Liverpool: 2026 Expansion: 9 easyJet & 6 Ryanair based aircraft. Are we catching MAN?

[Silvercity]

My Bro-in-Law lives in South Yorkshire and despite detesting the place (his words not mine) always used MAN. A few years ago they booked a package trip departing LPL and now won't use anywhere else, they love it.

Ive only been to the IOM , once, I'd quite like to return as the scenery was very varied . Its also a notable place in the UK to watch Basking Sharks 🦈.

 

[Scottie Dog]

I appreciate that I will be accused of bias, but it's interesting to look at some of the points raised.
Yes, I appreciate that MAN has got itself into a pickle with the problems caused by traffic trying to get to T2 and I must admit that I have not yet seen a remedy being announced.
MAN actually does extremely well with regards to security. Yes, it used to have a bad name, but now it appears to have resolved the issue - since the instillation of the new scanners, in the same way that Liverpool has.
Finally it is great to see the additional based aircraft at Liverpool, however it is interesting to read the ACL report for W26. Based on that, easyJet are showing a potential extra 745,221 seats, Ryanair 1,143,120 and Jet2 418,953. That is a potential 2,307,294 seats on these 3 low cost carriers. All in all the ACL report gives an increase for W26 of 3,587,961 on W25.
Now I know, and you will probably say that this is all just conjecture, but those are the available seats based on the slots that the airlines have applied for. Let's see what actually happens when the final W26 figures are published at the start of October.

 

[Seasider]

I have now booked a trip to IOM, in August, with Loganair. Although EZY base fare was cheaper, by the time you add in luggage there wasn't much difference. I have never flown Loganair before so it will be a new experience.

 

[Silvercity]

I have now booked a trip to IOM, in August, with Loganair. Although EZY base fare was cheaper, by the time you add in luggage there wasn't much difference. I have never flown Loganair before so it will be a new experience.

You may get a complimentary tea or coffee, I went on them, but I cant be sure.

 

[lfc84]

You may get a complimentary tea or coffee, I went on them, but I cant be sure.

They won't do hot drinks. Too short.
Water and a biscuit on that one

 

[Silvercity]

I appreciate that I will be accused of bias, but it's interesting to look at some of the points raised.
Yes, I appreciate that MAN has got itself into a pickle with the problems caused by traffic trying to get to T2 and I must admit that I have not yet seen a remedy being announced.
MAN actually does extremely well with regards to security. Yes, it used to have a bad name, but now it appears to have resolved the issue - since the instillation of the new scanners, in the same way that Liverpool has.
Finally it is great to see the additional based aircraft at Liverpool, however it is interesting to read the ACL report for W26. Based on that, easyJet are showing a potential extra 745,221 seats, Ryanair 1,143,120 and Jet2 418,953. That is a potential 2,307,294 seats on these 3 low cost carriers. All in all the ACL report gives an increase for W26 of 3,587,961 on W25.
Now I know, and you will probably say that this is all just conjecture, but those are the available seats based on the slots that the airlines have applied for. Let's see what actually happens when the final W26 figures are published at the start of October.

I know that Easyjet are phasing out the A319s in favour of A320s. So these will bring extra capacity. Quite surprised they used A320 on the IOM route recently, I wondered if the runway there was ok for that, it obviously must be.

 

[Seasider]

It does say on the booking that you get a complimentary drink and snack.

 

[lfc84]

I know that Easyjet are phasing out the A319s in favour of A320s. So these will bring extra capacity. Quite surprised they used A320 on the IOM route recently, I wondered if the runway there was ok for that, it obviously must be.

Yes, they used G-EZTX on Thursday and Friday. Also G-EZLX yesterday. G-EZUK today.

That's A320-214 and A320-251N

 

[Silvercity]

I have read elsewhere that a passenger travelling with Jet2 back into Liverpool expect a 6th and 7th aircraft next year. Egypt is on their Horizons as a destination, probably after seeing the LF Easyjet carry on their two Liverpool - Egypt routes. This was from cabin crew, thats as much as I know.

 

[Iron Duck]

I see that a certain MAN supporters Twitter account has posted about this, why doesn’t he just join the conversation on F4A instead of blasting it out on X?

 

[Silvercity]

Left X some time ago, too Toxic.

