Future Infrastructure Developments

[dispext]

Re: Infrastructure Developments

infact, I can't help but think that these works will only add to the underlying problem with LBA, that is has just been extended again and again rather than being rebuilt. Look at the money being bounded about at Bristol for example. This is a drop in the pond compared to the plans there right?

 

[Aviador]

Re: Infrastructure Developments

Are there no plans to replace the 'temporary' check-in hall B?

From what I gather, this is only phase 1 of 2 phases to effectively rebuild the terminal although it's hard enough to imagine phase 1 being built let alone phase 2 etc. LS16 mentioned a board meeting this month, so hopefully Bridgepoint will be writing out those company cheques to the builders as we speak.

 

[Aviador]

Re: Infrastructure Developments

Interesting how there's no security personnel in the newly named "search zone". Might be worth trying to sneak my 200ml deodorant and 500ml mouthwash through!!!!

I guess it's a bit like going through Tesco's where you'll see endless closed unmanned check-outs with only one open.

 

[Bigman]

Re: Infrastructure Developments

Don't bother masere. My mate tried that when we flew to AMS but it ended up in the bin. He didn't listen to me!!!

 

[WYIA]

Re: Infrastructure Developments

Some more gates would help, on sunday - 4 flights 1 gate and again Ryanair using stand 8 but not the airbridge because they demmand a walk out gate with a holding lounge. If the airport is going to get contracts from airlines like this, they need to work on gates airside asap! no amount of cosmetic work landside is going to solve this mess of an airport.

 

[Bigman]

Re: Infrastructure Developments

I don't know why they don't use stand 10 more in what was the old 'domestic' bit upstairs.

 

[WYIA]

Re: Infrastructure Developments

Boarding for stand 5 is just a treat! They line up passengers down a walkway in 30c of heat for a good ten minutes and let them watch as charter passengers board their a320 in comfort and ease!

 

[masere]

Re: Infrastructure Developments

I prefer walking out to the aircraft rather than using an airbridge, had to do it Tuesday for flight to Dublin. It's great to be right up next to them you get a true sense of the size of the things, and get great photos too!

 

[User0001]

Re: Infrastructure Developments

I suppose this could be posted in the Easyjet thread, but this seems to confirm what I was told that the airport are getting close to deciding on the timing of the terminal investment

http://www.thebusinessdesk.com/yorkshir ... _section=5

THE arrival of easyJet at Leeds-Bradford Airport is an important step forward for the business as it prepares to make a major investment in its facilities, according to chief executive John Parkin.

Mr Parkin welcomed easyJet's decision to launch a winter service to Geneva, its first flight from Leeds-Bradford, as an endorsement of the direction the airport is taking from a major brand in air travel.

Leeds-Bradford is finalising the timetable of a £30m project to improve facilities at the airport terminal and increase its capacity to 5m passengers a year.

Mr Parkin said: "It's a key brand. I don't think there are too many people who haven't heard of easyJet and similarly we have other strong airlines here where you could say the same.

"But I think this is about the rapid growth and development of Leeds-Bradford up to where it should be in terms of its ability to serve the region's demand for air travel which is far greater than the airport has been able to service in the past which is why so many people have gone to Manchester.

"If you can combine where people want to go, with a brand they know, with a frequency and choice at a right price that is convenient you have a winning formula."

Mr Parkin said it was important that the investment in the airport was matched by growth in services and easyJet's decision was central to that.

While easyJet has only committed to a single route for the moment, the airport is expecting it to operate again next winter and hoping it is the start of the airline establishing a wider network from Leeds-Bradford.

"easyJet seldom operate single routes to anywhere, there are a few examples but they seldom do that. They share our enthusiasm for the scale of the marketplace here and the fact we have millions of people living within 60 minutes, many of whom want to fly."

 

[Aviador]

Re: Infrastructure Developments

Local Yokel - out of interest, how many based aircraft does BRS have in peak summer. Easyjet is about 10 I guess + Ryanair & charters. Be interesting to compare it to LBA considering BRS is over twice as busy from a pax perspective

.

easyJet has 10 based aircraft at BRS in summer rising to 11 in the peak July-mid Sept season.

This has been the case in both summer 2010 and summer 2009, although peak summer 2008 saw 12 based 319s - 2008 was the only calendar year (so far) where BRS exceeded 6 million passengers (over 6.2mppa).

In peak summer 2010 there were 9 A319s and 2 A320s and it looks as those one of the 320s will remain through this winter.

Ryanair had 5 based B738s in summer 2010 but also operated 14 out of 21 weekly DUBs with DUB-based machines, 7 of the 14 BHDs with BHD-based machines and (I think) 3 of the FAOs with equipment from elsewhere.

There is a bmiRegional ERJ 145 based for BRU services for Brussels Airlines and a night-stopping KLM Cityhopper F 70 and a night-stopping Air France (Airlinair) ATR 72.

Charter based aircraft in summer 2010 were 2 TOM 757s, a weekend-based TOM 763 for Mexico and Florida and 2 TCX A320s. Until Kiss Flights went bust there was also a based Viking B733.

Everything else, both charter and scheduled, is operated by non-based aircraft.

Thanks Yokel. Great stuff.
So, max of 25 / 26 based aircraft and the best part of 6 million passengers. All no doubt well understood by the ex-Bristolians at Leeds and explains why no one is rushing around laying new stands left right and centre at LBA at the moment

I can understand your reasoning behind it but I don't think it's that simple LS16. In principle the size of aircraft X the number of aircraft might give you a rough passenger figure but you have to look at the number of movements as well.

Looking at comparisons between each airports largest operators, the Jet2 operation at LBA and the Easyjet operation at BRS. During the winter months Jet2 operates significantly less flights through the winter at LBA than Easyjet operates at BRS. Needless to say the Easyjet BRS operation will operate significantly more flights over the course of the winter bolstering the airports passenger totals there.

