Strange, but the more you look and read about current operations at HUY, the more you start to realise its worth. NFI put a sound argument across.
I am all for low cost operations and a good choice of destinations, but DSA can comfortably serve that end of the market for the Humber area like 7006fan touched on.


I have to agree but the reputation of being no hassle, friendly, no delay etc spreads a little more than local. I know quite a few people from Doncaster, Wakefield and Leeds who swear by HUY because of reasons mentioned.
Just maybe DSA and HUY compliment each other because by and large (for the time being anyway) they are chasing different markets.

7006fan,

I'm pleased to advise that KLMC will be upgrading 2 of the HUY-AMS flights(@1030 and @1445) to F100s from end of October. I've used this service numerous times over recent years and the a/c capacity changes every year; let's hope the trend is now upwards.

MrDearne

I think you are correct, both airports serve differing but complenentary pax bases, a diversity of routes and packages, so should get along just fine (hopes)

DC10fan

That is grrrrrrrrrreat news maybe Eastern will now go SAABtastic or Embraer on the ABZ?
And Tunisia for 06, plus the XL flights with based aircraft (even if it does consolidate a few routes, as suggested elsewhere) That will mean three planes overnighting at HUY all week!!!
Maybe someone ought to start thinking about that long promised hotel? (theoretically that is 10 rooms each night for the summer sorted!) Hmmmmm, Grande Hotel 7006, doesn't somehow ring !!! :D

:ok:

There is one route which should be re-started; AF HUY-CDG. This had limited appeal before as it was hampered by a/c type(ATR) and little marketing imo but several things have changed.
This route served 2 or 3 x daily using ERJ135 could work just as well as the HUY-AMS. Since both carriers are now one then why not corner the market on all possible long-haul connections and also offer direct flights to Paris; probably more demand than Amsterdam. The current F70s on the HUY-AMS can't cope with the demand so why not offer connections via CDG as well? I've noticed some flight consolidators even offering HUY-AMS-CDG-XXX when the direct AMS-XXX flights are full. Also KLM flights are often full in one direction but I suspect an AF flight could be available ie. HUY-AMS-JFK-CDG-HUY routing would then be possible.

BBC Look North say 9 new routes to be announced today. The other two are Faro and Palma

The report of the BBC Humber website about the expected announcement uses a picture of a KLM B747 - I wish

Full details are on the humbersideairport.com website now. Flights to:

Alicante
Arrecife
Dalaman
Faro
Malaga
Palma
Paphos
Rhodes
Tenerife

Flights to be operated with 737-800 a/c by the sounds of it.

Regards

Mike

Or perhaps the dreaded 737-400 :E

No of course graham it will be a F100, while super duper DSA get a 747.
Guess DSA might feel a little pressure here (i hope) :ok:

Humberside Expansion
There's the BBC News story ;)

Rob, what's DSA got to do with anything? :confused:

Everything graham. We all know about your DSA / NCL fetish !:D
Always bulling them up and belittling and such threat to these airports.

Press release says 737-800. Those nasty -400s won't be coming anywhere near our nice little airport:}

Regards

Mike

Do the extra two routes mean the aircraft will stay a day longer or are they W rotations

Humberside Airport is in the final stages of planning for another 5 summer routes for Summer 2006. I have details of four of the routes, but the fifth is as yet, unclear.

Corfu
Fuerteventura
Kos
Zakynthos

Again, Excel Airways is likely to be involved.

Regards

Mike

Does this mean that the aircraft could be based permanently? Im very confident now that the 600,000 pax mark could be broken in the next couple of years if these are a sucessful.

By the way, who was it that said HUY doesnt need EUJet?;)

AIRPORT MARKS 30 YEARS OF FLIGHTS


12:30 - 27 July 2005

Humberside Airport at Kirmington is celebrating its 30th anniversary, and to celebrate its success, the terminal will be transformed into a mini-carnival this week.

Stilt walkers and jugglers will be entertaining passengers and aviation enthusiasts on Friday and there will be a giant cake. More than 6,250,000 passengers have travelled through Humberside Airport since its launch 30 years ago.

