Ryanair Luton expansion

[Buster the Bear]

From the local paper following on from a local press briefing by MOL:

"Ryanair said that most of its London capacity growth during the next 12 months would be allocated to Luton and it hoped to bring an extra 1.3 million passengers through Luton during this time creating an extra 1400 jobs."

Oh, and I forgot to mention the massive tinminal infrastructure expenditure currently in progress, proper piers, new parking stands and the new Harrods hangar!

Add into this equation a new dual road from the M1 and possible link to the A505 toward Hitchin!

Then all the Spanish Euro's about to be invested!

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[CAP670]

Yeh - an initial £30M being invested in the infrastructure, 9.5M pax being aimed for by 2005/06 and 12M by 2006/07.

The new TBI owners have a book value that runs into £billions and is nearly twice that of BAA, and are intent on poaching as much of BAA's STN traffic that can be accommodated at Luton and which can operate viably off the 2160-metre runway.

Steering Group recently formed to promote and channel Airport expansion/development plans that includes the Airport Company, Bedfordshire County Council, Hertfordshire County Council, Luton Borough Council, the DfT, the Strategic Rail Authority and NetworkRail.

Looks like BAA finally will have some serious competition in the London area - at least for its short- and medium-haul pax business.

I hear they're not too pleased over the Essex border...

:{

[Powerjet1]

This is good news and about time a bit of serious competition will start to emerge at the doors of the BAA. A further three, maybe four ryans are likely to be based at LTN from sept 05 if things work out ok.

I flew to Vienna with Nikki on Saturday and checked in at 5.45am. The terminal was packed and we had to queue for nearly 40mins just to reach security. Everybody was complaining. Having got into departures there were no seats left to sit down . All in all a most unpleasant experience. Much easier and quicker when passing through LTN and this should improve even more next year when the first floor departure hall is opened up.

Off topic I know but worth a mention. The flight from STN to VIE with NIkki was great. Excellent on time departure, hosties dressed in what can only be described as 'space uniforms', allocated seating, free coffee, water, pastries and double decker sandwiches. The 320 was full. All for the price of £19.00. How they can afford to give away all the food & drink I don't know but very popular, and beats Austrian from LHR hands down.

[LTNman]

The airport authorities need to submit a planning application now for growth beyond 12 million. It is at this point when major development south of the runway into Hertfordshire farmland will be needed. Public enquires could delay building work for years so the quicker they get it out of the way the better.

Building work is now approaching the first 100 days. The first part of the new security hall building is set to open around Christmas or the New Year. A narrow strip has been built to allow passengers to get to and from airside as the last part of the old link building is set to be demolished soon.

[Avro Arrow]

Buster

What you forgot to mention was that for once MOL said some really nice things about LTN - which given he doesn't say nice things about anyione is amazing really.


Quote
"Luton is very fortunate that it's run by TBI, who know the business...[they are] people who know how to develop airports cost effieciently. The Spaniards see a well run airport that's growing rapidly and is well run". Luton Herald and Post 9 Dec 04

This is Michael saying yahboo sucks BAA, start to get real and don't expect any rollovers from us. He's doing it in Dublin and he'll do it to BAA. He also reminded LTN to keep their costs low cos there are plenty of airports across Europe where he can also invest.

The development of LTN to 12m is a long way from the Luton Borough Council and Barclays days when the managament team then proposed a 10m pax facility (i.e. another 4m incremental pax) which would cost £135m. Needless to say it was thrown out in favour of the present development.

The next big thing will be the masterplan the locals seem to be saying no runway extension so a new southern option may be the only way forward - the market may not like nor require it in the short term but the Avaition White Paper is a 30 year policy. So the NIMBYs may get their wish of no runway extension but the consequences of not allowing that could be equally as bad for them.

Ironically, lenghtening the existing runway might just improve the environmental climate around the airport. They could operate it with displaced thresholds and use the increased length as a starter strip. One thing is for sure LTN will need to grow to meet the Locos growth prospects.

[CAP670]

Another interesting LTN rumour to emerge this month is that following Gulfstream's establishing of its European HQ at LTN co-located with Signature Flight Support, Bombardier is at an 'advanced stage of negotiation' to do likewise at LTN co-locating with the Harrods Business Aviation FBO at LTN.

The Harrods' complex (Hangars 201 & 202 and Stand 62) would be increased in size to accommodate Bombardier. LLAO is obvioulsy, keen as this sort of activity is pure profit i.e. nothing is 'creamed off' by the Luton Town Hall vultures!

More good news, eh??

