Bad News for Cork Airport

[thebrother]

Just got a call in Kildare St. that Cork airport board in dispute with JS at CORK. Would be very bad news for ORK if they are stupid enough to lose him. He is ORK! The board got the SNN panics.

[Tom the Tenor]

God help Cork Airport is one quote I heard today so the news must not be too good.

The Cork Airport farce continues?

[Tom the Tenor]

There are very low spirits in Cork tonight. It is now my understanding that Mr John Smyth, Marketing Manager of Cork Airport resigned at today's Cork Airport Board meeting.

As has been said above Mr Smyth is ORK and has down the last years brought Cork Airport up to a new level in the bringing of so many new airlines and services to Cork Airport and her passengers. The recent arrival of easyJet and the imminent start of a new service from Budapest by Malev are just tiny examples of Mr Smyth's so many achievements for Cork. Mr Smyth is a Total Aviation Person true and true and we in Cork have been honoured by his communion amongst us for so long.

Why has Cork Airport lost Mr Smyth? Certainly, the leaking of a sensitive story about easyJet to The Sunday Tribune newspaper recently must not have helped? It must be difficult enough to do business at the best of times and then to have one hand tied behind your back by such a leak, never mind having to contend with Cork's enemies both in Shannon and Dublin, must have been a considerable ball breaker for Mr Smyth and the marketing team at Cork Airport. Apart from the above I have no other details why Mr Smyth should want to quit Cork but bearing in mind the history of the last year at Cork with the many debacles recorded here on PPRuNE and in the newspapers it is not difficult to undestand why someone should wish to throw their hat at the thing and to finally say - I'm off.

Today, Cork Airport has hit rock bottom and I, for one, am close to despair. I am very afraid for the future going ahead. I am no longer sure if the new Chairman and Board of Cork Airport is up to the job for which they were appointed. Has the Board the interests of Cork Airport at heart? The Board's apparent willingness to give in to the Dublin Airport Authority on the airbridges issue raises key questions about the quality of board thinking and outlook. The many infrastructural questions along with airbridges like aircraft parking, runway length, navaids, coaches etc are urgent topics that all needed addressing with thoughtful consideration. Is the Cork Board up to all of this careful kind of thinking in the context of their political appointment in the first place? You do not have to read between the lines too much in Ireland to see that the State's apparatus in aviation's first duty is to protect Shannon at all costs and that must mean the screwing of Cork. Unknowingly, Cork could be playing a blinder to help Shannon?

It is clearly evident from today that the professionalism of Cork Airport management is at best suspect as it has been now for many decades. Today, the final straw was broken and Cork Airport may easily slip into serious decline. The enemies of Cork are rubbing their hands in glee tonight.

[thebrother]

Tricky this for ORK. Briefing is FR may go 8 times daily to LON from ORK to kill EasyJet. Easyjet may operate 3 more routes ex ORK with also upwards of 8 flts daily from ORK. New ORK board is viewed in Dept. as political appointments - as all talk and presentation - no content. Board want a pretty young thing marketing ORK - not a tough guy like JS.

JS contract was up and he was shafted - he did not make the Board look good I think. Politics. John wanted to work with FR and EZY -board said no deals - ORK is too good for that. Bollox is view in Dept. but also view is that they have all been given their investment and let them paddle their own canoes.

The SNN deal with FR is suicidal - that is Dept. view. But it was a great stroke pulled by a local Chairman with no approval in DUB. FR want 8 daily ex ORK but with a deal. KIR up the road from ORK do not offer suicide deals - so pressure is in fight between ORK and SNN. All know that SNN will die slowly with lukewarm performance on UK routes. KIR will survive - bob along. And ORK will thrive but this losing JS will slow things down. His contacts take years.

In Ireland all aviation is politics. It gets lots of column inches and cronyism - politicians just love getting involved.

[eastjimmy]

this an absolute disaster for cork. and great news for all at snn and dub. maybe iam an old sinic but all this fudge regarding will there or wont there be air bridges ramp/ runway instrument improvements at ork is down to our friends at the dub airport authority ie.. if a prespective new operator looks at cork they see all the items listed above as a major hindrence and look at snn up the road the white elefant it is and see all the things cork does not have dispite the larger market in the cork area. i guess that daa/politicians look at it and say let give cork a nice new terminal and shut them and the public up for a while but lets hold off on the things that really matter lets hold off on the things that will make cork in to a real competitor. js leaving is a great shame and i fear for the future. hope all involved will see beyond there noses and do every thing to get this bloke back.

[neidin]

Brother - where do you hear this stuff. Jaysus. John gone from ORK. What a mess. Maybe he will go to DUB or SNN. Who knows. He has lots of fans across Europe. He will make lots more money elsewhere. Maybe RE - no he has more sense than that. Good luck old boy.

