Bristol Airport - General Thread

[TheLocalYokel]

I've just been reading this TimesOnLine report as well. Great minds and all that...........

One must wonder whether Macquarie will have the ability to raise the money for the expansion in the present circumstances even if they don't sell the airport.

If they do sell it then a new owner will almost certainly go back to the drawing board re expansion.

 

[Aviador]

I would say that now is the best time for whoever owns the airport to press ahead with the development and expansion. People need jobs and this will prove the resounding factor especially through times like this. When the good times return (hopefully!) then people will be less concerned about the airports development and more concerned about green issues.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

But it will a case of finding money to push ahead with the expansion. We know finance is extremely difficult to come by at present with many capital projects in the country as a whole (not just aviation) either stopped part way through, delayed or cancelled.

The report does not make it clear whether all Macquaries funds are affected or just some.

BRS is owned and managed in a very complicated way that goes through layers of companies, Macquarie sub-funds and Macquarie funds.

Interesting times but unsettling for airport staff.

 

[Aviador]

Hopefully the success of the airport will ensure that they can press ahead with the development. Hopefully, the funds are already in place for it to go ahead.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

I suppose it will be in the current owner's interests to push ahead with the major expansion planning applications because if they are approved it will add value to the airport when/if they come to sell it - a bit like a house on the market with planning permission already granted for a garage or an extension.

In one sense the credit crunch/severe economic downturn will be a help to the airport in that the planning process is anticipated by many to be a lengthy one in that it may be called in for public enquiry, and with legal challenges whether it is or not.

The slow down in passenger growth will mean the airport will not be in such a rush to build extra infrastructure as quickly as it might have liked had passenger growth followed the pattern of the past decade.

It will also give time to whoever owns the place in a couple of years' time or so to hope the world economy is getting back on its feet by then with finance easier to obtain.

One would think that in normal times Bristol Airport would be a desirable facility to own, and if it eventually receives full expansion permission a very desirable facility.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Nothing's New

Controversial plans for a second commercial airport to serve Bristol and the West Country moved a stage further yesterday as a new airline was launched which aims to run business flights from Filton airfield by the spring.

More than 7,000 people live in the flight path of the British Aerospace airfield, mostly in new houses around the new town of Bradley Stoke. Many feel their lives will suffer if the company, Air Bristol, achieves its target of 27,000 aircraft movements a year.

BAe's Filton site employs about 8,000 people on making wings for the European Airbus and other projects. But the company says the airfield, which costs pounds 1m a year to run, is under-used. Management believes a commercial airport will help guarantee its future.

It was announced yesterday that Air Bristol's chairman will be Charles Stuart, a former board member of British Airways and chairman and chief executive of Brymon Airways from 1983 to 1991. To begin with, the company intends running three BAe 146 jets which are considered quiet enough to operate out of the London City airport.

The company claims Bristol's existing airport, 18 miles south of the city at Lulsgate, is unable to cope with more passengers. Numbers last year rose by almost 40 per cent, topping 1 million for the first time. The airport has been thwarted by Woodspring District Council in its plan to open a second terminal and this will now go to a public inquiry due to be held in May.

'Lulsgate is inaccessible and facilities for business people are poor,' Malcolm Ginsberg, Air Bristol's spokesman, said. 'It is ideal as a holidaymakers' airport, but will never be the type of port of entry and departure that businessmen demand.'

Details of Air Bristol's sources of finance and European destinations are due to be announced next month. Mr Ginsberg said these were likely to include Paris, Amsterdam, Munich, Frankfurt and Milan. He said the airport was expected to create 200 jobs.

Opponents of the plans for Filton have been alarmed to discover BAe does not need planning consent to open the airport as it has an airfield licence from the Civil Aviation Authority and was granted the relevant airfield status last year.

Thelma Smith, an Avon county councillor, many of whose constituents live below Filton's flight path, said: 'There is no doubt people's lives will be downgraded. Those living nearby shut their doors when aircraft are landing because of the fumes coming into their homes. And when planes fly over Filton College, you have to stop talking because of the noise.'

Meanwhile, management at Bristol airport deny Lulsgate is inadequate or inaccessible. Jackie Preston, marketing manager, said: 'We realise that in the long term we will need more space. But as far as passengers on scheduled flights are concerned there is no great problem. We are constantly improving facilities.

'As for access, the airport is well signposted, though it would be ideal if we were close to a motorway or a had a rail link.'

link: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/fe ... 71915.html

I found this newspaper report whilst Googling. It dates from 1993.

