It is impossible to predict. Wizz could have a major base at Gatwick. We could be in a 1930’s style depression. We will be paying off eye watering national debt. There might not be a vaccine for Corona 19. We will be truly out of the EU so what will that do to traffic from Eastern Europe and Gatwick should be opening up its Emergency runway for short haul flights.

Even though I wrote the other day Luton could possible face issues if other airlines move to Gatwick, but Im not so sure now after thinking about it.

While Wizz might be vying for slots at Gatwick, I am sure easyJet will put up a battle too and ensure they get an opportunity to further expand too and maintain their fortress...

Even if Wizz did grab a load of slots, people need to remember they have over 200+ aircraft on order and these need to be deployed somewhere, I'm not sure Luton would be that badly affected, and possibly run simultaneous from both airports. Also Gatwick boasts the longer runway which could accomodate a London to Abu Dhabi route, with the new A321XLRs on order and you never know some US flights too?!

I'm not sure a 239 seat A321XLR loaded up for a 7-8 hour flight could take off from Luton?

If easyJet were to expand further at LGW, they have deferred new Airbus deliveries for the moment, so would need to be sourced from elsewhere in the fleet network... I wonder if it could be used as an opportunity to consolidate London from four bases to three? The Stansted base in recent years seems to have fallen out of favour, and has been stagnent for years and if I recall has been reduced in recent time with the odd Airbus being moved to Southend...

Would it make sense to close the Stansted base, move the odd route which isn't currently flown from LTN or SEN to either, and move the STN aircraft to south of the river?

While we all cast pur opinions, it could be possible BA refuse to sell their slots and instead start low cost operations with their IAG brands Vueling or Level. Also never write off Jet2, they might swoop into LGW, however they have nearly had all the new Boeing 737-800's delivered now, but I guess there will be a big market of second hand aircraft available soon.

Why close STN ops and not the much smaller and runway restricted SEN?

T2 seems a great idea. I can hear the guillotine falling in George St as the locals, faced with cuts in services and increased Council Tax, revolt!

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...le-decade.html

Time to cheer up the thread and have some fun, for you people with lots of time to spare!
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....6ed190ea6b.jpg

Also SEN shuts overnight which doesn’t help. They have got to be the most vulnerable airport out of the 6 airports, which is a shame as they were really going places.

Looks like the council will be holding an emergency budget in July.

Find it hard to see how the planned £124 million access road to T2 is going to be built when it was being funded by the council when the council can’t fund social services.

Agree. Plus Stansted features key domestic routes such as BFS, GLA & EDI. Southend is pretty much pure leisure. Certainly interesting times ahead. I think all airports will take a battering of some degree. Might make them more pleasant with fewer people using them. Southend’s USP may just become redundant.

Well I said Wizzair were bringing people into Luton to stay with friends and family by all the kissing and cuddling going on in arrivals and now Wizz admit to it. For those that are not at work today and following government advice just remember what is going on at Luton Airport as you stay at home on this fine sunny day.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-...ZzqYh7Ggsf7zQI

Stansted would go as a base before Southend. A lot of outsiders don’t appreciate Southend’s value to the locals, and remember there are a lot of them and they have money. Plus no matter what people say it is a London airport. It’s ease and convenience makes it a sort of budget City, true in the couple of years to come STN’s (and LGW, LTN) terminal might be much less congested but that doesn’t end the long walk or bus from the car, the long walk through the terminal, the transit. Certainly until Ryanair showed up all evidence was yields at Southend on the core routes were very good, mostly fares were higher than equivalents out of LGW/LTN/STN. The operation limits haven’t been a particular issue, I mean this will be the 9th year of operation and they’re still around.

Most of STN’s domestics are operated by aircraft based elsewhere anyway.

Seems incredible that Wizz can announce via the abBC they will be operating to TFS tomorrow .. Saturday 9th.

This is all well and good except, they fail to mention that unless their passengers hold a green residency certificate they will be denied landing into the Canary Islands until at least Mid June !

Surely it’s between the passengers and the UK authorities to sort out? Wizz can’t seriously be expected to police the reasons for travel. “Why are you travelling to the UK?”, “veg picking”, “ok, next....”. You’re not expecting bus drivers to grill all their passengers for their reason for travelling I presume?

Not sure how it was policed but Loganair made clear only pax with proof of key worker status or other valid essential reason would be allowed to travel. Perhaps easier with 30-50 seaters but no reason it couldn’t be done with the passport check...eg hand over your job offer letter with your boarding card and passport.

Well they could do more. If a passenger wants to fly to a country that requires a visa the airline wants the details so they don't have to fly the same passenger back on the next flight. Wizz don't even ask any questions about reasons for travel on their booking engine via tick box answers but neither do any others I guess. The difference for Wizz it they have now finally admitted what we all knew and that they are breaching UK regulations because there is money to be made.

