Route Development & Rumours

[BHXsupporter]

Conceivably another low-cost disaster on the way. It involves BHX in the sense that it is an Indian LC carrier - but look at the aircraft choice vs route length! Seems bizarre to me but there we are, the attraction of any LGW slot.

https://aviationanalyst.co.uk/2018/09/07/low-cost-indian-airline-secures-slots-for-london-route/

 

[Coathanger16]

Conceivably another low-cost disaster on the way. It involves BHX in the sense that it is an Indian LC carrier - but look at the aircraft choice vs route length! Seems bizarre to me but there we are, the attraction of any LGW slot.

https://aviationanalyst.co.uk/2018/09/07/low-cost-indian-airline-secures-slots-for-london-route/

The article suggests it will include a stopover in Istanbul. Its been mentioned on the Gatwick thread that Dubai could also be an option.

 

[BHXsupporter]

Sorry I should have said that part of my wondering about the viability of the venture was the stopover.

 

[paully]

one aircraft operation, certainly initially, no experience of long haul or operating into the UK in winter plus the vagaries of an intermediate stop. What could possibly go wrong??

 

[thunderchild]

I find it hard to believe that someone isn't seriously looking at Lisbon.

TAP are reportedly planning on opening fifteen new routes next year - three seemingly from Porto leaving eleven to be launched from Lisbon. Let’s hope BHX is one of them.

 

[Seasider]

Just to be pedantic, three plus eleven is 14.

 

[Ray Finkle]

TAP are reportedly planning on opening fifteen new routes next year - three seemingly from Porto leaving eleven to be launched from Lisbon. Let’s hope BHX is one of them.

Lets hope so, Lisbon is high up on my to do list.

 

[Ray Finkle]

Ah well, never mind

Tel Aviv, Basel, Dublin, Tenerife, Naples, Montreal, Chicago, Washington, San Francisco, Conakry, Porto-Brussels, Banjul, Porto-Lyon, Porto-Munich, Newark (daily) will be the new routes available to TAP passengers in next year.

https://jornaleconomico.sapo.pt/not...15-avioes-e-novas-rotas-no-proximo-ano-352378

 

[thunderchild]

Just to be pedantic, three plus eleven is 14.

Can I blame the glass of Malbec I had with my Sunday roast for that one?

 

[thunderchild]

Ah well, never mind

Tel Aviv, Basel, Dublin, Tenerife, Naples, Montreal, Chicago, Washington, San Francisco, Conakry, Porto-Brussels, Banjul, Porto-Lyon, Porto-Munich, Newark (daily) will be the new routes available to TAP passengers in next year.

https://jornaleconomico.sapo.pt/not...15-avioes-e-novas-rotas-no-proximo-ano-352378

Ah well, there’s always 2020. A pretty impressive list though.

 

[Brum X]

TAP are reportedly planning on opening fifteen new routes next year - three seemingly from Porto leaving eleven to be launched from Lisbon. Let’s hope BHX is one of them.

I told you TAP would come to BHX one day

But not next year

 

[David_itl]

Let's do a bit of leap-of-faithing.

Hints of possible return of 3rd daily Emirates bookable/showing on their website.

Emirates' Sir Tim Clark states in the linked article below:
"continues to receive pitches from European airports desperate for a nonstop route to the United States. We don’t do it for the sake of doing it. If there’s an opportunity there, if they’re underserved markets and if the incumbent carriers don’t take it and if we have the air service rights to do it, then why wouldn’t you do it? It’s a commercial decision.”"

https://skift.com/2018/09/07/ceo-emirates-may-soon-resume-u-s-growth-as-business-recovers/

I know the alleged prime US destination that UK airports tend to want is New York, but would BHX want to pitch in and go after a DTW link? That way BHX would get it's 3rd daily flight but using a 787 which may be more sustainable year-round, DTW would gain a further link to Britain and also a link to DXB as one of the potential markets EK is looking at. After all, currently DTW -headed passengers currently have to route over one of EK's other US destination and clear customs there whereas there's no overload of international services I believe which could lead to a better experience?

