ORY
 

More good news!

Vueling to start BHX-ORY Mon, Wed and Frf from beginning of Nov,i in at 07.05,out at 08.00.

Given the limited AF schedule and lacl of interest from EZY to do BHX-CDG, this route should do well. They have previously operated of course but that was when there were what, 8 flights a day with AF and BE?

Orly
 

Hi GF

Loads last time were all over the place but in general they were improving and most would have been okay on an A320 unfortunately it was an A321.

As you say way more flights last time but no pandemic and reasonable flight times compared to awful timings from Orly.

Ryanair

Cork added for December is a good addition just Knock now required.

easyjet - Amsterdam, currently daily but by the end of November back to 4 days a week with 6 flights

Emirates - 10 per week from Saturday

Blue Air Bucharest ends Saturday until 1st December

Aer Lingus - finally removed the Belfast City service for November but still a gain in movements with CityFlyer taking it on

Wizz - Riga has now ended and some minor reductions in winter to Bucharest (Ryanair starting), Krakow (Ryanair increasing) and Warsaw remaining 2 per week. Budapest was showing 3 a week which is a positive

Some PIA branded flights due as well in October

The Eastern seasonal service to GIB - what equipment do they usually operat on this route?

I think it's down as an E190, but in practice it's variously been the E135, 170 and the 190 on different occasions.

TUI Dreamliners BHX
 

Hi everyone,
I just wondered if anyone knows what (if any) the TUI Dreamliner flights will in Dec/Jan. For example, the LPA route is nearly always B738 but suddenly shows a B787, is there anyway to find out?

Amsterdam flights
 

Am I the only one to feel slight trepidation about the developing EZY AMS services, already sometimes twice daily? How likely is it that we will never see a return of the pre-COVID KL frequency on the route, or even a reduction of the current number of flights.
In normal times I used to find KL the most convenient and inexpensive way of reaching many African and Asian destinations, and I would be regularly inconvenienced if the KL link to AMS was only, lets say, twice daily. Thus, although EZY offering lower prices to AMS might be seen as increasing choice, the overall connectivity of BHX as a world airport would be reduced.

I think it is possible to develop a similar argument about the loss of legacy carriers to the US after low cost flights began, and, looking to the future, I fear that an LCC flying 321XLR to DXB might threaten our invaluable EK services.

aren't these completely different markets? I doubt many travelling to a secondary Asian city with KLM via AMS would be connecting with a low cost EZY flight. I don’t see KLM being phased by this.

EZY and KL co-exist quite happily from MAN, EDI and GLA so why not BHX?

Don't forget BE flew BHX-AMS 4 or 5 times a day until their demise with healthy LF's. EZY are just picking up the re-developing demand for p2p,price sensitive travel to/from AMS whilst KL will continue to do what they do with connecting traffic.

Having said that, a recent Skyscanner search for BHX-BER gave EZY as an option via AMS on both legs with decent connections albeit without the ability to through check luggage. Might appeal to some and EZY serve a wide range of destinations from AMS.

As for a LCC to Dubai not a chance against EK, most people who fly to Dubai are mainly looking for service for their onward connections not low cost

BA used to fly BHX - AMS 4 times a day using their Maersk franchise before they fobbed it off onto BA Connect /Flybe while KLM also operated. Despite good load factors, there's clearly no money in it.

A lot of KLMs BHX traffic was connecting to US ,Africa and the Far East. Whilst travel is recovering ,a lot of theses destinations are still a long way from pre pandemic levels . If we continue to open up as we are I have no doubt KLM will be back with higher frequencies eventually

TUI/U2/KLM/BACF
 

Ben Smethurst

A famous search engine with flights at the end of it do show aircraft type on TUI flights, alas it is not always reliable in advance as I doubt TUI don't know from one month to the other at the moment.

A quick search for a few dates in December do not show any short-haul 787's in the first two weeks but actually do show the flights to be operated by the MAX.

I would think wide-body short-haul flying in December and January will depend on demand and the long-haul schedule which we know is likely to be a shadow of what would have operated in normal times.

The plan at the Moment is a Monday and Friday Cancun, Wednesday Montego Bay and Sunday Barbados with Punta Cana scrubbed for winter. However I have no idea about the cruise flights although I suspect some are planned as Barbados stats 15 November with 2 flights hours apart. However this should leave some scope for 787 short-haul flying unless aircraft are needed elsewhere. The last week has been fantastic with the upgrades but no doubt will settle down when the children return to school.

golf yankee one one

As GF states Flybe used to operate a minimum of 4 flights a day in the week to Amsterdam peaking at 7 during the winter for a few weeks and 5-6 regularly and if things do get back to normal both should be fine.

Also, don't forget Jet2 start Friday week, at twice a week as well and I am sure if they thought the market was too small they would not be bothering although it has been delayed several times for obvious reasons.

easyjet by the way are slashing Amsterdam to 4 per week from week 2 of November for several weeks. KLM I suspect will be more concerned in finding bigger aircraft for BHX and from next Monday the 190 night-stop changes to the 738/739 so they must be confident things are going in the right direction although the 4th daily service is now only showing from 16th December.

