glass or plastic. Just hope it doesn’t have Billy Smart embossed in the material.
https://i.imgur.com/iqjuS0F.jpg

The walkway to the drop off zone was actually bought off the shelf and is used by supermarkets to store shopping trolleys so looks nothing like the artists impressions while the one serving the shuttle bus was actually never built so saved a few more pennies.

You are right about the customer experience being more important than the look but a nice experience is formed in part by the feel of the place and the materials used.

The 360 tour of inside the terminal from the link provided will properly be more accurate as there are clear signs that what is depicted is being built.

Opening date for the new multi story and drop off zone is confirmed as 2019 which will delay the DART project as work on the new CTA station was due to start this summer.

Planned twice weekly (Friday-Sunday) service to Crotone in Italy by FlyServus commencing in the new year.

Arr 1400, Dep 1500 from 12th January using Common Sky 737.

Luton must be doing something right, with the price of fees to attract these odd-ball airlines, over the likes of Stansted and Southend! Unless maybe they are more sensible and tell these start-up airlines to sling their hook, when approached and allows Luton to scrape the barrel?! :}

But the proof will be in the pudding, and if this airline ever actually get the off the ground. With the likes of Powdair and FlyKiss, the airport has not done well with start-ups recently.

The airport at Crotone, which will be their hub, barely sounds a success, having previously gone bankrupt once and the only operator before that was Ryanair, which pulled out.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crotone_Airport

Any new airline adds to the mix at Luton but this is the sort of airline that should be drawn to Southend so they have missed out on this one.

Well the proposed service to Crotone, if it ever happens, looks like one I wouldn't touch with a barge pole.

FlyServus (paper airline) says flights operated by Common Sky. But Common Sky doesn't operate Boeing B735s. They appear to have some tie up with AirX Charter, who do operate that type, so perhaps they are the real operator.

Oh, and no slots requested yet.

Non-starter or, if it starts, gone within a few weeks I reckon.

Especially considering that they intend starting operations in the middle of winter to a little known airport in a sparsely populated area in Italy with no business links, it's got failure written all over it.

After the overnight closure of Taxiway Bravo and part of Taxiway Alpha so new holding point signage could be installed the new Taxiway Bravo remains closed.

Calabria region-sunshine and wealth.
 

LTNman,

In Summer 1995, rumor went around that a new airline was coming to LTN and that it was going to charge passengers the same price to fly as buying a 'pair of jeans'. Everyone I spoke to back then stated it would not last and it would be impossible to survive. As we all know, that airline went on to become Britain's largest airline in terms of passengers and 3rd busiest in Europe today.

Bedford not far from Luton has a large Italian population and Calabria region has lots to offer. So with that thought in mind I hope the new service is successful and at least is given a chance.

I wonder what new airline will be announced next...

closed 0000-1001
The airport wanted it opening with the relevant important people there.
Don't forget updates to EFPS, SMR, Lighting panel and documents to name a few to be completed overnight and a transition period for all ATC staff and crews.

I am sure all us do, but as I mentioned these niche airlines, have not had a good track record so far this year at Luton...

You also need to be realistic and once you do a bit of background research things don't look good and the business plan non-existent.

- The flights will be operated by Common Sky on behalf of FlyServus, and it states they will use 737's. Common Sky don't even operate this type of aircraft.
- Crotone Airport has been shut since November 2016.
- Crotone Airport went into Bankruptcy in 2015, and Ryanair has been the only airline to use the airport and they stopped flying there!
- The airlines website looks like something developed 10-15 years ago and booking section looks homemade or is otherwise fake, with prices of 195 Euro's in each direction!
- Neither Crotone or Luton Airport's website make any mention of this new airline.
- The new route is meant to start on the 12th January, they better do some major advertising to fill that first flight!

November passenger statistics just been released. A total of 1,008,184 passengers used used the airport in November UP 5.5 per cent. Rolling 12 month the figure 15,517,231up 10.3 per cent. All you lot who said there would be a downturn due to the demise of Monarch have been proved wrong. Told you so.

