Interesting to know how someone from Hampshire just happens to know someone from Luton who just happens to work in route development for Easyjet. Even I don’t know anyone yet I have many Luton connections so I guess you are lucky with your insider information.

That's some assumption!!

More to become clearer during Oct/Nov

Stewyb.....With all due respect but,

With your continous post's regarding this topic and your so called inside knowledge you know that your going to be accountable for this post along with similar posts if nothing becomes clearer during Oct/Nov.

You have made very similar posts over the last few months and if nothing is "made clearer" as you assume or are making out then I'm afraid these particular posts won't go in your favour 😉

I as everyone else on this thread wants some good news regarding future airline announcements for Southampton.

I'm hoping on your part and of course on the part of Southampton International Airport that your post "More to become clearer during Oct/Nov" has some form of reality attached to it.

I'm not a fan of winter especially as the nights get colder and darker but there's a part of me that's now looking forward to Oct/Nov. But then again October is only two days away.

I will step away from this thread for now and wish you all well, the airport does however have a bright future!

if you want to speculate about future routes and operators, the Gatwick thread is the place! :ok:

Myself and others are in total agreement with you regarding the potential future for the airport, none of us doubting the fact that it has a "bright future".

But we're bid you farewell for now then and hopefully we might see you make a return sometime in December after everything has become clearer of course. With all the good news expected shortly there will be no better way of rejoicing, especially prior to the festive season. If all doesn't go to plan, there's only one thing "ask father Christmas!"

Obviously we're not expecting a response back from you due to the fact that you have decided to step away from this thread for now. And on behalf of myself and everyone else on this thread we appreciate your comment regarding"wishing you all well".

Enjoy the next two months or so and don't forget the clocks go back on the 29 October 2023. We look forward to your return sometime in December after everything has become clearer of course. Personally I can't wait as I'm sure we will have absolutely loads to discuss. It's going to be wild, isn't it 😜

Someone who has worked in aviation for the last 20 years at Heathrow, Luton, Edinburgh and Southampton, the latter as management for 7 years. And has worked with many Arline's over the years, and funnily enough when you have worked in the I dustry for that long you get to know many a people. Your more the welcome not to believe a word I say, I'm just stating a fact. I guess that I live in Hampshire means I surely can't know anyone out of Hampshire and at other airport and airlines.

But I'm sure a man of your aviation experience is at the top of the list and no one else can surely know anyone else.

I fully believe you seeing that there were no announcements or hints when the runway extension was officially opened. It was just that your interesting statement runs counter to what Strewyb has been long claiming if indeed Easyjet is the airline. The expectation are high for announcements soon so there could some fan club members here having a potentially miserable Christmas.

SouthernAlliance

Ref your post that did a touch-and-go, Stands 1-5 are indeed closed until 21 October, as NOTAM C5459/23 below indicates:

A)EGHI
B)2310011530 C)2310202359
E)APRON CUL-DE-SAC STANDS 1-5 AND TAXILANE CLOSED DUE MAINTENANCE.

To be closed for such a period of time may indicate that the Stands are being re-configured into four larger ones?

If I am correct with my speculation, why go to the expense to re-configure, unless there will shortly be a need for larger Stands?

We may have to wait for another NOTAM in about 3 weeks time for all to be revealed.

apologies TCAS as no idea what happened there lol. Definitely looks like works going on and larger stands would be the guess. Maybe we can expect some airline news at some point?

I guess it would poor planning if they hadnt rejigged the stands,even if there is no immediate news on incoming 320 operations.

No point in doing only half the job. Stand 1 looked tight anyway

https://i.imgur.com/irceE7F.jpg

Stand 1 may look tight but it's been in use on a daily basis with no issues since 1991, when the "new" terminal was completed.

Unlike Stands 2-5, Stand 1 is only used for smaller aircraft such as the ATR and similar sized aircraft.

Stand 1 won't be realigned like Stands 2-5. The area currently occupied by Stand 1 is part of the airports planned terminal extension. (Whenever that gets started)

So this closure is really just for new paint markings to be applied with SOU ending up with stands 1-4 then 6 onwards or for continuity the stands will start at stand 2?

By contrast Luton has more stand markings than simultaneously usable stands for flexibility allowing more aircraft to use more stands when the aircraft are smaller, as can be seen by the centre line arrows. Would Southampton not do this leaving them with a 4/5 stand arrangement? Best of both world then.

https://i.imgur.com/4eSR0sS.jpg

We're have to see when the works are completed. No good speculating at this stage because nothing has been confirmed regarding the recent notam. What we are aware of is that stands 2-5 are eventually going to be realigned.

Without going into too much detail I suggest that you search online as there are diagrams showing the new stands including the supposed relocation of stand 1.

A lot of airports troughout the world have the same flexible stands as you have pointed out in your post. It's not just your local airport. For various reasons I can't see Southampton having a similar arrangement to be honest.

I know it’s been said many a time before but Eastern are truly shocking. Once again the ORY is delayed because their aircraft is being positioned in after the scheduled departure and 2.5hrs late. This happens on a regular basis and how anyone can book this route with any certainty is beyond me!

