Royal Mail updates

[mmeteesside]

Seen a tender for some new/rerouted Royal Mail flights...

Aberdeen-East Midlands-Aberdeen (Mon-Sat)
presumably Loganair contract is up?
East Midlands-Cardiff (Mon-Fri)
why would RM want to run this one way? what a waste of money!
Inverness-Edinburgh-East Midlands-Inverness (Mon-Fri)
taking advantage of INV's extended opening? Presumably replaces Benair/Europe Airpost??
Guernsey-Bournemouth-Guernsey (Mon-Sat)
existing Atlantic contract come to its end?

[MerchantVenturer]

East Midlands-Cardiff (Mon-Fri)
why would RM want to run this one way? what a waste of money!

I believe this is part of a re-arrangement of Royal Mail services in the South West.

I understand that the Royal Mail is stopping flying from Bristol (BRS) at the end of the year - there are currently two overnight mail flights: BRS-EDI-BRS and BRS-NCL-BRS.

My further understanding is that the Royal Mail base at Bristol would have to move from the north side of the airfield in preparation for the expansion of BRS and a site on the south side of the airport (the GA side) was looked at but was not proceeded with because of the cost.

Bristol mail will now go by road to East Midlands Airport and part of the re-arrangement is an inbound nightly mail flight from EMA to CWL, but no return flight as the mail from there will also go to EMA by road.

It does seem odd on the face of things but presumably Royal Mail has good reasons.

[mmeteesside]

Thanks, I found a bit on the Wales Air Network about Bristol being closed.

At least it'll give Titan an excuse (bar the Stansted-Belfast route!) to get rid of the 146's...
I read that Atlantic have won the EMA-CWL, presumably that will be interworked with the Guernsey stuff (like the BRS-NCL is now) in a loop GCI-BOH-EMA-CWL-BOH-GCI (am i right in thinking it'll need a crew change though?) which would mean Atlantic keeping the BOH-GCI [did they chuck this in because of losing BRS-NCL?].
Or will the contractors that lose work (Atlantic potentially 2x, Titan 2x) be given work elsewhere on the network?

[MerchantVenturer]

I heard that Atlantic would operate the EMA-CWL from a source who ought to know but I can't confirm it for certain.

I don't know how the flight routing will work out nor anything of the crewing arrangements, though it seems reasonable to suggest the aircraft will go to BOH after it leaves CWL.