I am not qualified to provide a conclusive answer, however making a simplistic calculation the A320 Neo is shown as having a range of 3500 NM off a 1951M runway.

The direct distance SOU/TFS is 1537 NM. With weight allowances for hold/diversion factored in it would appear to me that SOU/TFS is commercially possible, especially with the lower winter temperatures.

Many thanks TCAS FAN, as I thought a clear potential destination from SOU,given the popularity of the Canaries.

The devil is in the detail, I’ve seen but can’t share the estimates using Airbus/Boeing data - mainland Spain and Italy works without payload limits for the A320 ceo/neo.

More of a challenge for the Max. Faro is about the limit. The A321 is even more constrained unless payload limits used. BCN is about the limit.

The Canaries and Turkey are marginal even for the 320 and a non-starter for the Max and 321

Even so, that’s a lot of summer potential for the airport with the A320. Winter sun routes remain difficult. Keep on skiing! Its nearer to home.

FF

With the stands being realigned for bigger aircraft I think we can be confident an announcement isn’t too far off. Maybe a low cost operator has laid down a list of requirements that need to be actioned before they move in, such as the work to the stands.

Even if you don’t subscribe to rumours or educated guesses, there are two simple facts at play here. One is that SOU is clearly making the changes needed to accommodate a low cost operator and two that the London airports are likely going be back to being maxed out next summer. Growth will need to come from the likes of SOU.

On a final note isn’t it refreshing to not have any car park fires leading to the full closure of the airport :E

Don't jinx it !

Oh dear...

Could Jet2 be an option as heard them mentioned as an airline the airport may go after? Have no idea personally but guess it would match a LCC come tour operator

Doesn't the already comprehensively discussed 738 performance limitations make Jet2 unlikely unless / until they take delivery of A320s?

Not being critical or negative in any way. Jet2 could be really good for the airport.

An announcement may well be coming but I don't think work to the stands is necessarily a sign it is imminent. In the grand scheme of things, realigning a few stands is a fairly straightforward operation considering any announcement would be for operations starting in 2024, so I'm sceptical an airline would he holding back announcing because of that.

Similarly, disagree re London's market and potential implications. Southend isn't full whatsoever and won't be next year with capacity there for an extra 2 million at least. Stansted isn't anywhere near full, I think it can take 30m+ on current infrastructure.

But I don't think Southampton's future is dependent on the London market.

Absolutely spot on, I couldn't agree more regarding your excellent reply 👍

[QUOTE=Rivet Joint;11518967]With the stands being realigned for bigger aircraft I think we can be confident an announcement isn’t too far off. Maybe a low cost operator has laid down a list of requirements that need to be actioned before they move in, such as the work to the stands.

Even if you don’t subscribe to rumours or educated guesses, there are two simple facts at play here. One is that SOU is clearly making the changes needed to accommodate a low cost operator and two that the London airports are likely going be back to being maxed out next summer. Growth will need to come from the likes of SOU.

On a final note isn’t it refreshing to not have any car park fires leading to the full closure of the airport :E[/QUOTE

Your final remark is appalling in light of circumstances! Please don’t give the excuse it was meant as humour. Completely out of order! A new low for the Southampton thread.

Well I read it as satire / black humour.

These days there appears to be a total loss of the humour gene, unless its harmless 'banana skin' stuff.

I think the point is one poster here got pilloried and insulted for making humourous comments. I read it as hypocrisy.

vectisman replied
The comment was aimed at me but I found it funny. I think vectisman is just being rather silly with his indignation so carry on.

Mind you, it wasn't as funny as my greenhouse and potting shed comment that went down like a led balloon. The comments here had me in stitches, as there was intense anger from some folk, who should have just ignored it.

Hmm, one comment in retaliation of months and months of negative comments from a poster that has clearly evidenced that he has no affiliation with the airport this thread is associated with? Where are your posts objecting to his much larger amount of negative comments? Odd person.

Oh and Vectis give your head a wobble. It was clearly a joke and making light of the fact that the fire had resulted in this thread being unusually free of its Luton based pessimist. No one died in the fire I might add. You might want to look in the news to see things that are actually worthy of such reaction.