Only some of the STN domestics are away based, mostly GLA and EDI, but by no means all. In traffic terms STN is still bigger than LPL, GLA, NCL and SEN, so it's not insignificant as it may seem.

EZY, a company that's success is founded upon its dominance in some the largest, slot constrained airports in Europe, would preserve SEN above all else because of it's small size and convenience, I think not.

Frankly, I dont think EZY ever expected FR being able to get into SEN. I wouldn't be surprised actually if EZY didn't renew a contract with SEN (in 2023?) when the current expires. On the subject of LTN, which is what we ought to be talking about here, wouldn't have thought any uplift in LGW would cause too much damage. More likely aircraft would be sourced by other less profitable routes across the network.

You never get asked about visas when booking and you don’t even hand it to the airline until you’re at the airport or gate, unless explicitly required in advance. So valid reason for travel is the same principle, like a visa if you don’t have it tough luck. Wizz keep the money anyway, it’s the passengers problem not theirs.

Unless the rules have changed, that's not entirely accurate. If a passenger is required to have a visa to enter a country and doesn't, the carrier who brought them will be required to remove them, will likely be fined for the contravention and any costs incurred whilst the individual is held. May vary on a country by country basis but always used to be the case.

From Wizz website....During the online check-in process you might be requested to provide visa details on certain routes. If no visa is required for your destination, just fill in the field with xxxxx characters.

The Canary Islands will be the first destination for flights with passengers monitored by a secure health application called Hi + Card and free of Covid-19.

This was transmitted today by the Director-General of the World Tourism Organization, UNWTO, Zurab Pololikashvili to the Tourism Minister of the Canary Islands Government, Yaiza Castilla, who thanked him for this “great news”
Hi+ Card
hi + Card is part of the solutions that the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is supporting based on the commitment made with the Government of the Canary Islands to help the recovery of tourism in the world.

It is a Canarian initiative, global in scope, linked to Turisfera the Canary Islands Business Innovation cluster, and launched by Air Institute and Tourism Data Driven Solutions (TDDS) in collaboration with the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)

That is if the airline has carried them without appropriately checking their eligibility to enter. That’s not the case if the passenger has presented fraudulent documents. The onus is on the passenger to present themselves with the correct documents for travel.

All this flack about Wizzair & LLA and here comes RYR doing the samefrom STN & DUB https://www.ryanair.com/content/dam/...ce-Covid19.pdf

pabely yep. Anyone would think some people here have another agenda :8 Wizz have certainly done a good job grabbing the headlines given they never actually stopped flying in the UK and others continue to do the same elsewhere.

Wizzair have certainly provided a much needed direct link to the uk from Tenerife, despite media trying their utmost to condemn it and in preference pushing the 'one stop' Iberia/BA link via the mainland. Lets hope they continue the service for the newly 'released' inhabitants of Tenerife.

Don't you just love this council who take hypocrisy to whole new levels. Their main complaint is that the new road will cause extra traffic to pass through the council estates of Marsh Farm causing extra traffic and pollution yet Luton Borough Council propose to use local residential roads in the east of Luton to get traffic from the A1M and A505 to Terminal 2.

Also what they don't mention is that this road they claim they don't want will link up eventually to the new proposed dual carriageway to Terminal 2 from New Airport Way so making half a ring road from junction 10 of the M1 to junction 11A of the M1.More bull from the council as they have half a billion in reserves they don't want to touch and their airport income is extra income other councils would not get.

All those routes except STN-Bucharest, Porto and Sofia have been operated throughout. Never stopped. On some days the FR to DUB has been LGW’s only flight. I guess the difference between FR and Wizz is the former has made clear its for essential travel whereas the latter will take anyone.

You can’t social distance on a half full aircraft. Does essential travel mean ignoring the risk because someone thinks their journey is essential. I would suspect most journeys are not essential particularly the destinations on offer from Luton.

Repatriation flights are different but then repatriation flights don’t offer a 3 times a day service during a lockdown.

I suspect you’re right about Luton given the destinations but there is greater merit in the STN offer overall, they are more strategic. Eindhoven at first glance looks odd but it’s not too far from a number of major centres - Amsterdam, Brussels, Düsseldorf/Rhine-Ruhr. UK-Ireland is clearly important, some key workers shuttling back and forth. London-Berlin a key link. Budapest and Lisbon probably more for workers - either those returning home after being furloughed or now coming for farm jobs etc - but a few times a week is clearly more reasonable than 3x daily.

Not sure how you can make a judgement about why people are travelling based solely on the destination LTNman? I suppose people from Eastern Europe don't have family emergencies or need to travel to/from the UK from work.

