Swiss A220 came through this evening, Noticed the distinctive howl as it was climbing out. LX464/5 from and to Zurich. Is this the first Swiss, and the first A220, this year ? Next one apparently on Sunday.

More than a little stormy today, and the morning inbound from Belfast, after two missed approaches, had to go to Gatwick, further missed approach before getting in second time around there. Is this the first EGLC diversion of 2021 ?

Separately, after nothing all day the current BA timings have the four remaining BA flights leaving within minutes of one another at 17.00. They are all scheduled back in at the same time as well, around 20.30. Is there any operational reason why, with nothing else to do all day, they are all run together ?

Schedule driven by passenger demand rather than operational reasons

Loganair from Dundee earlier this morning to Luton.

The E190-E2 has been approved and certified for LCY ops. According to the announcement LCY E190 pilots won’t need any extra training due to the commonality between the two generations. It also claims the E2 has a 63% quieter noise footprint from LCY compared to the E190.

Has one been in for trials ?

Yes. It came in before heading to Farnborough in 2018. Was painted in the Profit-hunter shark livery.
https://www.businesstraveller.com/bu...t-london-city/

Press release on the certification:
https://newsroom.aviator.aero/embrae...r-e190-e2/amp/

apparently Helvetic is likely to use the E2 into LCY “soon”. https://www.airway1.com/helvetic-air...-city-airport/

KLM is closing down Air Antwerp. Antwerp Airport say they are looking for another carrier to operate the LCY route.

In the summer season, what equipment usually operates the BA to GIB? Making advanced research for a trip next year.

BACF only have the E190 now. It has never operated apart from this year so who knows if it will even last should restrictions be eased.

Thanks BA318 whilst I'm here ... Did GRX - Granada operate this year? That is also on my list!

I think that was cancelled in 2019 and didn’t operate in 2020 or 2021. But not 100% sure.

Granada was cancelled and was planned to be replaced by San Sebastián from July 2020. This obviously never operated in 2020 or 2021. Given the depressed state of the industry in general, and the amber status of Spain very niche routes such as this have no chance of being operated profitably until things improve.

But on the flip side; Gibraltar, Jersey and Guernsey have all been launched at short notice this year to take advantage of their travel status.

Noticed at the weekend the new parallel taxiway was in use. Is the new baggage building on stand 1 permanent now?
With +4 new bussing stands 25-28 and the loss of two of the best gates on the airfield 1-2, making a net gain of +2 and not the +8 I keep reading about?

Things seem to have steadily ramped up. Last Friday 20 August BA had 28 departures from LCY, the bulk of which appear to be to Mediterranean destinations. 14 aircraft in use, which all seem based here, the majority of which appeared to do two rotations in the day, as well as some integrated flying out of Belfast and Southampton to other points. It is strange how it's starting to look like a classic IT-type operation. I wonder what the loads are like. Classic financial industry destinations like Frankfurt or Zurich are currently non-existent.

The baggage sorting facility is to allow work on the terminal expansion, so temporary for now, once the terminal has been expanded it will be removed again. Work on expanding the terminal is currently on hold for obvious reasons, but the apron and taxiway works were continued.

Not all the new stands are in use yet, look how far from the end of the apron stand 28 is. With the way things are, that’s all that’s required for now. When the terminal works are completed stands 25-31 will all be contact stands as the terminal is extended East, and stands 1-2 returned to use.


https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....24354fe79a.jpg

The area East of stand 28 is currently used for storing equipment and parking vehicles. The current baggage facility is in the single storey grey-roofed building between the crane and the current terminal. Obviously to connect the new part of the terminal with the existing building, while everything is in used requires the baggage facility to be moved while that happens.


https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....8fd72b8be.jpeg

The business focused destinations are always run down in July, and particularly August, but that has been particularly noticeable this year as many of those destinations haven’t been run for a while due to travel restrictions.

As soon as August is over the departure boards start to look more normal again. For example Monday 6th September sees 33 BA departures;

Dublin (2), Zurich (2), Glasgow (3), Frankfurt (2), Amsterdam (2), Düsseldorf (2), Skiathos, Berlin (2), Edinburgh (3), Nice (2), Belfast (3), Malaga, Jersey, Mykonos, Palma, Florence, Guernsey, Ibiza (2), Split.

More frequencies and destinations are progressively added week by week through September and October.

Of course a sign of the times and those ‘classic’ business routes will have reduced frequency and volumes for some time to come, if indeed they ever return to pre pandemic levels. Reality is that IT destinations will probably be Cityflyer’s bread and butter moving forward!

I agree, problem is that the destinations easily reachable aren’t really suited to winter so the coming season could be a particularly gloomy one. Even if the Canaries are technically possible and viable there’s only so many flights needed in a day and it will tie frames up for a big chunk of it

It is not just Covid that has changed LCY but Brexit and those financial companies and staff that have relocated.