BA City Flyer - disappointing to see the service reduced before it starts but crewing seems to be an issue per other threads. Friday from three daily to one seems harsh but at least double daily Monday - Wednesday still I believe. easyjet still plan to increase Aldergrove with 5 daily showing Monday and Thursday next week so should be plenty of seats to go around

SunExpress
 

Apparently starting flights from BHX and EDI to AYT in May 22, twice weekly from both airports....given that TK were due to operate BHX-AYT in 2021 and part own XQ it could be a credible rumour.

Not sure if Corendon are also planning to start in 2022, again they were due to fly to AYT 2021.

all these AYT flights seem overkill to me. TK and Sun Express simultaneously on same UK routes seems odd.

I think SunExpress are in place of, not additional to.TK flights from both BHX and EDI?

Having said that, from BHX we have Jet2, TUI, SunExpress and possibly Corendon and AnadoluJet in S22 (both the latter were due to start in 2021) so yes, a lot of capacity as things stand now

Turkish / AnadoluJet are the same thing, so is Sun Express replacing these ?

Not as far as I aware as both are advertised from several airport and Gatwick have already started and MAN has just seen THY planning an upgrade to B739

Antalya has many huge resorts that so far have few Brits there, but a growing reputation. AYT has massive potential for multiple dailys from the regions. Until I visited ( Lara Beach ) I had no idea of the scale of the place, and the quality and size of the hotels. It's now our european destination of choice for a sunshine holiday.

BHD & KWI
 

Timetables for the EI/ Emerald operated BHX-BHD flights from 27th March as follows

4 x a day Mon, Thurs, Fri
3 x a day Tues, Wed, Sun
2 x a day Sat

So if you want to fly BA from Brum best book before 27th March!

Bloomberg reporting that Jazeera want to start BHX-KWI and MAN-KWI in next 6 months. They do have good onward connections to India so this could work, particularly as T5 don't seem to be planning to return to BHX

Flybe has today announced that Birmingham Airport will be its new company headquarters and first new crew base.

Flybe will serve regions across the UK and EU with operations scheduled to begin in early 2022. Birmingham Airport’s Diamond House will be the location of the company’s new HQ and Operations Centre, in a move that is expected to create around 200 new jobs in the Birmingham and West Midlands region over the next three years, with an estimated additional 400 direct jobs to be created nationwide.

The news follows the April sale of the business and assets of Flybe Ltd (in administration, now renamed FBE Realisations Ltd) to Thyme Opco Limited (now renamed Flybe Limited).

Flybe CEO Dave Pflieger said: “We are thrilled to be partnering with Birmingham Airport (BHX), the City of Birmingham, and the Mayor of West Midlands to make BHX the location of our new headquarters and first crew base. It was an ideal choice for us due to its great people and highly skilled workforce, its central UK location, and the fact that Birmingham Airport is a global travel hub where local and connecting customers have access to over 150 worldwide destinations. Today’s announcement marks the culmination of over 12 months of dedicated hard work by all involved, and it would not have been possible without the support of the CAA and the UK Government.”

Andy Street, Mayor of West Midlands, said: “It really is such brilliant news that Flybe is coming back as a commercial airline, and even better that it has chosen Birmingham to house its new headquarters.

“Not only does this mean better domestic and international connectivity for our region as well as local jobs and opportunities being created here, but it’s yet another show of faith in the West Midlands with businesses choosing to commit to our region as we recover from the pandemic.

“Flybe’s choice highlights the strength of the aerospace sector in the West Midlands and the talent pool available, and I wish Dave and his team all the very best ahead of their official launch early next year.”

Nick Barton, chief executive, Birmingham Airport, added: “Flybe’s announcement that Birmingham has been chosen to become the headquarters for its launch next spring is fantastic news for our region’s connectivity needs, and it will bring with it some great new employment opportunities. Dave’s vast experience in managing start-up airlines and turnaround situations, coupled with the recovery of the Midlands’ economy post-Covid, means that Flybe’s return to the skies from Birmingham is a shot in the arm for our airport as well as West Midlands businesses and communities. We look forward to working with Dave and his team in preparation for next spring and to launch such a well-known brand here in Birmingham.”

Pflieger added: “I also want to emphasise that a key area of focus from day one for Flybe will be environmental sustainability and ensuring we do everything possible to reduce our carbon footprint and GHGs. Our entire fleet will be comprised of the De Havilland Canada Dash 8-400, which is a fast turboprop powered aircraft that can complete short journeys almost as quickly as a regional jet, but with lower CO2 emissions. In addition, we will also be partnering with local community charities and partners who are focused on the environment as well as other causes which align with our corporate goals and values.

“As for what’s next, please stay tuned. We plan to provide more information in the coming weeks and months about ticket prices, new routes and destinations, and other important news that will help customers visit loved ones, get away for a weekend, and get out on business trips. This is an incredibly exciting time for us, and we look forward to sharing more updates in the future.”