So what is betting on replacements:-
Declan from SNN 5/1
Tall girl in ORK 5/1
Fat guy from KIR 3/1 - he would be favourite but I hear he is starting an airline to apply for PSO's.
Desmond O`Flynn - NOC 2/1

80k a year buys a lot of beer guys.

[thebrother]

I presume by the Fat Guy at Kerry you mean Peter Bellew - would not have called him Fat - more Portly!

Dept. spoke to him today and he is not starting any airlines. He has been doing a lot of work on PSO routes to KIR for last six months as has every airport in Ireland.

I think there will be similar changes in SNN.

[MarkD]

http://www.examiner.ie/pport/web/ireland/Full_Story/did-sgCDZLhWHeUNMsgdL11Zs5FWAE.asp

(rego required)

[840]

I assume I can't post copyright protected articles, so you may want to go to

http://www.eecho.ie/pdf/front.pdf

for more information on the story.

This link won't work by tomorrow 17-March afternoon.

[Tom the Tenor]

It is now a full week since John Smyth's resignation.

The disasters are continuing at Cork Airport. Last Friday there were just 10 landings at Cork Airport with the weather below CAT II minima and this caused many diversions to Shannon including many Aer Lingus and Ryanair flights. This must have cost thousands of euro to the airlines and passengers involved not to mention the inconvenience.

On Saturday there were a small number of flights cancelled as a result of the knock on effects from Friday's weather though the weather at the field was sunny.

Sunday saw diversions from Cork once again. At least three Aer Arann flights and the bmi baby flight from Manchester diverted to Shannon.

Now, this evening (Monday) the bmi baby flight from Manchester has again diverted to Shannon.

Cork has the worst weather of all the Irish airports yet Cork remains without a CAT III ILS facility. Why? If Shannon or Dublin was in such a position and needed the very best of low visibility procedures everything would be in place?

The new EU rules in place since 17th February say that fog is no longer an excuse if advanced landing ILS is available. This must make it more likely for a CATIII to be installed at Cork? The usual arguement about the drop off in ground at the rear of runway 17 is a cost issue and not a technical issue? There is a long summer ahead of Cork and the very thought of there being no CAT II available for whatever reason is again the stuff of nightmares.

It has been raining very heavily all day in Cork. Passengers have again been doing the walk of shame to the aircraft in the wind and lashing rain. Why? Not only that but landside today there other rain related issues. There was just one minibus available to bring passengers to and from the remote car parks. Why? Most passengers gave up and walked in the rain.

Cork Airport and her passengers are once again on the receiving end of 2nd class treatment. Why? Today's weather remains horrible. Can the chairman and board still agree to DAA dictat of having no airbridges for Cork? If yes, they should consider their positions.

Time to put Cork Airport first and not egoes.

[aeulad]

Cork is getting twice weekly SN Brussels Airlines flights to Brussels.

Good news!

Regards

Mike

[lowfaresbuster]

Brussels- July and August Only, there won't be too many MEP's and eurocrats travelling from ORK during the summer. Mainly holiday traffic ex. Belgium, I expect

[riverrock]

so any more info on who will be the new John Smyth of Cork Airport??

[Tom the Tenor]

No news, it has been very quiet at Cork Airport. No news either about the appointment of a CEO in spite of the big ad in the newspapers a few months ago. Have no suitable candidates yet been sourced?

I fear there is a danger that Cork may be slipping. The place has been at a standstill since John Smyth's departure and it is difficult to guess what the next movement will be by Cork Airport's board. The greatest threat of all is a return to the mindset of the 1970s and 1980s if the slip is allowed to go unchecked.

There was a lot of play made last week when it was announced that Cork Airport will have to absorb the debt of the new terminal rather than the Dublin end of the DAA. The local politicians were going a bit mental in the newspapers about it. Looks to me like the situation might be used by the new chairman and board to try and start getting rid of some of the airport employees.

John Smyth's present is sure being missed. Malev are starting next week and you would hardly know about it. A few billboard ads and that is about it. There ought to be a lot more publicity about the story and as for any work on future new routes there has not even been a murmor. It is very sad, really.

Tonight I was speaking with a work colleague who is organising a short trip away to western Germany and it galled me to learn she and her party are travelling from snn. This is the second such time this past week parties known to me have taken the snn option to to this part of Germany.

Shame Cork Airport is missing out like this on an option to a Ruhr Valley destination. Crikey, even Hahn would be good!

[eastjimmy]

just wondering if anyone has any gen on airport authoritys plans for the replacement of mr smith??? is it down to the crowd in dublin to appoint a replacement or what?.. all seems very quiet of late down cork way... no new roumors of new routes operators etc.. was also wodering does any one have any info on aer aranns plans for the future at cork. i know they will be increasing their frequency to dub but any other destinations in mind??


as a side issue i noted that the arrangement for parking of the cargo a/c has changed. is this a temp. measure or is this the start of the taxi in push out set up at the airport with the new terminal..am i sad or what......:}