Cavok, I didn’t say an announcement was imminent. I said that evidence suggest SOU is making moves that could lead to it materialising. Also, I obviously wasn’t including SEN in my London airports reference. They like SOU benefit from the big London airports reaching capacity. Also Stansted might not be at capacity but it’s still very busy and a pain to use.

it would be total nonsense if the stands werent realigned,given the new declared distances.The airport will then be prepared for 320 operations when they happen.
Airlines decide routes accordingly to demand,that demand is the key factor for SOU progress.


​​

Everybody says it cannot happen but I still have a sneaky the airport may see some 737 action as well. Just that good old gut feeling I have and its not my IBS!

Growth in this market can come from using bigger aircraft, easyJet are moving from away from A319s to A320/A321, Ryanair have 20% more seats in the MAX vs. the B737-800. So on a per movement basis, there is still quite some scope for growth at LGW and STN. For example LHR was declared full in 1977 and has continued to grow ever since using ever larger aircraft. What that does mean is that the likes of SEN and SOU will have to do more than just wait for the other London airports to max out. The old SOU model of higher cost, high frequency business traffic on low volume aircraft may well have seen it's best days behind us now, and a move towards high volume low cost, low frequency won't come easily. I am not convinced SEN will ever make money again now that bubble has popped, it wiil be interesting to see how SOU manage the upcoming changes.

Having worked in Jersey for the last three years at the airport a local travel company
Fly Direct
operated weekly charters to TFS using Smartwings B738 and Max B73M although the flight was capped at 155 passengers and baggage was standard at 23 kg per pax
The aircraft managed quite easily on the 5594ft runway

Has the new TODA at Southampton been confirmed yet? Jersey's has hardly any obstacles off 26 so performance not as inhibited as it may be at Southampton.

Just a thought, could the 300 series work performance wise with Jet2? They have a year or two left in them and carry 150 pax so maybe an option, although locals might not be so keen with increased noise levels

RWY 20 TODA now 1875M. Unfortunately it does not have the luxury of Jersey's RWY 26 which has no significant obstacles allowing declaration of up to half TORA as a clearway, giving Jersey a whopping TODA 2472 M,

Oh dear...

Quite a considerable difference. But the new TODA of 1875m is larger than Southend's, although TORA at Southampton marginally smaller. Southend saw flights to canary islands....

Isnt Southend Tora 1799,mtrs,SOU 1814mtrs?

I must have the old charts :oh:

Try the latest issue of the UK AIP, AIRAC 12:
https://www.aurora.nats.co.uk/htmlAI...dex-en-GB.html
Part 2 Aerodromes, scroll down to Southampton for the latest declared distances and the new Aerodrome Chart which depicts the extended runway.

Comparing SOU RWY 20 and SEN RWY 23, SOU's declared distances are all greater than SEN, albeit that the LDA is only 1 metre greater.

We've come a long way with noise, still remember the Mon-Fri BUA BAC 1-11 departures to GLA - that was real noise!

Yes, I remember it well! The afternoon departure usually coincided with arriving home from School and Mum always referred to it as the ‘Four O’Clock Earthquake!’

In which case, base a couple of 300 series down from LBA and offer jet2 holidays to a dozen destinations, job done lol!

Correct to some extent but good luck getting new aircraft anytime soon. Slots are at a premium especially for the A321. EZY just put a new order to their board that won’t see its first aircraft until 2029.

Also I don’t think SOU envisage a largish base and nor will any prospective operators. The likes of LGW, STN etc are a pain in many ways and when ever anyone uses them they suck up the fact it’s going to involve a lot of waiting, hassle etc but on balance they can bear it to get the cheap ticket. SOU is more about convenience and being a quick and hassle free experience. As a result people are happy to pay a bit more for that privilege. A smallish but decent low cost carrier base should still deliver this experience provided the right changes are made to facilitate it. So far we have seen with the runway extension and stand realignment. Maybe next is improvements to the security, baggage, northern taxiway etc and eventually the terminal expansion? SOU gives a low cost operator the opportunity to go after a different market and also charge more for tickets. Is it really that hard to see why this might be attractive to them?

