Birmingham Airport - General Thread

[Brum X]

I've not looked - the relative won't fly them based on previous experience of being stranded in Ashgabat for 36 hours with no food or water. They're from Wolverhampton so you'd think they'd be used to it...

 

[Brum X]

Just spent the day over at BHX to experience our super saturday's and wasnt dissapointed. Timed it well too as i arrived this morning to see off the flights that go around 9.00am and left at approx 3.00pm just in time for the weather to go thundery and wet. As i write this i feel a little sunburt, so aftersun at the ready and tired. Its amazing how spending the day in the sun watching planes and doing absolutely nothing can make you so tired but it does.
Anyway back to SUPER SATURDAY and i loved it. Something unusual happened to the AA 757 to JFK Today AA131 taxied up to A2 and held short for about 20 mins, but then the Blue Air 737 was at the back of the 757 obviously not going anywhere and then a Thomson 787 appeared which was going to Punta Cana so the AA 757 taxied all the way down the runway exited to the left down Echo, Delta and Alpha and then performed the same again, however the second time resulted in the flight departing. Very strange and 30 mins late, anybody know what happened ??
The airport was busy from the start but after about 10.00 went a bit quiet with a couple of Flybe and Aer Lingus to keep me company, then after 11.00am right upto 3.00pm the airport was the busiest i have ever seen, at one point there were 7 Monarch aircraft, 3 Thomson aircraft, 1 Thomas Cook, 1 Air France, 1 KLM, 1 Lufthansa, 1 Icelandair, 1 Emirates A380 and 1 Qatar 787 just on the southside of the International pier and also 4 Ryanair and numerous Flybe dotted around. This was really great to see and even better for us plane spotters. My only concern is that if the management of BHX want to see similar growth next year, they will be struggling as space today was limited around 13.00pm, obvioulsy the very remote stands were still free for aircraft but some of the remote stands near to the international pier were being used for around 4 aircraft today which i have never seen in the afternoon before. As the summer season gets even busier over the peak summer months, the airport is only going to get busier and with the China flights adding to the vibrancy, even better.
I have heard today of mutterings of a battleground at BHX in summer 2016, i think i have just witnessed some of this today and it will be very interesting to see how this summer performs for our airlines and what this may or may not bring for Summer 2017.

Had a great day though, loved it

 

[Paulsstrange]

Mutterings of a battleground this summer ??

 

[Brum X]

Mutterings of a battleground this summer ??

I think this is something we all know already on several routes which is no surprise to me. But these routes which have several operators on them, which way will it go ??

 

[Paulsstrange]

Interesting to watch and see but i think we will claw our catchment back ....

 

[Ray Finkle]

Sounds like you had a great day.

Things are definitely much busier this year, probably more so than I've ever seen. June will be even better.

We've got Wizz starting Bucharest soon. A 9th aircraft from Monarch arrives in June, which coincides with the start of Lisbon and Madrid. June also sees Vueling start Alicante and Tenerife and an increase from Norwegian on Malaga.

Great to see

 

[JENNYJET]

We need the second runway and terminal to serve it.

We get new carriers and extra based aircraft but where is the terminal space and runway slots to accommodate it all?

Bigger aircraft , losing Flybe to EMA or Coventry?, moving Ryanair to tents on the Golf course side of the airfield?

Birmingham appears to be out growing it's trousers!

 

[ronnoc1k8]

Well, somebody here did make a plan (not real) that includes making a satellite pier in the place of the stands, and making new stands where the old runway used to be.

 

[Ray Finkle]

The current issue of 'Airports of the World' magazine has an interview with Paul Kehoe.

I've not read it myself but apparently Mr Kehoe suggests that he wants to see the airport grow and feels that the dithering over the south east can only help Birmingham. He also suggests that the current site just isn't suitable for long term growth, it's too small and too constrained. He said that the proposed new runway towards Catherine-De-Barnes isn't viable anymore and seems to focus on shifting everything over towards the HS2 station. It looks as if land over that way is to be safeguarded for a possible new runway and new terminal facilities.

The airports website suggests a master plan will be out early this year, with Mr K saying in a recent interview that he hadn't met with the City Council boss yet to get ideas I have a feeling that we may not see something until next year.

Hopefully in the short term an new pier or two could be added along with an extension of T2 and some new stands.

Edited to add the vision.

 

[Kevin Farnell]

In the very short term, would it be sensible for airlines who do not make use of air-bridges to use remote stands only?
This would obviously free up the air-bridged stands, but may require the purchase of several busses to get passengers to and from aircraft. A possible downside to this is presumably, the airport would charge the airlines for use of the busses, as they do for the air-bridges.
I can think of a certain Irish airline who would probably then charge their passengers for the busses.

Kevin

 

[JENNYJET]

Does that certain Irish airline use the physical infrastructure beyond check-in and security? If not then forge ahead for the benefit of those carriers that in turn help the airport to grow for the benefit of serious business beyond the low cost fodder.

I have suggested previously that the western area be expanded to include the purchase and development of the Hatchford Brook site alongside the Monarch site for a terminal for short haul and low cost operations. No need for buses as when I used Elmdon in my ancient days!!

The runway is big enough but under utilized for large parts of permitted operational hours. Terminal space perhaps?

I honestly believe we do not need to wait upon HS2, we just need to be inventive and bold enough to expand within the airfield and make better use of available space.

I am a nobody, I am not on the Airport Company paybill but someone that grew up with Elmdon and have seen the new airport evolve but God help me, so slowly. I am an aviation nerd and although with disabilities and living near Redditch, I see enough traffic and FR24 to keep in tune with events and this forum is a prize to me to which I am most grateful.