There is a lot still relevant today.

The local authority was anti-expansion and the new terminal plans had to go to public enquiry as a result. People were moaning about poor access and limited site.

The airport did manage to kick on from being just a holiday airport though. Ninth in size in the UK isn't at all bad given the list of physical disadvantages it enjoys.

Incidentally, someone has found an extra ten miles from somewhere. Lulsgate is eight miles south of Bristol, not 18.

 

[Aviador]

How far apart are the two airport Local Yokel?

 

[TheLocalYokel]

In a straight line, probably no more than 12 miles.

They both lie on the A 38, the primary route from the North and Midlands to the South West before the M5 was built.

However, anyone covering those 12 miles in less than an hour will be doing very well because the congested city of Bristol lies in between. It's a case of going throught the middle or around the edge; the latter would double the 12-mile distance.

Filton is actually situated within the outer urban edge of the physical city (local government-wise it's just outside the Bristol boundary) whereas Lulsate is about four miles south of the urban boundary, amidst the hills and fields of North Somerset.

Anyone with a modicum of sense would have opted for Filton over Lulsgate for an airport but city councils down the years have not been the most prescient bodies hereabouts and Bristol went for Lulsgate in the 1950s when the old Whitchurch Airport became too small - swapping a problem for an identical one for future generations.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

I've noted that the current CEO and his short-lived predecessor who shot off to BHX in short order invariably use a press spokesman to speak to the media. Andrew Skipp, John Parkin and dear old Les Wilson always did it themselves.

I often wonder how much these spokesmen know about the airport.

This morning the spokesman was being interviewed live on the local BBC radio station about the decision of Lufthansa to pull out of Bristol when at the end of the interview the BBC host said, "On a different topic, our travel desk says there are major problems with flights to Grece today. How is this affecting Bristol Airport?"

The airport spokesman waffled for a bit, then said he had no information at present but would find out and contact the BBC Bristol travel desk.

Like most regional airports at this time of the year Bristol doesn't have any flights to Greece or Greek islands.

One might have thought he would have known that. It's not as if Bristol has a LHR-like route network.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

bagport launches WeighAhead and WrapPort

Taking an innovative idea introduced to them in the last two years, bagport has recently opened its WeighAhead and WrapPort systems in Bristol to much fanfare. Designed by Weigh-ahead UKENA Ltd, who have the patent on the idea and system, WeighAhead takes its place alongside bagport's WrapPort, working together to take on an even larger growing market stance.

Weigh-ahead’s conveniently sized, bright yellow units offer passengers the chance to weigh each piece of baggage, prior to check-in, for GBP 1. After determining the weight, a receipt is printed detailing the extra kilos and any charges to be paid with the airline. Alternatively, to assist with re-packing, the passenger has the option to purchase a convenient, foldable bag, on-site, for GBP 8. A re-weigh is also available, at no extra charge, using the pin number provided on the receipt. Users of the system benefit greatly from being able to reduce the costs associated with excess luggage weight.

WeighAhead and the bright blue WrapPort unit are stationed inside the Bristol terminal, directly between the main entrance and in front of check-in. A minimal GBP 4 will wrap each piece of luggage individually before checking in.

But why should passengers wrap their baggage?

As customer service experts, bagport have concentrated on the hows and whys of passenger travel. They’ve discovered that people may be concerned about what happens to their luggage items when they're given up for handling. Internal theft and using bags for smuggling has seen an increase over the years so luggage manufacturers have focused on better closures and locks. WrapPort adds an extra sense of security by wrapping each piece completely.

People who travel with backpacks or any kind of large shoulder bag are wary of slings and belts getting caught in handling. They don't want to be surprised at pick-up with any kind of damage so WrapPort provides that extra service of enveloping the entire piece with a tight, transparent foil that is easily extractable once the passenger reaches his home or hotel having also enjoyed the added protection upon leaving the airport.

With these and more services on the drawing board, such as the upcoming AssistPort, BagShop and BagPorter, bagport's growth in the ever-increasing travel industry is assured.

link: http://www.bristolairport.co.uk/news_an ... pPort.aspx

I don't imagine that Bristol is the first UK airport to adopt this scheme. Does anyone know of any others?

All I can say is that I am amazed that anyone would bother to pay money for such a service, especially in these straitened times, unless they were very rich in which case I don't suppose they would worry too much about excess baggage charges anyway.

