I see the Herald on Saturday carried an interview with the chairman of Prestwick Airport. Apart from the scratched record of associated aviation businesses next door/freight/diversions/attract more airlines other than Ryanair, his Big Idea seems to be making Prestwick a hub for Scottish domestic services via Oban, which he describes as having a "big runway".

I don't suppose anyone has told him that Argyll & Bute Council has already tried and failed to get instrument procedures designed for Oban, Coll & Colonsay and that consequently any services to/from Oban are VFR only for the foreseeable future.

With that kind of "vision" in place, don't expect announcements about Prestwick's return to the private sector any time soon.

Financial fog beginning to lift at Prestwick, chairman Miller insists (From Herald Scotland)

I can't find his linkedin, aside from working for BA, anyone know as what and what relevant sales, marketing and managerial track record this guy has? Oh hang on...
The Scottish domestic mainland market is nil since the roads and railways were improved. BA dropped GLA/EDI-ABZ/INV years ago as a result. If he means the Highlands and Islands that's simply one part of the Scottish state supporting another. Scotland is not New Zealand.
No USP, this already exists at GLA/EDI with flybe and Loganair.
If he thinks PIK-ABZ, with oil in decline and a train from Queen Street right there is "viable", he's an amateur. This is nuts, more good money after bad.

OK they need to create an airline to do what Loganair do but better and take out said Loganair as the market's a small one. This is utter guff.
So following rather than leading. How much is he on?

Key point is, it feels he's under no pressue whatsoever to get the business out of the red as he's got no realistic strategy beyond the same stuff they've tried before.

OK sorry to rant on a little bit but I really find this whole business utterly depressing. PIK deserves better, pain now gain later, rather than fluffy niceness and losses forever.

Painful to read.

Aberdeen and Oban? Seriously?

"Aberdeen and Oban? Seriously?"

I'd use it!!! :}

With family in Wick, served by one morning flight from EDI (12345-7) and up to three from ABZ (12345--) I'd love another option to get north that doesn't involve the A9 or a four hour train journey.

That said, PIK isn't at all accessible from London these days.

Four flights a day not enough for you?? Seems to me you are actually quite spoiled.

And since as you rightly point out the whole idea of the Prestwick hub providing better services to the likes of Wick is nothing more than a pipe-dream.

Be fair, NorthSouth, PIK could maybe make £10/seat out of those services, so that puts them well on their way to breakeven, provided 400,000 passengers use it every year.


How many years will pass before someone wakes up and smells the coffee?

Woe, woe and thrice woe...

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And I would use London services. Indeed, I did.

But that puts both you and me in a minority of people for whom Prestwick is a more convenient airport than Glasgow or Edinburgh. If they could work at all from Prestwick (which I seriously doubt), then the problem is that they can work better from Glasgow.

Three flights a day from Aberdeen (Eastern Airways) is no good if you live in London.

I don't think PIK-WIC is a goer at all, the bigger point that wasn't clear is that connectivity to WIC is pretty poor.

It's a real shame that PIK is languishing.

At least a 100k. :confused:

That would be the vision of transporting people to the middle of nowhere, sic Oban, from the middle of nowhere. sic Prestwick.

On a serious note though, it is frightening. If you take the government subsidies for Oban/Coll/Colonsay. and add Prestwick, then they must be binning upwards of £10million per annum. And with comments from Mr Miller regarding his strategy, PIK is going nowhere, pretty quickly.

Much better to bin the lot, and subsidise a float plane operation from Glasgow City Centre to Oban harbour. You could even add Ayr harbour:D

Skipness, why don't you head over to the Airliners.com where I am sure you will fit right in with the he other spotters, this is a forum for Professional PILOTS.
Seriously, you do not have a clue about airline ops. :ugh:

Leg - Skipness debates the issues drawing upon his experience as a professional aviation analyst. You post personal attacks. Whose contribution do you think is more valuable to the PPRuNe community?

Skipness's most recent post above (23 Nov) appears to me to focus on commercial rather than ops issues. With which assertion(s) in his/her post do you take issue?

Glasgow Prestwick
 

I have read Andrew Millars comments with interest and the responses from other contributors.

The challenge Prestwick faces is, unfortunately, down to some very poor decisions taken 7-8 years ago by the previous airport management.

Further, the failure to actively attract airlines on routes that would need some form of financial support is unfortunate. Why the previous owners and management didnt actively engage in this arena is one which can be debated elsewhere.

The facts are that a change of approach, both looking at the Highlands and Islands is important, but with opportunity to open up more routes, with either tour operator support or niche operations, to Western Med (for holiday traffic initially) which will allow a ATOL bonded holiday to be purchased by consumers, should be developed.

At some point the expansion at the other airports will mean they come up against planning, environmental (noise & pollution issues) which puts Prestwick back onto their agenda.

Further, routes for business traffic, on niche operators, needs to be followed up; particularly to Western Europe. Brussels, etc.

There is also the Denmark connection, Billund, etc, which house the worlds largest offshore wind turbine developers and builders. With offshore activity on the west coast developing, then the likes of Siemens, Dong etc, will need to get across and set up appropriate bases. EMB 190, even a Jetstream, will provide capacity.

This then leads onto the heli support that is required. A couple of EC135's with hoists are needed for offshore turbine servicing. Prestwick is ideally based for this type of operation. These operations are profitable.

It may not stem the losses by much, but I believe these types of operation will deliver some bottom line profit of between £250-350 k per annum.

Once you develop this type of 'hub' more and more becomes attracted. Look at Humberside for instance, a very similar airport to Prestwick, with low volume of pax, but with strong diversification into offshore and more recently, offshore wind turbine servicing.

So, not an over night answer, but at least some opportunity to grow away from the other main airports.

That was an insightful and thoughtful post Latitude. It is precisely that sort of thinking, that I am afraid is currently lacking. I am beginning to think that the terminal structure, is now becoming the issue, with the thought of- ah, big terminal, big runway, it needs passengers. Well yes, but PIK needs movements, and movements that will provide revenue. I personally feel that the days of large pax numbers at PIK are over, never to return. Perhaps a hub of diverse operators, running a mix of what you described. Heli ops/freight/industry specific business ops/ floatplanes/, anything that generates biz. GLA and EDI now service all pax ops. Niche service may well be the future..

But how much money does Humberside (much better situated for offshore industries) make?

Interesting subplot to the flybe post and RAF Northolt. Prestwick now mentioned with flights to Northolt. I fly in and out of here quiet often and if Flybe can pull it off then good luck to them,

Northolt - slightly better chance of success than the Space port?

If I was a betting man id say neither are coming anywhere near PIK, but thats another story.

What's the other story?