:D

[OLNEY 1 BRAVO]

Another rumour I've heard over the past few days from a number of sources is that Britannia are to vacate Hanger 89 (the one on the terminal side of the main apron) during 2005.

So .... will TBI/the Spanish redevelop the site? Or will the orange brigade move in enabling the easytent to go back into storage and freeing up space on the Eastern Apron.

CAP670 - good news about Bombardier if it comes to pass. :D

[Powerjet1]

easy seem to be the likely incumbents of the Britannia facility, getting rid of the easy tent once and for all. Good riddance.
Freeing up the stand at last.

[Buster the Bear]

I see that November 2004 saw only a 4.2% rise in passenger numbers at Stansted compared to November 2003. I would guess double digit growth for Luton for Nov 04?

As Thomsonflightsflycom or whatever they are called are to vacate Hangar 89 during 2005, this in theory releases the Hangar for easyJet, thus creating 2 extra stands on the eastern apron as the easyTent straddles a couple?

Bombardier warranty centre, that should keep Mr 1 BRAVO very happy!

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[brabazon]

Now, now Buster you know that percentage comparisons are not "fair" when the base numbers are different by a large amount, just look at Southampton's growth rates after flybe started a few routes.

Mind you I have a book on Luton Airport (The Story of Luton International Airport") dated 1988 which ends with a section entitled Towards Five Million - based on LIA (as it then was called) 1985 plan...... It's got some nice pics of the "new airport" of the 1930s

[airhumberside]

Sterling European are doing Christmas Shopping Flights from Copenhagen and Aalborg

[Powerjet1]

Also Oslo next week.

Sterling are actually using these flights to test the water from these various Norwegian & Danish cities, using LTN as the London point of entry. If they prove successful, and I understand they have been, Sterling will now give careful consideration to the possibility of launching low cost schedule flights into LTN from some or all of these cities. If it comes off flights could start in Apr/May 05.

We will have to see it anything happens in the coming weeks.

[Buster the Bear]

Hi brabazon. Yes I realise thier base figure is much larger, but the percentage growth is downward, 8% in Oct, just over 4% in Nov. This is due to Stansted hitting capacity at peak times although there are slots available, there are very few at key times.

Stansted needs to fill the capacity at non-peak hours. I guess the loss of Air Polonia will make even more slots available at off peak?

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[outofsynch]

LTN is never really going to seriously challenge STN. Especially once STN has two runways (let alone four).

What is great is, the competition should keep BAA honest in it's charges at STN.

[VIKING9]

It'll be nice to see Sterling back at LTN....... ah those Caravelles :ugh:

[airhumberside]

Perhaps with Sterling in favour of Luton and Norweigan being a partner, they will move services from Stansted?

[ebenezer]

LTN is never really going to seriously challenge STN. Especially once STN has two runways (let alone four).

the competition should keep BAA honest in its charges at STN.

Come on outofsynch, you're contradicting yourself: if Luton is never really going to seriously challenge Stansted (for any of its business) why would there be any competition from Luton keeping BAA 'honest about its charges at Stansted'??? Surely, no challege = no competition = no reason for BAA to do anything different???

You're right of course, that Luton can't compete with Stansted on intercontinental or cargo operations (although it outperforms Stansted [and every other London airport] on the corporate/GA intercontinental front) but it is now beginning to seriously compete on the short- and medium-haul 'low-cost' scene.

Its location is much better than Stansted's for the North London/northern & northwestern Home Counties/south Midlands catchment areas, it's train services (albeit from the nearby 'Parkway Station') are far superior in terms of connections, travel time into London and choice of destinations, and with the recent buy-out of TBI, the financial clout and political muscle now brought to bear (the Company has a book value that exceeds BAA's and industry expertise as good as if not better than) must mean that Luton will increasingly challenge Stansted in certain markets.

As for Stansted's fourth runway - to quote Capt Blackadder: have you visited Planet Earth recently? Come on! It hasn't even got its second runway past the objectors, and by the time that its construction has been challenged in the High Court, appealed in the House of Lords, and referred to the European Court of Human Rights, the probability is that oil will be running out...

Seriously though, it's not just a matter of runways - surface access, airport infrastructure, quality of passenger facilties, service delivery, competitive pricing and value for money are more important; and there's no doubt these are all areas on which the 'new' airport operator at Luton will now focus, to the increasing detriment of a significant slice of BAA's business at Stansted.

;)

[Buster the Bear]

If all goes swimmingly well, Stansted's second runway should open in 2012, this time scale does not allow for Swampy and his mates to bury themselves alive!

Plenty of time for Luton to catch up as Stansted fills up?

