Saab 2000 could only be a step-gap measure as Loganair is keen to dispose of those asap. So after that probably an ATR42-600 that apparently has been earmarked as the type to replace the Saabs - any news on that plan and if so, when the first ATRs can be expected?.

Amadeus shows S2000 ops LM for Cityflyer

BA.com now shows IOM/LCY aircraft as Saab 2000 operated by Loganair from September

LCY-DUS has been operated with leased aircraft most of the time since its inauguration (initially T3 S20, now T3 E70). I understand the T3 E70 opf BACF is on its way out - so will the route be operated with BACF's own metal from now on?

BA Cityflyer have been using 2 x S2000 and 1 x E170 at LCY wet leased from Eastern for quite some time. One Saab in BA colours, the other two all white. It must be a fair bit of Eastern's turnover. I believe more recently they have also been using them at Gatwick as well. The Saab in full BA Cityflyer colours seems to have gone already and one in Eastern livery is currently operating.

BA Cityflyer will add four E190s next year and launch flights to Rome as well as other destinations (not yet announced).

British Airways - MORE ROUTES AND MORE AIRCRAFT FOR LONDON CITY

Notes from beside The Aegean :

The Bank Holiday Monday Skiathos was very pleasantly organised, despite the large number of Mediterranean and other departures delayed until LCY's holiday restriction to an 0900 opening, the airport ran so well with zero holdups at the desks or security. About an 80% load. Delayed departure due to ATC near the destination restricting due to bad weather, but when we approached there was a thunderstorm right over the airfield. held offshore in a weather hole for about 30 minutes with lightning bolts visible in the distance, then a real rock-and-roll run in, perfectly on the numbers (the road in front is a sight closer than LCY's Connaught Bridge) and we were there, only aircraft on the airfield (despite which we were put on the furthest-most stand from the terminal, no kidding). Nice one, guys.

Taxi driver said that a Blue Panorama 737 inbound from Italy had diverted to Athens, which I saw later was so, losing half a day's holiday. Airport cab drivers always know the gen on this sort of scuttlebutt. I wonder if they didn't load extra fuel for extended holding.

WHBM
Great stuff but it usually the Italians who do 'get in' and go in very low over the road lol
Rog

As BACF have been using up to three Eastern aircraft, I am not sure the additional 4 E90 will mean a lot of expanson route-wise. Probably T3's S20s will be replaced with two BACF E70 which in turn will be replaced with two of the new, larger E90 on the routes they currently serve. Same could happen to the E70 currently leased from Eastern. Unless the Loganair S20 stays on the IOM route and does not get replaced in 2019, this would mean just one additional airframe which will not have much spare capacity with two daily FCO flights plus an additional ZRH flight already scheduled.

The Rome flight will be six weekly not twice daily. I imagine the Loganair S20 might stick around.

OK, thanks. I did not check and assumed that anything less than twice weekdaily would make little sense. Realistically, a twice daily flight with a single aircraft on a route with a block-time north of 2,5hours would not be that helpful either as the first arrival into FCO (or LCY if the aircraft were to be based there) would be around noon-time and unlike Alitalia, BA has nothing to do at FCO before a second daily flight in the afternoon.

FWIW, BA (and by extension BACF) were not happy about using Eastern any more on account of the poor performance and the fact that the CAA are keeping a very close eye on Eastern at the minute.

Apparently the four E190 are coming from China. So potentially China Southern or Tianjin?

This is the case anyway, with a 1 hour clock change even an 0730 departure from any London airport is not going to be in to Rome before 1100 Local. For LCY the business demand is much more in morning, out evening, which is why an outstation base, plus the one hour clock change loss that way, means an 0700 departure (Rome and others having a much more constrained catchment area than South-East England) gives an 0830 arrival at LCY.

The "Alitalia would have something to do" etc argument is often incorrect, as the "something" is not defined and often will not exist. Alitalia will have its own trunk business routes already at Rome which also peak in morning and evening, with a lull in between. The fact is, a twice daily service with nothing in between may be the best financial return. So many of the operating costs, fuel, crew, nav charges, even a significant proportion of the leasing cost, are flying hours/sectors based, all of which rise with marginal time flights which at the fares you can get then are just not worthwhile.

Alitalia can easily use the E190 for off-peak flights on routes from FCO with multiple daily departures, e.g. to domestic destinations. Alitalia, for example, deploys E-Jets on its shuttle-like FCO-LIN route or on midday flights to PSA, BLQ or NCE. I doubt they would keep an E90 serving LCY in the morning and evening on the ground for the rest of the day.

I think most airline systems use the last two or three letters to identify a particular aircraft, which is why they tend to use -LCYx or LCxx, rather than xLCY. G-ALCY and G-BLCY would both appear as "CY" in some systems. It is a hangover from early computer systems used in the industry. I don't think the CAA considers -xLCY a block of registrations either, so it might be more complicated/expensive to do.
I imagine -LCXx or LDNx might be the next series used, they both appear to be unused. Another option might be G-CFEx. G-CFEC would be a good one!