The only fly in the ointment is "underserved markets" and not "unserved markets" so someone versed in the art of persuasion needs to raise their hand.

 

[Coathanger16]

Let's do a bit of leap-of-faithing.

Hints of possible return of 3rd daily Emirates bookable/showing on their website.

Emirates' Sir Tim Clark states in the linked article below:
"continues to receive pitches from European airports desperate for a nonstop route to the United States. We don’t do it for the sake of doing it. If there’s an opportunity there, if they’re underserved markets and if the incumbent carriers don’t take it and if we have the air service rights to do it, then why wouldn’t you do it? It’s a commercial decision.”"

https://skift.com/2018/09/07/ceo-emirates-may-soon-resume-u-s-growth-as-business-recovers/

I know the alleged prime US destination that UK airports tend to want is New York, but would BHX want to pitch in and go after a DTW link? That way BHX would get it's 3rd daily flight but using a 787 which may be more sustainable year-round, DTW would gain a further link to Britain and also a link to DXB as one of the potential markets EK is looking at. After all, currently DTW -headed passengers currently have to route over one of EK's other US destination and clear customs there whereas there's no overload of international services I believe which could lead to a better experience?

The only fly in the ointment is "underserved markets" and not "unserved markets" so someone versed in the art of persuasion needs to raise their hand.

I'd say the other spanner in the works is does Emirates hold 5th freedom rights from the UK to the USA?

 

[David_itl]

From here https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cs-uae-no12017-ukuae-agreement-concerning-air-services

Unlimited 5th freedom for UK/UAE airlines. As EK is already doing EU-USA routes, I doubt any objections would be raised

 

[flymetothemoon]

Let's do a bit of leap-of-faithing.

Hints of possible return of 3rd daily Emirates bookable/showing on their website.

Emirates' Sir Tim Clark states in the linked article below:
"continues to receive pitches from European airports desperate for a nonstop route to the United States. We don’t do it for the sake of doing it. If there’s an opportunity there, if they’re underserved markets and if the incumbent carriers don’t take it and if we have the air service rights to do it, then why wouldn’t you do it? It’s a commercial decision.”"

https://skift.com/2018/09/07/ceo-emirates-may-soon-resume-u-s-growth-as-business-recovers/

I know the alleged prime US destination that UK airports tend to want is New York, but would BHX want to pitch in and go after a DTW link? That way BHX would get it's 3rd daily flight but using a 787 which may be more sustainable year-round, DTW would gain a further link to Britain and also a link to DXB as one of the potential markets EK is looking at. After all, currently DTW -headed passengers currently have to route over one of EK's other US destination and clear customs there whereas there's no overload of international services I believe which could lead to a better experience?

The only fly in the ointment is "underserved markets" and not "unserved markets" so someone versed in the art of persuasion needs to raise their hand.

 

[flymetothemoon]

Just a point re DTW. I have just entered the US in Detroit via Lufthansa. Although this was the only international arrival in the terminal immigration took nearly two hours with only 2 clerks available for the first hour. I would never make it my entry point again! No passport machines just a miserable clerk taking nearly 10 mins with every passenger asking stupid random questions!!

 

[Ray Finkle]

There's nothing that hasn't already been mentioned but it's a decent read anyway.


Birmingham eyes better European hub connectivity and long-haul routes

Increasing connectivity to European hubs, as well as growing its long-haul network, are key targets for Birmingham Airport. Acting aviation director Tom Screen outlines the UK airport’s future network development ambitions and main message it will take to World Routes 2018 in Guangzhou.

Almost 13 million passengers passed through Birmingham Airport’s terminal building last year, marking the busiest 12 months in its 78-year history.

The figure was an impressive 11.5 percent year-on-year rise and came despite the failure of long-established leisure airline Monarch, which was the airport’s third largest carrier with ten aircraft based there.