 

[Aviador]

I don't know if it was WeighAhead or WrapPort but I have seem a similar system used at Barcelona Airport were people were queuing like sheep to use the equipment. I don't really like the idea of using copious amounts of shrink-wrap to wrap luggage. It seems waistful when you see the amount of the 'oil based plastic' they consume and I'm no swampy as you know!

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Macquarie Puts Bristol Airport Up For Sale

Further to the posts in this thread of early March, Times Online carries a further story today that the airport is to be sold.

This must put a major question mark on the expansion plans. That said, any new owner may well allow the planning applications to proceed because they are likely to take a long time given the likelihood of a planning enquiry or appeals.

It will almost certainly be two or three years before a final planning decision is arrived at and, if it is in the airport's favour, the world economy may be in better shape then.

Times Online report reads:

Macquarie has put Bristol International airport up for sale as the embattled Australian infrastructure giant scrambles to raise cash.

The group is understood to have sounded out potential buyers for the airport, which carried more than 6m passengers in 2008.

Industry sources say possible bidders include Prudential’s M&G’s infrastructure fund and Fortis, which recently bought Belfast’s George Best airport.

The airport was valued at around €320m (£283m) in 2006, but interested bidders are likely to offer much less now.

During the boom, Macquarie paid huge prices for infrastructure assets, often with big debt packages, that have since values plummet. Many of its funds are now dumping assets at depressed prices to meet refinancing payments and return money to investors.

One senior industry source said: “There is a vast gap between directors’ valuations and their own stock price. What it means is a flood of assets coming into the market which is further depressing prices.”

The value of Bristol airport may be affected by a recent fall in its passenger numbers, which plunged 26% in February, and 20% so far this year as recession-hit travellers cut back on flying.

Macquarie and Cintra, a subsidiary of BAA’s Spanish owner Ferrovial, bought the airport jointly in 2001 for £198m. In 2006, Macquarie purchased Ferrovial’s 50% stake for €158m.

link: http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/b ... 122352.ece

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Re Macquarie Puts Bristol Airport Up For Sale

The Bristol Evening Post carried this story today. Like many local newspapers it does little of its own research and its article is a straight rehash of the TimesOnLine piece.

As is often the case with this type of newspaper it completely lacks a perspective (almost certainly through ignorance and laziness) and goes to town on how many passengers the airport has lost over the winter.

This has led to many more responders to its web story than is usually the case with some well-known objectors pointing out the folly of expansion; it can't be doing well if its owner wants to sell it, blah, blah, blah.

Even well-meaning ordinary people have assumed that Bristol is in dire straits and somewhere along the line the idea of closure crept into the 'debate'.

This led to some people from South Wales and at least one from Exeter commenting how well their airports were doing in comparison and they could take the passengers if Bristol closed.

This was purely down to the newspaper's story lacking balance of any sort.

My alter ego was forced to point out that Bristol, over the past 12 months in passenger performance, was second only to Birmingham of the top ten airports, and had a tiny percentage drop of 1.5%.

Most other UK airports were worse than this, some much worse, including the local ones at Cardif and Exeter with falls in passenger numbers of 7.6% and 10.1% respectively over the past 12 months.

If, based on passenger figure drops, Bristol was for the chop then so were over 90% of the country's airports with most way ahead in the closure queue.

 

[Aviador]

Hmm journalistic spiel, my other half used to be a journalist and she always makes me laugh when she talks about the headlines in the newspapers as been so over the top. Journalists have always been part of the problem regarding airport expansion. When they go out to look for a story they will always go way over the top in their reporting and usually assuming public opinion on subjects.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

I believe the problem is that many local newspapers do not have dedicated transport or aviation correspondents. Hence you get stories about Boeing Airbuses (have seen this in the national Press too).

When it was locally owned the Bristol Evening Post had some excellent aviation correspondents down the years but now it is part of a national chain (forget which and can't be bothered to check) it is little more than a comic used as a trainer for green, (not in the environmental sense) aspiring young reporters and for old hacks too useless or spiritless to do anything else.

Addendum:

Just checked - the Bristol Evening Post is now part of the Northcliffe Newspapers Group.

 

[Aviador]

Reference to Bagport who have recently set-up stall up here in Leeds, I have to say that most people are quite happy to pay a pound for a trolley that actually works unlike the ones the airport used to have (wheels dropping off etc)The only bad points are that there aren't enough of them to go around and the machines don't accept Rupees. :wacko:

 

[TheLocalYokel]

I'm not certain Bagport has anything to do with the Bristol trolleys that also cost an unreturned pound - not sure whether they accept euros. At BRS Bagport are involved in weighing luggage before check-in, allegedly to save passengers money, and also wrapping luggage.