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[kala87]

The question is for LTN, with the dozens of BBJ's, Global Expresses, exec. 727's and other exotic corporate metal arriving daily, where is the airport going to park all the extra LoCo flights that the likes of EZY, FR and others are going to be introducing?

[OLNEY 1 BRAVO]

Kala87 - parking at Luton is only an issue if the aircraft night stops. Parking isn't too bad during the day.

[LTNman]

A Belgium AF C130 has been sent packing to night stop at Cranfield as Luton could not provide a stand for a night stop. Stands 9L, 60 and 61 are still under construction while stands 46 and 47 still has the easy tent on it. Ryanair moved in their second LTN based 737 over the weekend, which has already had an impact while another 2 go into service next week if a space can be found.

[OLNEY 1 BRAVO]

LTNMAN - not strictly true. The Herc wanted a stand that it could taxi straight off from as it didn't have a towbar ... the Kuwaiti Hercs bring a towbar with them. These sort of stands don't exist at Luton any more. A request to reverse off of a nose in stand was declined ... as such requests always are.

Moreover I'm told that none of the handling agents knew it was coming .. otherwise it might have been told to bring a towbar.

I agree the parking situation at Luton is a mess ... but not the airports fault on this occasion.

[Buster the Bear]

So did this flight turn up out of the blue?

Did it have a tow bar?

Did the OP's 'Bunker' know of the flight and its intentions well in advance, thus affording its arrival a stand in their stand allocation plan?

Did the Belgian Air Force contact a handling agent ahead of its arrival?

When was the last BAF C130 movement at Luton?

Did a handling agent inform the 'Bunker'?

LTNman, please give us all more detail please?

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How did the RYR advertising lights look as they shone toward the Tinminal this evening?

[vintage ATCO]

As I am sure you know, LTNman, from the other lists you are on, the real reason is the C130 didn't have a tow bar with it and the airport does not permit powerbacks, allegedly.

Why are you always so negative about Luton?

[Buster the Bear]

'Here Here' Vintage! LTNman loves to spell unsubstantiated gloom & doom!

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[LTNman]

Sometimes I might appear to be negative but I really am LTN’s number one fan. Negative posts from me are quite rare and are normally directed at how passengers see “our airport” like the state of the short-term car park.

I spent too many years sitting on the passengers services committee representing passenger’s interests to know that passengers interests were not a high priority with TBI management. We would battle for year over little things like the bus shelters that don’t protect passengers from the rain or the fact that 30 people can’t fit in a bus shelter built for 10. The excuses came think and fast. The bus shelters could not be expanded, as this would affect terminal evacuation. Even the smallest things like the analogue clocks that used to sit by the departure boards all showing a different time was never resolved. I had an 18-month battle trying to get no smoking stickers placed on each side of the bins within the terminal instead of the existing single sticker which always seemed to face the walls. Another failure as nothing was done.

Anyway that is all history now as the airport closed the group down. I sometimes wonder if I was part of the reason for the groups demise. The other passenger representatives were councillors and members of the travel trade who only ever came to the airport for the meetings. I was different, I had the insider information as the airport is my place of work so it was me that had the killer questions. Looking back though I can’t think of a single achievement the group actually made.
:( :( :(


But lets look to the future. LTN is on an unstoppable roll with new owners with money to burn and Ryanair making big plans. It is a good time to be a fan of the airport right now.
:ok: :ok: :ok:

[CAP670]

I agree the parking situation at Luton is a mess ... but not the airports fault on this occasion.

CORRECT!

The reason that stands 60 and 61 are not yet completed is that an 'uncharted' gas main was identified running underneath/adjacent to the works and the only company that can deal with such things is Transco. Unfortunately (like many of the United Kingdom's companies) over Christmas and the New Year - a particularly long break this year - it reduced to skeleton staffing and was unable to give the necessary work any priority.

The airport does not permit powerbacks, allegedly...

PARTIALLY CORRECT!

It depends on the stand in question and the aircraft''s size; it's either a strategically planned event or if not anticipated, a tactical decision made at the time by the Airport Duty Manager.

Previous comments regarding the handling agents and pertinent questions to prospective operators are correct. Maybe on this occasion, the questions just weren't asked by anybody and the operator simply assumed.

However, it's surprising that one couldn't have been 'borrowed' from say, Marshalls at Cambridge or from a handling agent/FBO who is also at Stansted, for example.

Sounds like a bit of a :mad: by the operator and/or handling agent - not LLAO!

:sad:

[Eddie Ginley]

quote:-

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"I was different, I had the insider information as the airport is my place of work so it was me that had the killer questions"
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Ah LTNman - what elegant modesty...

Love to all

Fast Eddie.:p