Anyone heard anything further on Caledonian Aviation, the recycling company that were due to start operating from the Polar hanger in January 2014.
BA have extended their lease on that hanger till the end of February 2014.

BA's lease is due to run until March, officially. Caledonian is just waiting until the hanger is vacated to get started :ok:

Have just noticed that it appears Ryanair will only base 3 aircraft at Prestwick next summer. There's only around 11 or 12 departures a day, compared to about 14 or 15 in the S13 season. Could that push them under 1 million passengers??

Is that the final schedule or are you just being all Private Fraser again? Seems odd given they have three based for the current winter.....
You can't do 11-12 departures a day with three aeroplanes to the sun from Scotland. So it's non based rotations to make up the gap or a work in progress?

I have the numbers from summer 2005 on rotations per week, I'll dig them out once I have escaped Christmas....

Schedules have been recently changed so I doubt another major change will occur to change this outlook. We are aware Ryanair are making a number of cuts across its network in 2014 to allow for significant growth In Ireland and Italy as well as at Stansted.


As well as the long distance sun routes, there are some short sectors such as Derry and Knock which allow for based aircraft to regularly operate 3 return sectors per day. There are also a number of routes operated by aircraft flying in from other bases across Europe (which I think you are confusing and incorrectly referring to as "W" rotations, which is something different.)


So in a nut shell, 11-12 flights with 3 based a/c plus a few inbound a/c from other bases is more than feasible.

It still looks like 4 from what I just checked through on the booking engine.

Take Tuesday July 1st example for morning departures.

There's a TFS, DUB/WMO, BCN and a CHQ.

The Polish destinations look very sparse and there doesn't seem to be anything for BGY, BVA, BZG or RZE in there yet.

All these Ryanair speculations do make me laugh, I find it funny people just can`t wait and see......;)

And I work at PIK! :ok:

Did I see a Thomson jet flying into Prestwick earlier? I was in Ardrossan at the time and from a distance it looked like Thomson colours.

787 crew training.

Float plane
 

Noticed on Friday (I think) around mid day a small float plane flying around. Seen it a few times last year coming out of Prestwick and flying around the Doon Valley area. Anyone know who it is, where its from??

Cessna 172F G-DRAM - Prestwick based

Don`t expect much more in the Ryanair sched for the coming summer. Down 20% due to shortage of frames. EDI apparently down 30%, but I suppose they can take the hit as they have other operators.
Time PIK started to look elsewhere for buisness - it is out there!!

I think the LDE charters have now all gone, mostly to EDI and a few to GLA.

"it is out there!!"
Perhaps you can tell us where, what operators and to what destinations from PIK ?

Okay firstly, the route being flown by Europe Airpost Paris-Glasgow-Halifax would have been an ideal start. Quick turnaround easily achieved at PIK and low cost carrier would have no problem attracting the punters.
Secondly and on the same vein go after WestJet.
Thirdly and although a bit more ambitious, go speak to Norwegian for a W pattern or similar LGW-PIK-LAX. How many people including myself, fly south to go over the pond!!
There`s 3 Cabincrewe without even trying to hard.

Nevermind the significant questions around whether these airlines are interested in such services, secondary airports and would seriously consider operating to PIK in the first place, you're ignoring a major issue - the competition from GLA and EDI. Whilst BAA in the past might have occasionally been indifferent to traffic going down the M77, the management teams at these airports nowadays are not going to do likewise and will compete down to the very last flight - And now PIK is publicly owned any discounts/incentives that appear taxpayer funded will draw howls of complaint to the EU from the other central belt airports and airlines.

NEF, I didn`t say they would definitely come, but these airlines - ie low cost, are the type of market PIK should be going after. After all we are never going to attract a BA or EK.

Youre suggestion was that these sort of routes were there for the easy taking.
The Europe Airpost wont last from GLA let alone suggesting it could work from PIK. Norweigan Long Haul....? I wouldnt have thought so. Operating ex mainline capital airports ie LGW, JFK, LAX...why would they suddenly break that mould and ever consider PIK with virtually no major routes and limited appeal ? WestJet have already stated their Scottish intentions, if any, would be from EDI.
These routes may be there for the taking, but unfortunately and realistically, it wont be by PIK as supported by Nef's comments

It's Ryanair or nothing, the rest of the business needs to expand the more profitable cargo and catch the upturn again. As for long haul scheduled, it's very unlikely, GLA would offer better facilities for free before allowing PIK back into that market.

"Time PIK started to look elsewhere for buisness - it is out there!!"

CabinCrewe, where exactly in the above sentence does it state that they are easy pickings. Perhaps you should read the post properly before retorting. It would be interesting to hear how you are such a expert on all things Prestwick.

Skipness - you post a lot of good stuff, but on this occasion I have to disagree. I don`t believe it`s Ryanair or nothing for passengers. Yes it will be a hard slog, but I believe PIK can attract more passenger traffic.