Basically, although Jet2's Leeds based aircraft are utilised to the full during the summer months, significant downtime during the winter months translates as significantly less passengers from LBA. The airport either needs to increase it's offering of year round flights or it will need to increase the number of stands to allow for an increase in it's summer operation.

Clearly there's so many other things to take into account but it doesn't seem to make sense to operate the airport with virtually no availability of parking stands to offer to airlines for based night-stopping equipment.

On another note the airport will also need to look at phase 1 of the parallel taxiway if the aircraft movements increase much more.

 

[backtrack]

Re: Infrastructure Developments

On another note the airport will also need to look at phase 1 of the parallel taxiway if the aircraft movements increase much more.

The amount of times i have heard pilots talking about this issue.

It is putting airlines off, and as Aviador says is a serious priority for LBA now. The time it takes each aircraft to back track and line up then it has to takeoff before another aircraft is cleared to enter the runway takes up too much valuable time when aircraft are queued up along taxiway Delta with engines running.

 

[User0001]

Re: Infrastructure Developments

On another note the airport will also need to look at phase 1 of the parallel taxiway if the aircraft movements increase much more.

The amount of times i have heard pilots talking about this issue.

It is putting airlines off, and as Aviador says is a serious priority for LBA now. The time it takes each aircraft to back track and line up then it has to takeoff before another aircraft is cleared to enter the runway takes up too much valuable time when aircraft are queued up along taxiway Delta with engines running.

Which airlines are being put off?
The last time I discussed this with a senior ATCO at Leeds, I was informed it would be a complete waste of money as there was a flow control restriction on LBA departures into the MAN TMA. In otherwords, even if you could physically line them up on the runway, the aircraft wouldn't be allowed to depart into the airways system that quickly. It was a couple of years ago, so things may have changed, but it goes to show that, as ever, things are more complicated than we might think.

 

[White Heather]

Re: Infrastructure Developments

It was always the case that a specific number of aircraft movements per hour were required before a parallel taxiway would be considered (don't ask as I can't remember the number). What I do know is that we are nowhere near that figure yet. Only the Southern taxiway is likely to be built first anyway (for 32 departures) since the other end requires an extension to the road tunnel and is going to cost a fortune.

 

[Aviador]

Re: Infrastructure Developments

As per the Masterplan:

2006 - 19 stands

As things stand at the moment we have 24 stands of which at least 4 have very limited access. The airport masterplan says that by the time the airport is handling 4.3m passengers it will require 27 stands.

2010 - 24 stands - to date with approximately 3m passengers

2011 - 27 stands - based on 4.3m passengers - aircraft movements per hour 22
2016 - 31 stands - based on 5.1m passengers - aircraft movements per hour 25

The LBA Masterplan says that the airport can handle "approximately 20 air traffic movements per hour without a parallel taxiway, it is therefore likely that a parallel taxiway to runway 32 would be needs by 2010". Although the passenger numbers needs to be revised downwards, these figures still indicate that both stands and phase 1 of the parallel taxiway will be needed sooner rather than later, baring in mind that 4.3m passengers would lead to around 22 movements per hour.

 

[White Heather]

Re: Infrastructure Developments

Agreed Aviador, although we are some way yet from 4.3m passengers/22 movements per hour. Assuming that the terminal expansion goes ahead and leads to yet more flights, then the parallel taxiway will probably come as the next major development, possibly even before phase 2 of the terminal. If Ryanair expand again next summer by adding back the 2010 summer routes but maintaining the new winter routes, then I think they would need to start looking at the taxiway within 2 years.

 

[WYIA]

Re: Infrastructure Developments

I personally think that the terminal takes priority over the taxiway. Waiting to enter the runway is a regular thing, for periods of over 10 minutes at airports such as AMS, FRA, BRU etc. Its not really a big issue at LBA yet & when operatingh from 14, atc trys to get ac into the loop to better departure frequency.

 

[pug]

Re: Infrastructure Developments

What is phase 2 of the terminal development whiteheather?

Ive wondered for a while why they dont just scrap the terminal and start afresh like Birmingham did in the 80's. Afterall hasnt the terminal been completely rebuilt once before?

Ive not been to the airport for at least 13 years, but i will be flying from there for the first time next month, so will be interesting to see what its like as a passenger.

 

[brtitania020]

Re: Infrastructure Developments

I too would like to know what phase 2 of the Terminal re-development is, as i can only think that it will be a newly built Departures lounge and gates plus a small pier following the apron to the remote stands to the east etc

 

[User0001]

Re: Infrastructure Developments

There will a review of the airport masterplan in 2011. This will be the first masterplan produced by the current airport owners. Phase 1 of the terminal development will allow a passenger throughput of between 4.2mppa to 5mppa. It will be intersesting to see exact plans by the current airport owners in relation to taxyways, apron enlargement and terminal extension etc. I personally hope and expect to see pretty rapid acceleration of passenger numbers in the next 2 to 3 years but only after phase 1 is completed. Surely the commencement of phase 1 will be announced very soon.

 

[White Heather]

Re: Infrastructure Developments

Phase 2 of the terminal is, as far as I am aware, intended to upgrade those parts not significantly affected by Phase 1 and from memory, that is the Arrivals Hall, which is undoubtedly too small and difficult to get to, plus the eventual removal of the existing Jet2 check in hall, which was only intended as a temporary measure. That would indicate that they may intend to increase the number of check in desks again in the future if required, although with the move towards on line check in, I have my doubts. Phase 1 is providing the new Departure Lounge and I don't think Phase 2 will add anything to that. I also do not think that they are intending to put in any further air bridges either.