Doncaster Sheffield-3
 

According to Twitter, Wizz have reduced the base to one aircraft and removed the following from sale:
Eindhoven
Fuerteventura
Gran Canaria
Lisbon
Malaga
Suceava

Some surprises there, but I guess the demand for these flights just isn't there.

With the current situation regarding travel, and the longer term uncertainties, I'm amazed that there is a demand for travel anywhere.
On the specifics of the DSA flights, we live about 40 minutes from the airport, so in the prime catchment area. I would not have been aware that Wizz were starting the new holiday routes, if it were not for this forum. A complete absence of local PR and marketing is not going to put bums on seats.

wowzz

From what I understand, booking were extremely poor right from the get go. Even when the restrictions on the Canary Islands were lifted - whereas at other airports this hasn't necessarily been the case.

Somewhat selective retelling of what was posted on Twitter too by Timmyw. Nowhere was a reduction in aircraft mentioned. Also not all of those routes are completely pulled.

TimmyW

I've said it before elsewhere, and been shot down in flames, but I'll say it again. Presently you've got to be slightly daft to give a private business any money up front for anything, everyone's finances are iffy, and there's absolutely no guarantee that you'll get your money back in a timely manner if things get cancelled, or perhaps not at all if the business to whom you've entrusted your hard earned money goes belly up. I personally will not give anyone any of my money upfront at the moment, whether it be for a restaurant reservation for an upcoming celebration, hotel, airline, ferry or train operator. Travel planning is well and truly on hold until I see where we are at on two fronts, primarily Covid-19, but second, Brexit.

I appreciate that in doing so, I and many others are putting businesses and people's livelihoods in jeopardy, but I am not a charity.

Looks like it’s a case of switching destinations. Heraklion, Dalaman and Bourgas now added all twice weekly.

Update on the Wizz reductions

TimmyW

Well, if there was no advertising, it's not surprising that bookings were low from the outset.
And, the flight timings were not that great either, which didn't help matters.

Extra frieght business due border issues
 

Lufthansa 77F currently inbound from Frankfurt carrying produce for supermarkets.

Just doing some maths on the back of a fag packet. When I drove trucks with refrigerated trailers, payload would be anything from 5 ton (for light stuff, such as cress, salad, etc), to around 26 ton (for heavy and dense frozen stuff such as pizzas, ice cream, etc).

A 777F has a cargo capacity of 102 ton. My educated guess is that this 777 has carried roughly the same as 7 or 8 loaded artics.

And with thousands of trucks that were or are stuck in Kent, as you can imagine it’s a small drop in the ocean. I would love to see 500 777Fs coming into the UK every day though. It would be like the Berlin Airlift.

Great for the cargo operations reputation at the airport.

Ukraine Wings 767, Rada IL62, Magma/Astral, Cargolux, Silkway 747, Etihad 777 and now this makes an interesting week for cargo.

Quite a few of the animals at Doncaster Wildlife Park arrived by air. Lions and tigers and bears - oh my!

Certainly interesting with Rada & their `62 as it appears to have a propensity to carry out R/W excursions on landing & latterly a touch of forestry on departure!

The IL-62 is famous on You Tube with departures, hope Robin Hood was not hiding in the trees, he would have got a haircut like friar tuck!

They now have two IL 62s.

Twice the opportunities then for a little light "gardening" & "forestry".

EW-505TR IL-62 passed over Hampshire last night on route to Donny. I wondered what on earth it was, speculating a non CFM 707 or maybe a B-52. Delighted to see on Plane Finder it was a VC-10ski!

Interesting info from one report, should be a busy month.

"Doncaster Sheffield Airport told the BBC that in January, the "planned increase" in the number of flights of perishable goods had risen from three a week to eight.

The airport will be handling 700 tonnes a week in food freight, up from 300 tonnes a week. However, the airport said the increase was due to companies wanting to mitigate anticipated Brexit congestion, rather than the current issues at Dover."

One company alone has received enquiries for over 300 flights.

Lucrative for those airports who will engage, especially if LHR is closed as well.

https://amp.theguardian.com/world/20...rench-blockade

https://www.lse.co.uk/news/british-airways-cargo-staff-set-strike-over-pay-from-christmas-day-ulax13djjdq438c.html

Looking at the CAA foreign carrier permits issued: https://www.caa.co.uk/Commercial-ind...ermits-issued/

Etihad have five Doncaster flights scheduled in January (4th, 5th, 11th, 18th and 25th), all scheduled to arrive at 2325.