Fly Pelican to start RPT

[BPA]

J32s to operate SYD-MDG-SYD.

Mudgee could have flights back by March - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) (http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-12-15/mudgee-could-have-flights-back-by-march/5967470)

[ihavelotsofquestions]

Experienced crew behind them, wish them good fortune:ok:

[onehitwonder]

Steve still around?

[BPA]

Looks like flights will start in April;

Cleared for take-off: council funds lock in Mudgee-Sydney air service - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) (http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-02-05/mudgee-flights/6072496)

[ihavelotsofquestions]

Council's $670,000 to maintain "reasonable" air fares between Mudgee and Sydney - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) (http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-02-06/mudgee-pelicon/6075530)

Well done.:ok:

[TBM-Legend]

Not much of s business model when it needs a local govt subsidy to operate .:hmm:

[BNEA320]

on the contrary. Council should underwrite it, otherwise no one silly enough to do it.

[Ascend Charlie]

Oh, goody! Somebody other that JetGo for the armchair experts to pull their throttles about.

Come in, Nulli Sekundus..........

[TBM-Legend]

Council should underwrite my brother's business too.

[BPA]

From Australian Aviation;

Pelican Airlines plans Newcastle-Canberra services | Australian Aviation (http://australianaviation.com.au/2015/02/pelican-airlines-plans-newcastle-sydney-services/)

More infomation here, including news that they will be starting NTL-SYD and SYD-MDG;

http://www.newcastleairport.com.au/corporate/about/media-releases/flights-to-canberra-recommence#.VO5EiCcayK2

[pistinaround]

Great news best wishes for all involved, hope you return it to the great little airline it once was. All the best !

[The name is Porter]

Pity they're not operating out of Pelican! The airfield is not being returned to its former glory, it'll be far in excess of it. Great story happening there at the moment!

[drunk_pilot]

I'm happy to hear of their return as well! I was very disappointed they got merged into brindy and went with them. Never heard a bad word spoken about the duck. Does anyone know if SO and/or BW are involved again?:ok:

[Horatio Leafblower]

S O'D no, BW yes.

[drunk_pilot]

Great. Thanks Horatio :ok:

[Duck Pilot]

Off the subject, what's the future hold for the Aeropelican Aerodrome? Are they likely to open it up again? It would be a great place to jump out of the Cessna, jump the highway and hit the beach in summer.

Good luck to Pelican's new venture, I see the Jetstreams are still in the Hangar at BK.

[BPA]

Duck Pilot,

The future of the airport is very bright;

Consortium buys Belmont Airport for skydiving, adventure flights | Newcastle Herald (http://www.theherald.com.au/story/2253335/consortium-buys-belmont-airport-for-skydiving-adventure-flights/)

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-12-10/flights-in-and-out-of-belmont-airport/5956432

http://www.nbnnews.com.au/index.php/2014/12/19/westpacs-choppers-headed-for-belmont-airport/

[The name is Porter]

The vibe there is excellent! From what I understand there are huge plans for the place. It's like being in another country where aviation is flourishing.

[Duck Pilot]

Thats the best news I've heard for years in relation to the Aeropelican Aerodrome. Great to see some aviation orientated people muscling out the commercial developers, for now anyway. Hopefully the government authorities won't jack the associated taxes up in an effort to force the place to close again.

[The name is Porter]

Duck,

They have huge support from the local council. People drop in everyday to see what's going on. People are loving Matt's displays along the coast rather than the usual noise whinging. There are some big projects happening there, I think it will be a model for anyone thinking of re-building an aerodrome to a place where people want to be.

[hiwaytohell]

Back to the topic. Any word on their start date to MDG? Has the NSW Government issued the route licence and how did they go securing the old Brindabella slots in SYD?

[MPJ]

Fly Pelican has got a departure slot time of 6:55am. Apparently there are no other slots available between 7am and 9am.

Because the Aircraft overnights at NTL, it must depart there before the 6am curfew which has caused some issues with the RAAF. Will see what happens...

[Horatio Leafblower]

1/. I have heard start date is close

2/. EOI has not been called for the Mudgee route licences and will not be called until after the NSW election, because the NSW Govt is in caretaker mode.

3/. Assuming the Libs/Nats are returned in NSW, Baird will go to the Governor on Monday and the new cabinet sworn in by the end of the week (2 April) or the following Monday absolute latest.

4/. Last time EOIs were called on a licenced route in NSW, the period was 28 days; So 28-30 days from formation of the new government we can expect EOIs for Mudgee to close and then a couple of weeks for deliberations and licence issue.

All the above said, the MDG Council has committed to about $500k of backing so you would hope their preferred horse comes home! :eek:

[farmer dan]

A little birdy told me that they are looking at YNAA...

[BNEA320]

NAA makes sense. Vincent did it for a few months before they fell over.

[megle2]

NAA, doubt it as the local council is advertising in today's Australian for someone to do Sydney runs

[DynaBolt]

Nambucca!!! I think ya dreaming.....
Dynabolt

[BNEA320]

NAA = Narrabri.


Vincent used 34-36 seater Saab 340's. Fly Pelicans aircraft are only 19 seaters we think, so economies of scale aren't there. Maybe Rex can be talked into flying SYD/NAA but only if council comes to the party.

[BPA]

Jetgo and a new start up, Northwest Airlines (owned by Airspeed Aviation in Scone) have both expressed interest on the route.

Northwest are planning on using the B1900D and possibly a 30 seater (if demand requires it). They are also planning on basing the airline in Narrabri including establishing a engineering base. Also planning on establishing a link to Tamworth and onto Moree and Brisbane.

Jetgo are keen to operate the route, but are assessing if the route can sustain daily double return services (144 seats per day).

[Horatio Leafblower]

State government figures say a 12 year average of 12,000 pax/year = 230 pax/week.

Double daily on 5 days/week + 2 returns on weekends = 22 sectors/week.

On a 19-seater = 430 seats
On a EMB 135 = 748 seats/week

[BPA]

Thanks for the numbers Horatio Leafblower, the numbers I have are from 20 years. In order for the route to support anything bigger than a 19 seater long term it would need to linked to another town (Moree) like it has in the past.

Hopefully the council will recognise it's a 19 seat route and support the new (the old charter/flying school) operator and Narrabri will get their air connection back to Sydney.

Horatio do you know when Northwest would commence their service if successful?

[Horatio Leafblower]

When BrindaPeliduck had the route there were a few major issues not related to aircraft size.
Despite the best efforts of the people on the ground and in the aircraft, company policies dictated poor cutomer service outcomes - no refunds, no sympathy, no goodwill.

The Slots went against them - people would drive 2 hours to Tamworth to get the early flight. Added bonus: if the Metro or the J32 broke, there was little backup but if Qlink broke down you could just wait 3 hours for the next one.

The regulated world we live in prevents businesses like airlines from reacting to market conditions. Unable to vary schedules/slots to match your markets, unable to quickly change fleets to respond to fluctuations in demand, 6 months to get a complex type on your AOC, applications assesed by CASA weenies who have never done the thing they are assessing.

....could go on and on... :ugh:

September is the target, Inshallah.

[LeadSled]

6 months to get a complex type on your AOC
That is extraordinarily fast, which office of CASA, certainly not Sydney office and the land of "The Sandbag".
Tootle pip!!