The problem is not the airports or the airlines but Government policy which has been confusing and unclear. The Government has that it is a personal decision as to what is essential travel and is up to individuals to decide. Look up Raab's statement from March 17 if you don't believe me.

Your comment should not target Eastern Europeans just because they are Eastern Europeans but Europeans in general, as the same point would cover people travelling to and from Tenerife, Portugal, Israel and Cyprus.

With quarantines set to be introduced in the UK and quarantines coming into force in Spain at the weekend it will be interesting to see if those people needing to travel for family emergencies and other essential reasons still bother to travel or whether the emergency can wait until the quarantine ends. That is assuming the quarantine is followed rather than for convenience ignored.

A single fare on the flight to Israel tomorrow is £504 so I expect it will be standing room only. While Wizz will be making money out of that flight I can't see them selling many tickets on their new Luton services any time soon unless the quarantine is short lived.

These are indeed black days for Luton and aviation in general. With these quarantine rules this would end what is remaining of Luton's Biz jet traffic.

The airport has had plenty of opportunities to fly their drone over the airport including the runway.

Are those numbers still scheduled to change to 07/25

Q) EGTT/QFALT/IV/NBO /A /000/999/5152N00022W
A) EGGW
B) 20/05/21 01:30 C) 20/05/21 04:45
D) 0130-0230 0330-0445
E) A ZERO FLOW RATE CAN BE EXPECTED TO ALLOW WIP DUE TO RUNWAY REDESIGNATION. THE AIRPORT MAY BE MADE AVAILABLE WITH 20 MINUTES NOTICE FOLLOWING CO-ORDINATION WITH THE AIRPORT AUTHORITY.

Q) EGTT/QFALC/IV/NBO /A /000/999/5152N00022W
A) EGGW
B) 20/05/20 23:00 C) 20/05/21 00:00
E) AIRFIELD CLOSED TO ALL MOVEMENTS TO FACILITATE THE CHANGE IN THE RUNWAY REDESIGNATION FROM 26/08 TO 25/07

As per the above NOTAMs, still in effect, the runway redesignation is still due to take place next week on the night of the 20th-21st May.

Thanks - that might be a historic video then

Construction update
 

The Dart Parkway station footbridge now crosses the railway tracks.
https://i.imgur.com/xyylDvL.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/GvtoGUc.jpg

The cutting under Taxiway Bravo now has a roof and is being filled in.
https://i.imgur.com/6fPbeu1.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/qysERSO.jpg

The section of track by the station now also has a roof which completes the tunnel.
https://i.imgur.com/CK302Y8.jpg

The passenger route from the drop off zone is being prepared for concrete and will cross the station entrance. What looks like the ticket hall is under construction.
https://i.imgur.com/wXmyV0U.jpg

The maintenance area now has two structures above the ground at either end
https://i.imgur.com/9zKPZmS.jpg

Finished several weeks ago the service road/ bin area is now hidden from view.
https://i.imgur.com/1yVfiy0.jpg

Essential travel?
 

Talk about hypocrisy."Does essential travel mean ignoring the risk because someone thinks their journey is essential. I would suspect most journeys are not essential particularly the destinations on offer from Luton".

Not sure taking photos around the airport would constitute essential travel or even be in the spirit of the regulations about staying home as much as possible.

You seem to have an agenda against me with your petty comments. I suggest you keep up with new government advice. We are now allowed to exercise as much as we like from yesterday, which is why I have now done an update after a gap of 8 weeks. Just for info, going for a walk is not like sitting on an aircraft. Sorry you can’t work that out.

LTNman....Thank you for your construction update its much appreciated even from a Tenerife viewpoint...Stay Safe

Not at all. They are great pictures and as usual a thorough and interesting round up.

I know you can exercise as many times as you like now, but surely even you would agree it is a little more than ironic that you would choose to take your exercise in the very place that you are so worked up about people travelling to and from unnecessarily "ignoring the risk" and potentially spreading the virus, especially as you have entered public areas like the car parks and terminal front on your "exercise".

Trust me, there was no one about and the car parks are all empty on the upper floors and all but empty on the lower floors. I would think there was more people in the local park.

I find it hard to get “worked up” in a sad empty place, as I have never seen it like this before. I was sent a couple of photos that I published back in April but to see it in person was quite shocking.

Oh, thank you ericlday for you comment. I do the updates with photos for people like you who get to the airport infrequently and are interested in what is going on. Saying that I don’t think I will be back anytime soon, which will stop avidspotter moaning with pointless drivel apart from his first sentence.

Very sad and worrying times. And no sign its going to get better any time soon. Just reading Romania has also extended its travel ban. Wizz Air's bold claims at the start of the month now look exactly that, just bold claims. Still did a good job of raising their profile...