If you think that's bad, you should see their E190 operation for ITA Airways out of Milan to London City. I think it's flown 2 days out of the last 7 - it's really bad. Far more flights cancelled than ever fly.

When originally built Stand 1 was a full size Stand. Sometime after completion of the Terminal the large building to the west of it, I believe called "Solent House", was constructed which required reduction of Stand 1 size.

Can anyone confirm what stand 13 is marked as on the ground. From Google Maps all the other stands are clearly numbered 1 - 12 & 14 but stand 13 looks more like BEA. Are they avoiding 'unlucky' 13?

Also the map used by Planefinder labels all the stands apart from stand 6!

LT

Fly BEA is a luxury charter airline to the Channel Islands

Thanks SouthernAlliance and SWBKCB for the replies.

I have heard of BEA (Britsh European Airways) and Birmingham Executive Airways (later Birmingham European Airways) from the distant past! I wasn't aware of FlyBEA (British European Aviation) but I see from their website they have been at SOU since July 2021 using the Heli Air AOC. I guess I was right in saying the stand has been marked as BEA rather than 13?

LT

Yeah sure I'm aware of that fact but I didn't find it necessary to add that information in my previous post.

The current Google Earth imagery was taken in March 2022, so how current is it?

The UK AIP lists Stands 1-14 as available. The current AIP Parking/Docking Chart also shows Stands 13 and 14.

If the lead in markings still show "BEA" and it is to be a permanent feature an appropriate change needs to be made to the AIP. If the markings are temporary it should be notified via NOTAM. Either way AGS have a legal obligation to ensure that aerodrome information is kept current.

Today’s flight was 11 hours late. New record?

Have seen it posted elsewhere that the NOTAM is indeed for stand realignment and will utilise a standard 1-4 configuration with no flexible capability

Eastern Airways
 

Eastern Airways T3243 to Paris Orly scheduled for 06.30 got airborne at 10.59.

That's almost a 4.5 hour delay.

Other posters have mentioned the same situation occurring almost on a daily basis.

We have to ask ourselves or more to the point Eastern Airways have to ask themselves, "what the heck is going on"?

Eastern Airways are indeed an embarrassment of an airline, they are a total shambles. We can only hope that at some point Air France might resume their own flights between Paris CDG to Southampton.

Southampton Airport and the passenger's that use it need a more reliable airline than the totally pathetic Eastern Airways.

I was looking for flights departing this week to Paris Orly. Examples I came across were £288 single compared to flying with British Airways from LHR to CDG for £89 (even cheaper if I was to use my Avios miles). I'm not even going to make any further comments regarding their ridiculous pricing policy.

I can't see the details for yesterday's flight but based on today and the last 4 flights on FR24 (not included the cancelled flight on the 30th September) the average delay is 2 hours 20 mins.

That's pretty appalling.

Or negotiations for next summer have already taken place/been agreed several months ago and there is nothing at present to discuss? Just a thought and could of course be wrong!

People will be looking to plan there holiday for next year in the next few weeks,so if there is any airline that is going to operate to any sun routes next year,anouncements are needed pronto! .Its not going to be Easy holidays as they are already in place .Only W patterns from certain airfields that have based aircraft is possible(like winter Geneva).
As time goes on its not looking to be that hopeful,however theres 2025 to look forward to.

My understanding is that projected PAX figures for 2023 are 800K and 1 million in 2024.

Am cautiously confident that the 2024 figure is not something that has been plucked from the air and consequently there is something yet to be announced. Guess that we will have to be patient.

Sincerely doubt that the 200K increase is coming from Eastern’s ORY service!

https://www.eastleighnews.co.uk/2023...eet-on-friday/

This would have been the ideal meeting to announce new routes together with a press release yet nothing with not even a hint of pending new routes coming out of the meeting it would seem. I am also somewhat surprised that no one from this thread appears to have attended.

Airlines usually decide when new routes get announced

I can't think of a single route announced to a consultative committee. Airlines and the airport's PR department will decide on the timing. Usually something that will maximise attention or works best for both sides. A consultative committee of staff and local councillors/busybodies is very low down the list.

A certain someone seems to be stirring the pot again. I’m pretty confident something will be announced shortly and if the airports target of 1m for 2024 has any likelihood of being achieved!

For info, Technical Working Group meeting held on 31/08 and from the notes it states the airports then Ops Dir expected an airline to announce in October. Guess this aligns with other posters comments

ACL's slot allocation for summer '24 should be out this week. Whilst not definitive I would say it will be a very strong indicator as to whether anything will be happening next summer.

Totally agree with the first sentence, just topping up the near constant stream of drivel flowing down the M1. Wish I could bottle he/she/it’s posts, I’d have award winning roses!

With invariably a public attendance that could be counted on one hand or less, and not something that regularly attracts media coverage, the Consultative Committee meetings are definitely not the preferred method of first announcing new routes/operator. The term “press release” springs to mind?

TCAS FAN
Everybody talking about Summer routes,but given the new declared distances,surely the Canaries is a winter possibility in the future?