But I am getting weary of the Airport Company and the pace that has become the non progression of the Airport site itself! Getting prized airlines and aircraft is welcome but I honestly cannot see any more signing agreements within the current state of affairs.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

I am a nobody, I am not on the Airport Company paybill but someone that grew up with Elmdon and have seen the new airport evolve but God help me, so slowly. I am an aviation nerd and although with disabilities and living near Redditch, I see enough traffic and FR24 to keep in tune with events and this forum is a prize to me to which I am most grateful.

I'm delighted that you find this forum such a boon. Ray the Moderator and the cast of regular, knowledgeable posters
make the BHX forum one of the most interesting on Forums4Airports.

I enjoy reading it and learning from it and I live in the West Country.

 

[Ray Finkle]

Over the next couple of weeks we will also see Thomson add another two aircraft and Thomas Cook another one. Wizz Air are also now 3x weekly to Warsaw.

I think that things we're put on hold pending the outcome of the Davies Commission and whether Birmingham would have been chosen. Hopefully the master plan is well under way and we'll hear soon.

Short term though I think new stands are going to be needed along with an extension of the baggage area, it's going to be very busy at some points over this summer.

 

[Jon Dempsey]

The area around gate 62 could do with a revamp, from the last time I went through there, but is ideal for bussing LoCo pax out and could, perhaps, be expanded to make better use of the remote stands. It would be convenient to have some sort of covered area by the remotes to make embarking / disembarking more comfortable when it is chucking it down and having to queue up.

 

[Aceshigh]

Surely it's the lo cost fodder driving a significant part of the growth ?

 

[Ray Finkle]

Going back to a previous discussion about prices, a colleague of mine has just booked a holiday in Cancun, flying from LGW.

His words "I'd have preferred Birmingham but Gatwick is £400 cheaper!"

Is it any wonder we're still hemorrhaging passengers down the M40.

 

[Kevin Farnell]

That's a considerable amount of beer money

Kevin

 

[jfy1999]

Going back to a previous discussion about prices, a colleague of mine has just booked a holiday in Cancun, flying from LGW.

His words "I'd have preferred Birmingham but Gatwick is £400 cheaper!"

Is it any wonder we're still hemorrhaging passengers down the M40.

LGW has BA, Virgin, TOM and TCX all flying to Cancun, so prices are likely to be competitive. If BHX had competition between two or more carriers on routes like this, then we should have no problem getting back those passengers who have to suffer the long drive.

 

[Ray Finkle]

We don't though and it is a big issue.

Whilst Thomson have a monopoly on their routes they can pretty much do what they like, meanwhile lower fares elsewhere will continue to entice passengers away from BHX. It's been said by people before that if someone has a good experience elsewhere, for a cheaper price too, they could be lost long term.

This was from an interview with Mr Kehoe in 2012

Airlines are to be encouraged to increase the frequency of flights from Birmingham Airport to major destinations like Orlando, Belfast and the Caribbean.

“We’re talking to different airlines who already use us.

“We have one flight a week to Orlando in Florida. Other airports have four or five.

“We go to Montego Bay in the Caribbean once a week in the summer and Toronto in Canada once a week. We could handle more flights to Belfast. The challenge in 2013 is to do more with what we have.”

http://www.expressandstar.com/news/...-birmingham-airport-boss/#jfzC6gaOO2sygyx8.99

Four years on and we saw an increase to Belfast at least.

There has been some great work done in the last year or so but this is one area that is really letting it all down. They've said they're talking to Thomas Cook and Norwegian about long haul, I really hope something is sorted for 2017 as it's been this way for far too long now.

 

[JENNYJET]

Space!!! Where is the terminal space for more airlines and more premier routes? We could cap the low cost Mediterranean services to allow those willing to stretch their wings to Florida, Canada, Asia and even that dreadful gap in the US market for BHX..Las Vegas.

Or, as I have already elsewhere here mentioned, develop the west side and build a temporary terminal amongst the Elmdon site and test the carriers and their willingness to work with the Airport Company. If it works well then go for a permanent solution.

Sadly, the likes of TUI cannot get their hands on a A380 unless and until Emirates begin to replace their older aircraft or current operating leases elsewhere begin to mature, so they need to continue with smaller aircraft using up slots and existing facilities.

We, or I myself, understand that BHX has evolved rather than having been built from a blank sheet of Architectural paper thus it seems to be a case of inventive expansion within current boundaries or subtle land acquisitions to provide for new infrastructure but not a secondary runway unless the current taxiway alongside R15/33 to the fire station is extended north into the Sheldon park and industrial area of Garretts Green!?! Ref: Gatwick!

OK, I am waffling a bit here but we grow independent of Davies and Westminster airports commission or stagnate and risk losing the tremendous gains of the 2010's.

Someone suggested Belfast was a major route....I spilt my Sherry and upset my dog when I read that one, I lived there as my mother hailed from Ballymena but a major route? From or to Birmingham? Surely Dublin is more important in order to tap into the US preclearance facility with US immigration for transit flights but Belfast????

No Gentleman, the work is the airfield, the facilities then the services that airlines would beg to introduce to BHX.

I would like to see how the current facilities work when Emirates A380 turns up and wonder if another arrived shortly afterwards. What if Qatar upgraded?

How about the suggested AA/United aircraft upgrade? At the same arrival period as Qatar? And the inevitable diversion traffic? Simply, the facilities are holding BHX back and with more Dreamliner traffic, was the runway work necessary after all because apart from China, where next? A Dreamliner can manage SFO/LAX to LHR/LGW so BHX is sitting there with wide eyes of envy wondering why the airlines ignore this little provincial airfield or is that exactly the point?