I am not familiar with when SEN started to decline but was it not around the time covid hit? If so, of course being an ancillary operation to the main London airports (like SOU would be) it lost its routes whilst operators retrenched to smaller bases at the large airports.

Arrived back on Saturday 14/10 ( with BA Cityflyer from Palma,bang on time 19-40),a few observations : first we parked on the new stands in the cul-de -sac,certainly bigger,
ground crew were excellent ,left the terminal with cases by 20-05!. Im not sure the arrivals international will cope if two 320s were in,as there isnt alot of room in the passport control. Cityflyer were excellent,its a shame that they coudnt establish a full Summer base from the airport,maybe advertising wasnt up to scratch

l was also on that flight last night ,Excellent I think that’s the fastest I have ever been from landing ,waiting for luggage and outside in 25 minutes.

How many other flights were in?

I think we know the answer to that

I'm just picking up on that story as it brings back happy memories from that era. Nostalgia is something that I am hugely interested in.

​​​​As we are fully aware, British United Airways was taken over by Caledonian Airways in 1970 to form British Caledonian Airways.

From 1970, British Caledonian Airways operated the GLA-SOU BAC 1-11 flights. In 1971, BCAL increased GLA-SOU to daily.

BUA introduced the BAC 1-11-200 on GLA-SOU in June 1968, replacing the Viscount 800, which previously operated the route. The route at that time operated daily except for Saturdays.

BCAL made huge cuts to their network in 1974, which included the axing of their GLA-SOU route. The Last BCAL GLA-SOU flight was in late September 1974

Cambrian Airways from 1971 operated a BAC 1-11-400 on their Cardiff-Bristol-Southampton-Paris Le Bourget-Southampton-Bristol-Cardiff routing. The airlines Viscount fleet originally operated this route before the BAC 1-11.

The Cambrian Airways BAC 1-11 used to fly into Southampton twice daily except for Saturdays. On both the outbound and inbound flights from Paris Le Bourget.

The BCAL BAC 1-11 from GLA would usually be on the ground at SOU in between the Cambrian Airways BAC 1-11 from Paris LBG. from 1971 to late September 1974, Southampton witnessed up to three daily BAC 1-11 movements.

CS 3707

CARDIFF 09.30
BRISTOL 09.50
BRISTOL 10.10
SOUTHAMPTON 10.40
SOUTHAMPTON 11.00
PARIS LBG 13.15 +1

CS 3708

PARIS LBG 15.00+1
SOUTHAMPTON 15.20
SOUTHAMPTON 15.40
BRISTOL 16.10
BRISTOL 16.30
CARDIFF 16.50

BR 841

GLASGOW 12.05
SOUTHAMPTON 13.20
SOUTHAMPTON 14.00
GLASGOW 15.10

From 1975 until 1980, there was the very occasional visit of a British Airways BAC 1-11-400 operating on their Jersey to Southampton route.

I can remember the Cambrian Airways and BCAL BAC 1-11s flying over our house when I was a young lad. My friends and I would then often cycle to the airport to witness their departures. On a couple of occasions, both the Cambrian and BCAL BAC 1-11s were on the ground together.

On a side note, it is related to the BAC 1-11. I can vividly remember in the late 1970s seeing two British Airways BAC 1-11s and three British Airways Viscounts on the ground together at SOU due to a strike at LHR. It was a Sunday if I remember correctly. The apron was rather busy on that particular day along with the usual BIA Herald movements.

I wanted to post this CGI that I just came across online. I'm not making any suggestions or getting carried away but it makes for an interesting image.

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....f161820c79.jpg

It is from here: https://fselite.net/content/review-i...s-southampton/ It's an impressive rendering of the airport that's for sure.

It sure is as are all of the others 👍

You were extremely quick with the response. Good for you 👍

I was half expecting the first response to be from one of several contributors to this forum who regularly posts rumours. I was looking forward to their great fanfare. You've ruined the party now 😉