Any idea on routes anyone? thanks x

Congratulations to BHX on the easyJet announcement!

Just looking on Wikipedia, and the airport already has quite a healthy easyJet route network already, considering its not currently a base for airline.

Will be interesting to see if there will be many new routes or if the airline will replace the existing routes operating from other bases with the Birmingham based aircraft.

My only concern is, Birmingham is already quite heavily saturated with multiple operators flying many of the same routes especially to the Mediterranean holiday destinations, and if there is room for another operator on these routes, with all airlines operating a healthy margin?

I doubt we'll hear anything about routes until late summer / autumn?

With 3 X based aircraft, if they convert the current schedule to all BHX based units (and potentially increase frequencies) there won't be room for a huge number of new routes. I can foresee AGP, TFS, possibly LPA. FCO and MAD are IMO underserved and I think they could make a go if LYS and BER.

All depends on how happy they are with current routes and frequencies and how much non based flying they plan to/from other bases (which of course is how the whole BHX schedule is currently run!)

easyJet
 

I get the impression BHX are concerned with getting the security area sorted and this is due to finish in June 2024 and I would not be surprised to see the majority of the expansion then.

I would say the priority for easyjet is to move Lisbon, Naples, Milan, some Geneva and if slots allow Amsterdam to BHX based aircraft as the traffic is predominantly BHX originating and early departures from Europe is a drawback. The domestics seem okay as they are and still suffering a little bit from the effects of COVID with the business aspect not fully recovered which pre covid for Flybe 1 was early morning inbounds to BHX which had crazy fares and it will be interesting to see if U2 change.

As for routes, plenty still previous ones unserved such as Berlin, Hamburg, Lyon, Stuttgart, Copenhagen needs a loco, Malaga could probably take more, Barcelona even with 3 operators could take more in summer and maybe Rome.

Thern there are the more marginal ones such as Seville, Valencia, Bilbao, Mahon, Marrakech, Mykonos, Lesbos (plus extra frequencies on existing Greek Island flights), Sicily, Sardinia. I know some of them might be traditionally easyjet destinations but still plenty of scope.

Although TUI and Jet2 cover the package destinations and Ryanair flight only the need for easyjet in my opinion was great and tops off a good year of announcements.

Pete

Didn't EasyJet offer Malaga in S21? Great news for the airport anyway and hopefully it does well.

OP,

Don't think EZY will be going too left field, at least to begin with.

From a business travel perspective STR would be nice, but the A320 is far too large, and of all the German cities it is, rather like Birmingham well down the list of places for a city break. Berlin ought to work 2/3 times weekly, as might HAM. CPH must be on the wishlist but could just replace SAS. Apart from them it will probably be familiar destinations around Spain, Italy, Greece and Turkey for 2024.

Malaga
 

Last summer.

It did okay load wise I believe (no idea about yields) despite the inferior flight times to competitors. It then went into the APP this summer but not released and eventually was removed from the APP only a few weeks ago.

I am not sure if the aircraft was redirected to another route or the Malaga base has reduced as Edinburgh was part of the cuts but little doubt it would be yield related. It is quite simple if the flight times were 0700-10.00 or 1500-1800 outbound BHX back 13.30- 22:00 the take up would have been better and some passengers if not the majority willing to part with a few quid more for the privilege.

I recently considered BHX - Lisbon in April but just did not want to get up at 4am in Lisbon to come home, the fare was stupidly cheap and I would have paid double for a better times Lisbon departure. I am not sure what the split is on this route is but I suspect 75/25 in favour of UK based traffic but to be fair, loads on both FR and U2 have been great but of course the fares have fluctuated at times.

Pete

Great news regarding EZY. Will be interesting to see if any of the away based flights switch to BHX. I’m not expecting anything earth shattering for the initial routes announcement, the usual Canary and Balearic Islands, Alicante, Malaga, a few of the more popular Greek destinations and a few cities - Paris, Rome, Barcelona and hopefully Berlin. Maybe Marrakech and Reykjavík at a push.

EZY base - glass half full, or....
 

