Belfast City Airport-3
 

From 1 Jan 2021 - 28 Mar 2021 Aer Lingus will operating BA flights by wetlease on BHD - LHR - BHD
Planes allocated to this will be EI-DVK, EI-DVL, EI-DVN

https://www.caa.co.uk/Commercial-ind...ermits-issued/

Any particular reason for this ?

That's interesting. So EI airframe but BA product on board

EU airlines can't op domestic flights in the UK?

From the CAA link;

EEA carriers are also additionally able to undertake services within the United Kingdom (cabotage flights) without a Permit.

Until when?

Probably a way to get around things until the airline gets them on G reg as part of the MAN set up. BA did it b4 with Qatar Airways aircraft. I think as long its a BA flight number I guess any airline could operate the actual flying in the sky bit. Will save BA a clean fortune in hotac for all the crew.

And I read Eastern have canned the CWL until March

allan1987

Hopefully this is just a workaround to enable Aer Lingus to continue with their own schedule of BHD-LHR flights post Brexit rather than Aer Lingus taking over the operation of the BA flights on the route. I guess we will find out very soon.

im guessing it only 3 month temp for aer lingus to wetlese planes to BA for BHD-LHR flights,
i guess this until BA have right paper work in place.
Will Aer Lingus need at least 2 A320's on the uk register for flights from BHD?
it is known that Stobart Air is setting up Stobart Air UK for flights from BHD at moment only known 2 ATR 72-600 planes will be on uk register, though not sure if all 5 Planes for BHD will need to be

Traditionally I think they could get away with a single aircraft on the U.K. register and wet-lease the rest. The CAA have been giving Ryanair a hard time about the single aircraft in the U.K. register and leasing the rest from other group airlines. It remains to be seen what they can do about it. EI don’t seem to have plans to add A320s to the U.K. register. But who knows.

I'd be surprised if they get away with less than 50% on the UK register to operate under a UK licence. RYR are adding additional UK registered a/c. CAA can stop themflying if they don't - they need CAA permission to op non-UK registered a/c on their UK AOC.

It all maybe irrelevant now as part of the trade deal included aviation. It maybe that a status quo is in place for a while.

The Stobarts need to be G reg by 01Jan. The whole thing seems all very smoke and mirrors re EI and now the BA wet lease, not to mention BA lounge gone. How long are BA even going to keep the route.

onion

I believe you're correct.

What are you basing that on?

Looks like 12th March 2021 before a restart...

allan1987

If MAN T/A wasn't proposed then would they have applied for UK AOC application? Why leave it so late to apply if one was required for BHD-LHR, applying weeks before its needed. Transferring an A320 wouldn't be a major issue however it does make things complicated operationally for them.

Worth noting they didn't apply for wet leases or UK AOC when the UK departure looked imminent before been extended at the last minute previously.

Poor management might be one reason, something common in EI.

Aer Lingus woudnt need an UK AOC application with 2 or 3 A320's on it as you said only doing this for MAN T/A

I guess this is why Stobart Air has applied for UK AOC application only becuse of UK flights, Especially if Stobart Group is looking to have Stobart Air sold by February, not sure who the new owners is, its not Cityjet or Emerald Airlines

Allan, this doesn’t make any sense. Stobart wouldn’t need a UK AOC for Aer Lingus transatlantic operations. Aer Lingus has applied for one and that’s all that’s needed.

What Stobart does need a UK licence for is to continue operating ex BHD to the likes of Manchester, Birmingham, Edinburgh and others. They haven’t got one yet but apparently have got some contingency plan ready.

From 1st Jan, the Stobart operated EI flight from BHD will be operated on behalf of British Airways. Seems just a paperwork exercise as the flights will still be ‘EI’ numbers and using EI systems and procedures.

Is that why all the Stobarts in BHD that are operating are the white airframes?

So far operating today is one white and one green. Yesterday it looked like it was one white and two green.

IOM flights and times now on Loganair website for sale. Looks like an early afternoon dep from BHD.

From this mornings BT Belfast City Airport chief quitting role - BelfastTelegraph.co.uk

Best wishes to him! In what could've been an abysmal year the airport have built back a really strong domestic network, the likes of which haven't been seen for well over a decade I'd say. In the process enhancing the airline portfolio to remove a great deal of reliance on one sole carrier for almost all services. Whilst capacity may never return to the dizzy heights once offered, it's certainly a more balanced offering which is something the domestic market in the UK really needed for a long time I feel.

Agree 100%. Much better spread across the various carriers

Any news of who is buying Stobart next month? Was the sale not to have been done by end of Feb.

Irish Independant are today reporting Ian Woodley, ex Business Air, Bmi Regional & Sector Aviation Holdings is involved.

https://www.independent.ie/business/...-40121228.html

Interesting development indeed 👍

Massive win for them there, some going daily from July too.

This day last year was the day that the final Flybe service arrived in Belfast City. The progress over the last year has been beyond remarkable and fantastic for them down in the harbour. A true sign that grit and determination gets you places.

Well done to the team at City. I hear that AL will shortly announce a new LGW service and that FR will add three domestic routes in the coming weeks to start before the Winter. Can't think of any other airport that has had such a positive story in quite some time.

From ni travel news

Ryanair Returns to Belfast City Airport and Launches 8 News Routes for Summer 2021 | Northern Ireland Travel News (nitravelnews.com)

Moo Driver

Neither BHD/BFS are bases (or will be) anyways.

I wonder what kind of financial package if any they got from BCA. Bizarre that they seem to be keeping both BFS flights but doubt you could do TFS etc from BHD.

It is a bit odd that FR have chosen to launch these flights from BHD's relatively restricted runway instead of their existing airport station at BFS. I guess BHD offered too good a deal. You'd have thought Aer Lingus might have operated these flights, but looks like they weren't interested or FR got in there first.
Ryanair might be able to reduce confusion between BHD and BFS by operating Buzz and Malta Air into BFS (for example) and Ryanair/Ryanair UK into the other? Im sure some people will end up at the wrong airport.

They play GLA off against PIK too whilst operating out of both.

Looks quite a coup for Belfast City to get Ryanair back in, but the set-up of operating BHD and keeping flts in BFS looks a bit cumbersome from the airlines point of view, particularly flying the same routes from both airports which - if the flights to Spain etc actually get to take off this summer - will cause massive customer confusion. Has to be a couple of the usual reasons for Ryanair doing this, likely sending a message of their derision to the Irish Gov for their handling of travel in COVID by moving activity off their patch and almost certainly a money issue with airport charges. And it must be a Big one coz they’ll likely lose at least thirty seats on their 737s to these destinations off BHD’s Rwy as a standard before weather, extra holiday bags and the like get factored in. So maybe the reason there sticking in at BFS is for fear that the whole experiment goes completely Pete tong at BHD.

I guess 30 empty seats is better than an empty plane sitting doing nothing.