Await comment from SSB :E

Nice to be invited :))
Well yes jolly good... an increase is an increase is an increase.
It defies credibility tho not to see the numbers in November are reflecting the loss of MON hence a much smaller % increase last month compared even with the rolling 12 months figure quoted.
But anyways next November`s figures will reflect well with Wizz UK taking up that slack.

CiaoFly, they lasted a few weeks.

AirlineRoute are now listing the proposed Thomas Cook operation for S18:

London Luton – Antalya eff 25MAY18 2 weekly A320 (1 weekly from 03OCT18)
London Luton – Bodrum eff 04MAY18 2 weekly A321 (32B)
London Luton – Dalaman eff 02MAY18 1 weekly A320 (4 weekly 23MAY18 – 03OCT18, 3 weekly from 04OCT18)
London Luton – Enfidha eff 01MAY18 1 weekly A320 (2 weekly 25MAY18 – 02OCT18)
London Luton – Izmir 26MAY18 – 06OCT18 1 weekly A320
London Luton – Larnaca 23MAY18 – 03OCT18 1 weekly A320
London Luton – Palma Mallorca eff 07MAY18 1 weekly A320

11 originating A320 flights in the peak (23 May to 3 Oct) plus 2 A321 (presumably on inbound W flights) from Bodrum.

Wonder if the Luton based TC aircraft will do a W pattern when it is away from Luton, as 11 flights a week won't keep the aircraft busy.

If that is reduced to 8% Luton will be full again in just 2 years time, which will be a year after the present expansion programme is finished.

_"Luton will be full again in just 2 years time"_
If that is the case then a win win all around..

Except for passengers, as no doubt the airport will not put up the full sign and will carry on as before in sweating the asset.

With regards to the new taxiway. All landing aircraft I have monitored have been cleared to exit the runway at Hotel so on day one this is the default location despite the NOTAM indication that Bravo was the new exit point.

Low cost taxiway aimed at minimising 08 holding issues.

It was indeed put in primary for departures, as not many aircraft miss the exit. Shame it didn’t go to the end but at the end of the day it is not the runway capacity that will restrain the growth of the airport but a lack of land to build infrastructure.

I will have to have a closer look but I am sure the contractors village has been removed from the side of the taxiway now it is open. I was expecting it to be relocated for the construction of Taxiway Foxtrot and the extension to Taxiway Alpha but I haven’t seen it although I haven’t looked to hard to find it.

Planned vacation point is B, less noise, the crews will take a while to get used to it, as it got dark all nearly vacated B as the lead offs are turned off at hotel. During day there are no lead offs so they dived for the first exit. I offered H to a few to get a feel for the difference in inbound gap size requirements. a few asked inbound where we required them to go, or if b was expected. give a few days and they will all work it out.

With departures on runway 08 the new taxiway will be in use for the first time for outbound providing the snow doesn’t close the airport.

Luton is snow closed to at least 7.00 but that might well slip as it is still snowing.

Edit, airport now open.

For Wizz it is just another day with both inbound and outbound while for easyjet they are claiming the airport is closed on their flight tracker with no departures.

Despite the new taxiway extension Wizz are backtracking on 08 due to runway contamination. Runway is now reported as poor so the airport is now closing for around 20 minutes for sweeping.

BMS & VLG both out of the hold & diverting away...

Looks like a number of Wizz holding, including a WZZ diversion. Going to be an interesting morning!

Wizz184B squawking 7700

Probably fuel emergency looks like it’s going to Gatwick rather than Stansted guess Stansted has snow also

And W61001 HA-LYV) probably getting very dizzy by now, looking at the number of circuits they have done to the north of Luton! Wizz 184B seems possibly heading to LHR Edit: Looks like it may well be Gatwick. BBC Weather shows hevy snow at Stansted

HA-LVG seems to have taken an early decision and skipped Luton altogether. Now on approach to Gatwick, having changed his mind near Chelmsford and gone straight to LGW. HA-LWK has just landed at Gatwick. Blue Air and a couple of Mr O'Leary's flights are also doing loops around an area to the east of Luton and HA-LVG seems to be heading towards Birmingham.

Stansted is SNOCLO at present.

BMS8MV TRN-LTN also now squawking 7700 and looks to be heading for LGW.

Looks like a couple of Wizz just diverted to Doncaster as well as Gatwick.