 

[Aviador]

I couldn't help but notice the laughing emoji @Rudney but there is a reason Ryanair and easyJet keep expanding and investing heavily in Liverpool alongside their MAN operations. LPL is an absolute goldmine for short-haul utilisation. A 25 minute turnaround at Liverpool means the aircraft is back in the air earning revenue while the exact same airframe at Manchester is often stuck idling engines in a 30 minute taxi queue or waiting for a gate to clear. For a low cost carrier, Liverpool offers a level of operational reliability and asset sweating that Manchester’s congested dual runway infrastructure simply cannot replicate.

Arguably Manchester is a bloodbath of diluted yields. An airline might boast a 94% load factor on say a Manchester Alicante route, but if the average ticket sold for £29 just to beat easyJet or Ryanair, they are losing money on every single seat. Meanwhile, a regional base like Liverpool can quietly charge a premium because they own the local catchment loyalty and face far less direct, gate to gate cannibalisation.

The Headstone List of Manchester​

The graveyard of airlines that over expanded or launched massive operations at MAN because they felt they "had to be there" is staggering.

• Monarch Airlines: Had an enormous, historic base at Manchester. They tried to go toe to toe with the ultra low cost giants in the North West, burnt through their cash reserves on low yield European sun routes, and collapsed.
• Thomas Cook Airlines: Anchored heavily at both Manchester and Gatwick with massive long haul and short haul infrastructure, dragging around unsustainable overheads until the music stopped in 2019.
• Flybe (The First Demise): Manchester was their massive northern hub, but the operational friction, delays, and punishing airport charges on high frequency domestic routes heavily contributed to their systemic losses.
• Aer Lingus UK: More recently, they launched a dedicated transatlantic base straight out of Manchester to New York and Orlando. It was a classic "prestige" move to capture the North West long haul market, but the intense competition and yield pressure saw them quietly pull the plug on the base and retire the brand.

Food for thought!

 

[Silvercity]

I couldn't help but notice the laughing emoji @Rudney but there is a reason Ryanair and easyJet keep expanding and investing heavily in Liverpool alongside their MAN operations. LPL is an absolute goldmine for short-haul utilisation. A 25 minute turnaround at Liverpool means the aircraft is back in the air earning revenue while the exact same airframe at Manchester is often stuck idling engines in a 30 minute taxi queue or waiting for a gate to clear. For a low cost carrier, Liverpool offers a level of operational reliability and asset sweating that Manchester’s congested dual runway infrastructure simply cannot replicate.

Arguably Manchester is a bloodbath of diluted yields. An airline might boast a 94% load factor on say a Manchester Alicante route, but if the average ticket sold for £29 just to beat easyJet or Ryanair, they are losing money on every single seat. Meanwhile, a regional base like Liverpool can quietly charge a premium because they own the local catchment loyalty and face far less direct, gate to gate cannibalisation.

The Headstone List of Manchester​

The graveyard of airlines that over expanded or launched massive operations at MAN because they felt they "had to be there" is staggering.

• Monarch Airlines: Had an enormous, historic base at Manchester. They tried to go toe to toe with the ultra low cost giants in the North West, burnt through their cash reserves on low yield European sun routes, and collapsed.
• Thomas Cook Airlines: Anchored heavily at both Manchester and Gatwick with massive long haul and short haul infrastructure, dragging around unsustainable overheads until the music stopped in 2019.
• Flybe (The First Demise): Manchester was their massive northern hub, but the operational friction, delays, and punishing airport charges on high frequency domestic routes heavily contributed to their systemic losses.
• Aer Lingus UK: More recently, they launched a dedicated transatlantic base straight out of Manchester to New York and Orlando. It was a classic "prestige" move to capture the North West long haul market, but the intense competition and yield pressure saw them quietly pull the plug on the base and retire the brand.

Food for thought!

There have been a number of highly pro MAN supporters and conversely neg LPL contributors on various aviation sites, who have passed LPL off as basically just serving the Liverpool City Region and thats about it. Oh course that has never been true, and it really is not true at all these days. My last flight out of Liverpool was early on Sunday 21 June. Not a Liverpool accent around me. The appeal is much broader, and this can only be because passengers are happy with the product.

 

[Silvercity]

Liverpool Airport targets passengers outside city region - Liverpool Business News

Liverpool John Lennon Airport continues to grow its short haul network and believes there is significant potential to grow its share of Liverpool city region traffic, with an estimated 2.5m movements from passengers living with 30 minutes using other airports

lbndaily.co.uk