And a spokeswoman for the airport said there was already plenty to celebrate this year.

"There has been the recent announcement of the biggest ever programme of flights from Excel Airways," she said.

"We are also getting a new service to Tunisia for summer 2006, a new operation to Malaga and an increased capacity on flights to other popular summer destinations for the summer 2005 season."

Friday\'s carnival day was the perfect way to celebrate the success, said Rob Goldsmith, managing director of Humberside Airport.

"Since the first commercial flight took off 30 years ago, Humberside Airport has grown to become a firm favourite with passengers from the region," he said.

"This is because people know they will get the same friendly and reliable service every time they fly from the airport.

"This is the kind of service we pride ourselves on and we look forward to welcoming familiar faces and new passengers to our anniversary celebrations."

Mr Goldsmith said the plan was now to focus on further success.

"We are now looking ahead to the next 30 years and with several exciting developments in the pipeline we are confident the airport will go from strength to strength," he said.

The passenger terminal at the former RAF Kirmington base was officially opened in 1975. The field was served by its first scheduled flight - Air Anglia opening a service to Amsterdam - a route which still exists 30 years later.

The daily scheduled flights to Amsterdam Schiphol airport provide regular access for passengers from the region to a major hub, connecting to destinations worldwide.

Humberside Airport now offers a programme of summer flights to a range of holiday hotspots and a variety of winter destinations.

It has a thriving freight operation and the second largest heliport in the country, serving gas rigs in the North Sea. It is also now home to the Humberside Police Helicopter Section.

(This is scunthorpe news article)

Blimey,
I ought to go away to Florida more often. It seems every time I go on holiday something good happens at Humberside!! (Maybe HUY could pay me to go on holiday more often...!!! ;) )
But seriously, this is brilliant news for HUY and if Mike is right, even better. (How come Brighton get's the news before the locals!!! -nice one Mike :ok: )

So two routes not before used at HUY plus the 5 or is it 7 others on Excel (some of which might consolidate some flights, but who knows it seems some of the flights are over booked so there may be slack to take-up), plus Tunisia. A little lo-co operation to a couple of unusual destinations South of France/Italy seem poorly served, or what about Central Europe; the new members of the EU (2.15 hour flight to most of the main cities, I think?)

Or, I say again LGW/LCY/LTN? to access London, would make the City and West End just about commutable for the hi-flyers (no pun intended!!!) If people do it to Amsterdam, why not London?

Exciting stuff

:D

Looks like the MAG are handing out a few freebies to get the airlines into HUY and good on them if they are. Hopefully it'll teach Peal a lesson or two for trying to 'happyslap' the airports of the North.

Seriously though, excellent news!!

Is that official or speculation? I think without peel, though, the MANplc would have pretty much had a monopoly over the north so in a way the competition has done some good! Although had Easyjet not bothered with LPL i doubt that peel would have been interested at all! I dont think they are as good as they make out.



I think prague and the like would be great! Although DSA are trying to stitch up the lo-co market in the area now (which i believe will put the majors off) but a well known lo-co operating a modest set of routes from HUY would certainly not go a miss, however unlikely it may be.

I think they should try more to connect us with london and paris again and work their way up from there! Afterall the frequency from DSA to CDG is dire! 6 weekly i believe! Then there arnt the easy connections you would expect from AF/KLM!

Things realy are looking up for the airport and anyone who has seen he article in the business supliment in the Hull Daily Mail will know that there may be more from Excel for winter 06 and summer 07 and mr goldsmith hopes that recent events may encourage more airlines to come in to HUY! Watch this space!!!

I would bet money on the fact that Excel and HUY will be able to offer Sharm el Sheikh for Winter 2006/7.

Regards

Mike

Any word on the tour operators for all these new flights yet. I know they are mainly Airtours and Thomas Cook but there is often more than one company on a flight

According to a post on the LBA thread, AEU will operate the ALC flight this winter with a LBA based aircraft poitioning to HUY on a Tuesday