|
Post by wetlanding on Sept 13, 2014 10:39:51 GMT
I was at SEN early this morning and noticed the state of Taxi way Bravo, is this just going to be left in this state the same as stand 9 on the ramp please can someone tell me these matters are in hand, maybe then we will again get expansion.
|
|
|
Post by Thames Gateway on Sept 16, 2014 21:03:21 GMT
Found this on Leigh-on-Sea.comSouthend-on-Sea Borough councillors will discuss how London Southend Airport is boosting the local economy and performing well against a number of control measures set by the local authority. The report will be presented to the Airport Monitoring Working Party tonight (Tuesday 16th September) and details how the Airport now supports employment for over 1,000 employees in 33 companies based within the airfield boundary. Forty-two jobs were created in the past year. As part of the planning approval, the Airport is also monitored on a number of key obligations, including the number of air traffic movements (ATM’s). The report summarises that there has been general compliance with the obligations contained in both the planning and lease agreements. Between 1st March 2013 and 28th February 2014 The total number of ATM’s was 28,950 against an annual limit of 53,300 Cargo ATM’s were less than 4% of the permitted annual limit There were only 19 Boeing 737-300 ATM’s against a limit of 2,150 There were only 303 ATM’s during the night, against a maximum of 1,440 (after discounting 196 diverted, delayed or exempt ATM’s) At night, only 32% of aircraft took off towards or landed from the south-west and in every case this was in accordance with the Section 106 Planning Agreements. During the day, 32% of aircraft landed from the south-west (against a maximum permitted figure of 50%) and 43% of all arrivals and departures were from the south-west (against a maximum permitted figure of 50%). All such take-offs and landings were in accordance with the Section 106 Planning Agreements or were dictated by movement volumes. There has been full compliance with the day-time noise restrictions. There were only 26 infringements of ‘noise preferential routes’ with the airport issuing two penalties to the operators concerned. Cllr Mike Assenheim, Executive Councillor for Regulatory Services, says: “The Airport is a glowing success story with continued investment, job creation and visitor numbers improving all the time, and this report shows that. Nearly 1100 people are employed, creating opportunities for local people. “The report also shows that the controls that were put in place under the planning and lease agreements are working. They are in place to achieve a balance between protecting residents from the environmental impacts of the Airport, while delivering the significant benefits to the local economy of a revitalised Airport with the associated jobs created, and I am pleased to see that we seem to be getting that balance right. The Airport continues to go from strength to strength.”
|
|
|
Post by Thames Gateway on Oct 21, 2014 22:21:35 GMT
Could it be that the footpath is finally to receive permission to be diverted? Very good news if this is the case: SAEN
|
|
|
Post by aurigny72 on Nov 4, 2014 10:24:29 GMT
I looked at the SEN departures/arrivals board today and was quite shocked to see only 12 flights scheduled, including only 4 Easyjet services, also the Stobart/Flybe flights have been reduced and only one Berne service, i know the winter schedules have now kicked in and that Tuesdays always seems to be a quiet day anyway.Also i hear that the Dublin flights are to be reduced later this month to just 7 flights a week so no US connections anymore?. The problem i feel is that SEN is seen mainly as a leisure bucket and spade Airport with a few city destinations thrown in, until we can change this perception and get a few all year round business routes to major European capital citys then we will remain a mainly Summer only leisure Airport.I know that getting these business routes wont be easy, especially with the very sucessful London City Airport already a major European business gateway just up the road from SEN.
|
|
|
Post by expressflight on Nov 4, 2014 17:01:15 GMT
Looking at the schedule sheet for November 2013 there seem to have been nine scheduled departures on a Tuesday compared to 12 this year. I think it's still unclear exactly how many DUB flights there will be this winter and the US through flights are still bookable today on the Aer Lingus website. I do agree though that the changeover from an apparently successful Aer Lingus Regional operation to a Flybe branded one, which must be somewhat in competition with their newly launched LCY-DUB services, seems bizarre to say the least. If there is a commercial logic there somewhere I certainly cannot see it.