An EZY base is very good news, if it means unserved destinations are added.
But, if it largely involves substituting home based for away based aircraft, there could be a couple of not so great consequences;
Every based aircraft wants to start flying between 0600-0700 to maximise utilisation; at present EZY doesn't usually have outbound flights until around 0800. So, more pressure on border and security areas at already very busy times.
Secondly I for one would regret it if some departures in mid morning/ middle of the day (eg GVA) became 0605 departures with home based aircraft.
I imagine the 3 based aircraft might have an early departure to GLA, EDI, BFS, which would probably be very helpful for folks with 0900 meetings in those cities.
Interesting times!

Ah yes it was last summer! Thanks for the clarification

U2 flights
 

BHX has been 10 & 15 easy flights a day this summer so you are correct the three based aircraft could be used up hoovering up the away based flights with plenty left over.

I am sure the temptation will be to operate EDI-MED-EDI-EDI and same for GLA and BFS and get 8 sectors out of the aircraft. The problem with that despite COVID reducing domestic business flying they are still slightly biased load-wise towards first thing inbound to BHX although looking at next week fares they are mixed with Glasgow & Belfast showing slightly higher fares inbound first thing and EDI higher outbound (none particularly spectacular in the week).

I agree in that an 06:00 to Lisbon or Geneva from BHX would not be much better than 06:00 from Lisbon or Geneva and hence why BHX-EDI (GLA OR BFS) -BHX-LIS (MXP, PMI, NAP, FAO, GVA)-BHX -might be better especially for a new route whilst it gets established if the slots allow of course.

The Geneva in winter has had quite a few late BHX departures arriving around 22:00 which due to aircraft delays earlier in the day have resulted in cancelled flights and even yesterdays was scheduled 21:00 in Geneva on an away based UK aircraft which is also fraught with danger and I do expect that to one of the first to go to a based aircraft along with Amsterdam (slot permitting), Lisbon & Palma not far behind. The other aspect is that Belfast - BHX being a short sector probably fits well into the BFS utilisation and they won't want too many changing to the BHX based aircraft but no doubt some will.

By the way a couple of weeks ago, BHX had three departures between 7am and 8am although not the norm (certainly isn't now) there is runway and stand space although security until next June might not be pleasant (understatement) and at some point the terminal will become an issue as well, as the there is no date to restart work on the terminal extension.

Pete

Going for a long shot here, but I still reckon BHX-NCL could work. In an ideal world there'd be no need, but Cross Country trains need some competition.

The same could argued for LGW and MAN, particularly the latter which has EasyJet, Ryanair, Jet2 and TUI operating many of the same routes. I’m sure they’ve done their homework, much like Jet2 setting up shop at Liverpool.

Methinks more of the "bread and butter" routes will be added - ones like the Isle of Man, Paris CDG, perhaps Inverness or Aberdeen et cetera. It's probably safer for EasyJet to go after those sorts of routes before competing w/ Jet2+TUI on the holiday routes. I also think that most of these frequencies will simply be picking up the away-based routes. Nice to see a base anyhow..

Any Paris service will probably be to Orly - UK carriers no longer have automatic access to Roissy for “reasons”

Perm from these

Alicante

Antalya

Dalaman

Paphos

Ibiza

Nice/Bordeaux

Paris Orly

Oporto

Jersey

Tenerife

Some might have seen this on the blue site

There will be nothing exciting least not in round one and indeed a few of the existing « away »routes will likely change to based frames as well.

Really can't see any of those domestics justifying an A320.

But you see EZY operating BFS/ LPL/ MAN/ BRS to IOM daily?

Air services between ION and LPL/MAN have been historically strong and I suspect Belfast may have been similarly well connected. Not sure what the driver for BRS is but if must work.

IOM/BHX has never been a particularly strong route and I feel sure EZY has better revenue streams in mind.

Liverpool and Manchester to Ellan Vannin services have traditionally been supported by Manx Health Care and NHS contracts.

yes correct they both operated through the pandemic as Loganair was contacted on both