BOURNEMOUTH Airport is on the brink of something big
 

Date Published: Thursday 10 July 2003

Airport `set to join the premier league'
by Jonathan Slater




HIGH HOPES: Opportunities at Bournemouth Airport are `massive', says the new sales manager


BOURNEMOUTH Airport is on the brink of something big - and it is only a matter of time before it soars into the premier league.

That is the view of the site's new sales and marketing manager, Spencer Brace, who says he was drawn to the role because of the huge potential ready to be tapped, both in terms of spruced-up facilities at the Hurn complex and the prospects for attracting a major low-cost airline.

And he believes the fiasco with Buzz earlier this year could benefit the airport in the long term, as it proved the local demand for cheap air travel to Europe definitely existed.

This year has seen a host of structural improvements to the airport terminal, including a new departure lounge and a bar/food village built on the old viewing area, which still looks out over the runway apron.

A total of 12 new check-in desks and baggage belts have been installed to speed up passenger service, featuring a state-of-the-art passport scanning device.

Further, an ATM cash machine should be in place later this month with new retail outlets expected to follow later in the year.

But the event the airport was gearing up to - the launch of European services by budget carrier Buzz - crashed spectacularly when Ryanair bought out its rival in February and scrapped the flights, to the dismay of those who had snapped up 55,000 tickets .

However, Mr Brace - who used to work for British Airways at Heathrow - said it was "only a matter of time" before another airline set up a base in Bournemouth and opened the passenger floodgates.

"Everything is in place now to handle much more activity - all we need are the people," he explained.

"This would be a prime location for a low-cost carrier, both in terms of facilities and its geography. We are a much more hassle-free airport than the big London ones, and in many respects easier to get to.

"What the Buzz episode did show is that there is a keen demand for cheap routes to Europe, and that people are prepared to travel a long way to fly from here.

"The opportunities for Bournemouth are massive, and I would say to people: watch this space."

This man is the new sales and marketing manager so, to plagiarise the words of one of the female witnesses in a notorious 1960s criminal trial, he would say that.

I am not saying that BOH is not about to expand its services significantly, but 'premier league' - what he does he mean by this? That BOH will be up there alongside LHR and LGW?

Well up in Divison 2 perhaps, even looking at Division 1 in the fullness of time, but Premier League? That might well be a bit of spin, methinks.

But there having a cash machine fitted:hmm:

You beat me to it, Touch & Go! That was my thought too - I wonder how many people use an airport just to withdraw cash? But don't forget the retail outlets too!

It is a brave investor who spends their money on facilities hoping that they will draw customers - in this case airlines - to help pay the bills.

They did have a cash machine until ~6 months ago, then decided to get rid of it.

Regional Airports
 

What is the future of regional airports like Bournemouth, Teeside, Humberside and such like?

Knowing Humberside quite well (Not an expert so this thread may have some errors but i'm sure someone will correct me!)

Take Humberside, ok its a the base for Eastern Aw, has scheduled links to Amsterdam (Klmcityhopper, or whatever they are calling themselves now a days) and Aberdeen (Eastern), helicopter base (formerly Bond Helicopters) serving the Oil & Gas industry, small GA based aircraft, odd couple of flying schools and then theres the charter flights to the sunnier climates but is that sufficient to economically run a regional airport?

The Lo-co's I presume pay very little to regional airports and from what I have read the airports offer fees that are considerably lower than the norm, so very little profit there.

So I guess the airport concessions etc are the real money spinners, retailers charged the earth to service the masses flowing through the airport.

But take for example Humberside, they dont have a Lo-co operator using the airport so the flow of passengers is just for the miniscule regional services and seasonal charter flights, so how can money be invested in the airport when the profit generated must be small or run at a loss. The lack of investment then has a knock on effect by not attracting the Lo-co's and more regional services!

Would be intrested to know how owners of the regional airports in the same boat as HUY throughout the UK forsee the future.

Now that flybe are setting up a sort of loco service at EXT (a smaller airport than HUY I believe in terms of current pax numbers) and bmibaby are soon to start at MME (a bit bigger than HUY), by my reckoning that only leaves NWI and HUY in England and Wales without a loco service - ignoring the tiny ones like Swansea, Carlisle, Staverton etc.

It cannot be too long surely before Buggins Turn ensures a loco presence at both NWI and HUY.

i can't speak for regional airports in England & Wales - however, I do have reasonable knowledge of Belfast City - apart from Flybe (who seem unable at times to decide whether they are low cost or not) they have no budget operators and it certainly seems to have had no effect on their ability to grow - this is despite the fact that Belfast International have lost all mainline operations (apart from Eastern doing one daily sector to ABZ) and are now totally low cost with the resultant loss of revenue.

It seems that investment is the key factor here and recent purchasers of Belfast City, Ferrovial are doing just that having recently announced a substantial investment to resurface the runway (long overdue) with associated resurfacing/strenghtening of taxiways - BMI certainly seem to be happy following their move from Belfast Intl - the link to LHR is vital and is experiencing steady growth.

The message is regional airports will survive with proper investment from capable investors

Aren't Humberside and Bournemouth owned by the same people (along with East Mids), i.e. Manchester Airport Group?

After heavy rain I hear that BOH has a swimming pool on the ramp with a shallow and deep end. Now that's premier league isn't it:O :O

1261,

You're correct Humberside and Bournemouth are part of the Manchester Airports Group.

BOURNEMOUTH Airport is on the brink of something big.

Yes. It's called the English Channel.

Does the "NEW GUY" know something about the persistent rumours of JET2 / Channel Express opening up a new base here perhaps ?

Channel Express recently purchased (6 ??) further B737-300 series aircraft (the first of which arrived from AUS today 12/07). At least one of these (6??) will be a QC, therefore pax by day / freight by night ???? Sounds pretty logical to me.

The rumours are that 3 aircraft will go to Leeds and the remaining 3 to operate for Jet 2 from BOH ???????????.....(Anyone care to start a new THread on the subject)

But don't hold ya breath as BOH marketing dept. have a track record of promising the earth, yet failing to deliver. Let's wait-n-see just what happens shall we.

A new ATM machine - O'HARE BEWARE!

Does anyone know if it's a LINK machine?

what airport facility's is he talking about-,,,,the modern hangers,catering and cargo handling ones
or 6 empty checking desks,i expect they are as busy as the no doubt empty ATM machine as well

Once again a FlyBe 146 has had to call into BOH to fuel as due to the hot weather they couldn't leave SOU with a full payload. SOU must be run by Railtrack. Too hot, too cold, too wet.
Any excuse! :p

re:
 

Agh,so the presence of FLYBE diversion might explain the quote.

I have just seen out my window this evening another fly Be 146 is this another Southampton Diversion today on the 15/7/03 Or are we taking on a new route Southampton - Bournemouth.

Actually sb, it's called performance 'A', and has rather more to do with weight, altitude and temperature. In the eighties whilst operating from BOH, we were having to tech stop on the way to TFS from BOH in a 737-200 on just about every occasion. Why? Too far with too much payload off a (then) relatively short runway, and this was in the winter when temperatures are not a factor. It was programmed, of course, which I guess is not the case with whatever BE flights are diverting. I imagine that when BE/their pax get fed up with it happening, they'll either reduce the payload, (unlikely), schedule a stop, get aircraft which are not WAT limited off a short runway or move their operation somewhere else.