Alsie Express every year does a few long weekend (3 or 4 days) one-off trips on an ATR 72 to various places from Sønderborg. It's a somewhat remote region of Denmark that is poorly linked to places outside Denmark. These long weekend trips tend to be quite imaginative - eg flying to Dijon and being taken round various Burgundy vineyards by the guy who owns the main wine shop in Sønderborg. Alsie Express' most recent long weekend to the UK was in November 2019 to Liverpool on the weekend that Liverpool hosted Manchester City who were at the time the top two teams in the Premier League. These trips usually (eventually) appear on the Alsie Express website as flight only if the travel agency is struggling to sell all the seats.

Sønderborg is a nice place to live, but of limited inbound tourist interest unless you have a strong Danish cultural background - I think they will struggle to sell many seats to UK originating pax, especially when Billund has multiple flights to London every day

https://londonsouthendairport.com/news/tour-operator-to-launch-holidays-from-london-southend-for-summer-24/

Small airline, small airport... but good

Reuters this morning published this quote from Carlyle Global Infrastructure Fund (CGI):
"We have made numerous proposals to Esken and the airport to secure the airport's long-term future, and look forward to stable ownership of the airport by an experienced and financially strong entity."
Seems pretty clear to me.

thats why they're suing them for every penny - the Times reckons they want £ 193 million by February 16th or its curtains

Additional statement from Carlyle report in Evening Echo:

"Esken is financially distressed and not in a position to support the airport's full recovery and growth nor execute an orderly sale of the airport. As an experienced investor in, and operator of, airports around the world, Carlyle believes in, and is committed to, the future of Southend Airport and understands its importance to airlines, passengers, employees and the local community."

Well that sounds good from Carlyle, but the proof will be in the pudding.

Certainly Stobart/Esken have made several mistakes in their time in management of SEN - making GA and aviation maintenance and support companies unwelcome, forcing JOTA away, refusing to allow BA to use their own ground handling staff and thus losing the weekend flights on offer among others - but they did invest a good deal in the airport and had several notable successes.

A google of the company reveals they provide the money for airport infrastructure projects but don’t run airports, unless I haven’t dug deep enough.

Even a broken clock is right twice a day. I'd love to see a detailed report of their decline, but from the outside they seem to have sold the family silver and put the money on the wrong horse.

I'm sure Carlyle would not have used the words "As an experienced investor in, and operator of, airports around the world...." if that was untrue aren't you?

I think any acquisition of London Southend Airport would be via their Carlyle Airports Group division. I assume they would rely on the airport's local management to "run" the airport in the same way that other infrastructure investment companies such a Global Infrastructure Partners do.

I agree, do Carlyle actually run airports?
I think this is an exercise to get their money back. If the loan repayment defaults can they then sell on or get someone else to do the day to day operations?

Why then do they say they are an "operator of airports around the world"? Any airport management team obviously carries out the 'day to day operations' implementing the owner's policies.

Apparently there was a substantial item on ITV London News at 18:10 today suggesting that Carlyle will soon own LSA. Missed it myself.

I can't find any evidence that they run a single airport in the world but they have financial stakes in many.

They also have Board experience of running airports which could help in at least seeing if an airport is worth investing in....

So which airports are they involved in?

Anybody else hoping they buy Carlisle?! :ok:

There's a chance that CAX may well be sold: https://businesscrack.co.uk/2024/01/...trict-airport/

I've heard rumours of who might be interested (see CAX thread for that...!), however​​​ it could just be an act of desperation/last chance saloon move by Esken to try and get whatever they possibly can for shareholders before Carlyle swoop in on SEN...?!

Still can’t find a single airport that they run but I did find this
https://carlyle.aero

They are hard nosed money lenders who have loaned money to Southend’s owners and now they want their money back.

I just want Carlyle to buy Carlisle! :ok: Anything they get from Carlisle, Esken will just find a way of losing.

Not sure that this says anything new really, but Esken have released a further RNS statement this morning regarding the legal action that CGI are apparently taking against London-Southend Airport (LSA):



Source: https://tools.eurolandir.com/tools/P...wpf&v=redesign

One thing that is new in the statement (that you didn't include in your post) is that Esken say:

"Esken will be submitting a proposal to CGI with a view to reaching a negotiated settlement of the claims and thus a lifting of the claimed acceleration and demand for early repayment."

I would have thought CGI held all the cards so, seeing as they say they have already made proposals to Esken which would resolve the situation, just what can Esken now propose that might be persuasive to CGI?

https://www.ft.com/content/aa179561-...8-edd2cf1c57d5

There seems to be an issue with my FT subscription - can somebody give a precis?