The expansion of low-cost carrier Jet2 has been a major boon, picking up many routes previously operated by Monarch.

Although the airline only began operating from BHX in March 2017, it has grown to become the airport’s third-largest during summer 2018, with a 12.7 percent share of the available departure seats.

“Jet2 has been a phenomenal success for us,” says Tom Screen, Birmingham Airport’s acting aviation director. “The airline initially started with a base of four aircraft but this will increase to ten by summer 2019 and 11 at peak times. The growth has been huge.”

According to figures provided by OAG Schedules Analyser, Jet2’s summer 2018 schedule has a total of 630,914 available departure seats from Birmingham, compared with 295,497 a year earlier. Capacity this winter will be 52 percent higher than 2017/18 at 216,497 seats.

Its summer 2019 schedule also includes routes to seven new destinations for BHX: Bergerac, Bourgas, Chania, Izmir, Kefalonia, Pula and Verona.

However, Screen says that it still has gaps in its European network following Monarch’s demise, most notably to Lisbon, Nice, Gibraltar and Valencia, while Athens is a target after Aegean Airlines dropped its route to Greece’s capital city.

“A major aim is to increase connectivity to European hubs,” Screen adds. “We have good connections to the likes of Amsterdam, Paris and Madrid, but we would like links to cities such as Helsinki and Riga, as well as more capacity to Munich. Finnair and Air Baltic are therefore target airlines for us.”

Finnair in particular would offer Birmingham Airport improved connections to Asia, given that increasing Europe-Asia routes has been the backbone of the airline’s strategy for a number of years.

However, BHX is looking to further develop its own direct route network to Asia, building on the non-stop services to Delhi, Amritsar and Ashgabat. The Amritsar service was launched by Air India in February 2018 and increased from twice weekly to three times a week just three months later.

“India is such a huge market and we see massive potential there,” says Screen. Since Air India began services from Birmingham five years ago, it has carried more than 500,000 passengers, fuelled by strong demand from the city’s large Sikh community.

Looking west and Screen admits that Primera Air’s decision in June to suspend flights from Birmingham to New York and Toronto was “disappointing” - with the airline blaming the late delivery of its Airbus A321neo aircraft for the move - but he adds that demand for flights to North America remains strong.

“We’d love to get the route to New York back and that’s something we’re pursuing,” he says.

Despite the disappointment, Screen explains that Birmingham’s recent £300m infrastructure overhaul makes the airport an attractive prospect for airlines. The upgrades include an extended runway, a new air traffic control tower, a redeveloped terminal to handle wide-bodied aircraft, additional car parking, plus a doubling of self-service check-in stations and bag drop desks.

“We have a very strong message to take to airlines,” Screen says. “We have made a series of significant investments and have a firm focus on enhancing the passenger experience.

“In the coming years, HS2 [the new high-speed rail line connecting Birmingham and London] will also play a central role in our conversations. It will dramatically enlarge our catchment area and contribute to our status as a connected hub for the UK.”

https://www.routesonline.com/news/2...m_content=birmingham+airport+featured+article

 

[Creguk]

Would airlines listen to their "strong message" of a runway extension and new control tower in order to be persuaded...

 

[Ray Finkle]

Would airlines listen to their "strong message" of a runway extension and new control tower in order to be persuaded...

Not so far.......

In the five years since the runway extension opened we've seen two series of charter flights to China, which led to absolutely nothing and a new route to Phuket which, in true BHX style, only lasted one season. I suppose the cruise flights to Langkawi and U-Tapao wouldn't be possible without it but it's hardly earth shattering stuff.

We seem to get these type of articles every so often with big plans being laid out, anyone remember 2012 when the key targets were Orlando and more to Toronto?

Finnair and Air Baltic will be a nice start but we need so much more.

 

[thunderchild]

These articles would be all well and good if something ever came of them. Interesting that Air Baltic is mentioned again though.