Harking back to the Bristol Evening Post and its unbalanced report about BRS's fall in passenger numbers, the paper has done another article today (equally lacking in any context) in which it brings matters up to date by publishing the March figures and, for good measure, reprises all the monthly figures back to November when monthly drops in numbers began. They ignored the first ten months of last year, all of which showed increases, some in high double digits.

If the YEP has it in for LBA, the BEP is equally destructive in its comments about BRS.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Kiss Flights

The Kiss flights have now been confirmed on the Bristol Airport website - see extract below.

Bristol's charter flights are looking a bit thin this summer compared with recent summers. A couple of years ago there were six based charter aircraft (2 First Choice, 1 Thomsonfly, 1 MyTravel, 1 XL and 1 Air Malta, the last named also operating for the XL Group). Now there are just four - 2 Thomas Cook A320s and two TUI B757s, with a further TUI 767 part based for the transatlantics, assuming this dreadful flu virus doesn't put paid to those flights.

Last summer there were four weekly flights to/from Sharm el-Sheikh. This summer there will be only two and the Koral Blue won't start until early July. Last summer the KBR flight operated right through from May, albeit not for Kiss.

Kiss Flights have announced that they will be operating the following exciting programme of flights to Sharm el Sheikh and Tenerife direct from Bristol International Airport this summer.

Sharm el-Sheikh (Thursdays)
Outbound:
Flight Number KBR4411
Departs Bristol 1140
Arrives Sharm el-Sheikh 1700

Inbound:
Flight Number KBR4410
Departs Sharm el-Sheikh 0700
Arrives Bristol 1050

Flights operate from 2nd July - 29th October 2009 with Koral Blue Airlines

Tenerife (Fridays)
Outbound:
Flight Number VIK251
Departs Bristol 1730
Arrives Tenerife 2155

Inbound:
Flight Number VIK252
Departs Tenerife 1120
Arrives Bristol 1535

Flights operate from 3rd July - 30th October 2009 with Viking Airlines

 

[Aviador]

It's a sorry state of affairs at the moment but Bristol still fairs better than most airports of a similar size. For example I think Liverpool only has 1 based charter operator for the summer. Again, here at Bristol's twin airport, in the hills above Leeds we only have 1 based Thomas Cook aircraft for the summer. It doesn't seem like long since we had a based 767 of Thomsonfly and a based My Travel A320.

I would say this recession is all about damage limitation for most airports and if Bristol can hang-on to it's 2 Thomson Airways and 2 Thomas Cook aircraft that wont be too bad.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Airport Plans Still On Track

Bristol International Airport's (BIA) co-owners have sought to allay speculation the site is up for sale.

Staff from the Macquarie group have also confirmed they still remain committed to a £150million project to expand the facility, following a report in the Sunday Times that said potential buyers for the airport were being sought.

Two funds run by the Australian investment company own shares in BIA along with Ontario Teachers Pension Plan.

Macquarie Airports chief executive Kerrie Mather said: "Macquarie Airports remains in a strong financial position, with significant surplus cash, and no material debt maturities until 2011.

A spokesman added: "Macquarie remains an investor in BIA, is committed to the development project and supportive of the growth plans for the airport."

Proposals to expand BIA by doubling the size of the terminal, adding new car park facilities, increasing aircraft stands and installing walkways to aircraft parking areas are due to be submitted to North Somerset Council this month.

If approved the development would mean BIA could handle 10million passengers by 2016.

When submitted, the plans will be decided on by members of the authority's south area planning committee.

However, during a meeting of North Somerset Council on April 14, Councillor David Shopland said the full council should be the body to vote on the important project.

He said: "Everyone in this district is affected in some way or other by the airport and I think it's right that those residents and voters should feel that all of the areas have taken part in the decision.

"At the moment an application that affects everybody is decided by one third of the council - that's not democracy, that's arrogance."

However, the plan was criticised by members of the Tory executive, who said changing the rules would set a precedent.

link: http://www.thewestonmercury.co.uk/conte ... 3A22%3A210

The ownership of BRS is so complicated, spread through various parts of the Macquarie empire, with speculation that some of the Macqaurie funds that have an interest in the airport are cash-strapped and urgently need to raise cash, whilst Macquarie Airports is 'in a strong financial position, with significant surplus cash', according to its CEO.

Who knows the truth of it outside Macquarie and its advisers?