I don't think we shall ever see "all year round business routes to major European capital cities"; there is just too much competition from the other LON airports for any airline to risk such a venture. The best that can be hoped for is that the Berne route is shown to work and that in turn leads to further inbound business routes from secondary European cities, but until LCY can no longer offer acceptable slots (and if the Flybe routes from there are all successful that may not be too long coming) SEN will always be second choice to LCY. The only reason that SkyWork have changed to SEN is that a 30-seater into LCY is very difficult to sustain commercially due to their movement fee pricing structure.
The Stobart Air European routes might prove a success for perhaps four of the current six destinations and maybe others can be added over the next 12 months, but they will all need time to mature and it isn't in the nature of airlines these days to be patient in that regard although Stobart probably have more incentive than most as it is important to them to keep passenger numbers up at SEN.
The real test for SEN will be easyJet's intentions beyond Summer 2015. Will they base the new A320 with Sharklets at SEN, or even better the A320neo when that starts to be delivered, or will they all go to bases where the potential yield might be better? If SEN had such aircraft the number of potential destinations would increase and I'm sure the catchment could support more easyJet routes, particularly in the summer season. The 'sunshine' routes obviously suffer less from competition at LCY and they are likely to remain the focus of attention unless STN suddenly becomes more attractive again to easyJet. As far as the traditional IT destinations are concerned SEN will remain largely unattractive to the major operators due to its restrictive runway length so I don't see any great growth potential there unfortunately.
All in all I really cannot see SEN achieving more than around 2mppa, that being if you remember the target that Stobart set themselves until a new target of 5mppa was announced as it offered a more attractive proposition in terms of higher potential airport profitability. Time will tell but I think it's time for realism to take the place of some of the euphoria that we all felt when SEN's rebirth took place just 30 months ago.
|
|
|
Post by tagron on Nov 4, 2014 23:00:38 GMT
I have to agree with Expressflight that the transfer of the DUB route to Flybe seems completely incomprehensible. Maybe it is part of some bigger manoeuvering behind the scenes but anything I could suggest would be complete guesswork. But I would have thought that Stobart as operator of the EIR brand would have been especially keen to maintain an Aer Lingus presence at SEN.
I was however curious at the SEN response to a Facebook question, the nearest SEN ever approached to a statement on the change, where SEN alleged that it was Aer Lingus who had not wished to continue the codeshare arrangement with Stobart Air. The difficulty I have is knowing how much trust to place in SEN PR pronouncements.
There appeared to be a raft of unsatisfactory features of the W14 schedule even prior to todays reductions. Here are some of the negative features of the combined operation: -
Poor scheduling for the business traveller, much worse than S14 Reduced transatlantic connection opportunities - only JFK and BOS Lack of publicity of the change of operator - not a word on the LSA website Heavy publicity in DUB for Flybe's new LCY service but apparently none for their new SEN service. Questionable fare pricing - last week the Stobart operated mid afternoon service was being sold at significantly higher price than the roughly parallel Flybe LCY service.
Then today I checked the Flybe web site and found that over the Xmas/New Year all the Flybe operated SEN/DUB/SEN services are shown as "full or not enough seats". I just don't believe it. In other words you cannot book this route right now for this prime travel time. But of course you can book LCY-DUB-LCY.
Of course some of these observations are snapshots and may miss the bigger picture and SEN could hardly have come off unscathed with all the extra capacity going into LCY-DUB from BACF, City Jet and Flybe. I just hope that SEN and Stobart Air will be taking a hard look at the situation, how they handle their PR and publicity and whether the relationship with Flybe is delivering what they had hoped. ..
As an aside I hear that an ATR42 (EI-EHH) has emerged from the Air Livery hangar today in a white overall scheme with Stobart Air titles. I wonder what this portends.
|
|
|
Post by tagron on Nov 13, 2014 9:21:27 GMT
A week later and I see that the booking anomalies I described above appear to have been addressed. All the SEN-DUB flights are now bookable, and the big mark up of the Stobart operated flights appears to have lessened, in that they are being offered at about half the price of a week ago (comparing like for like in days before flight). But the connectivity of the transatlantic services from SEN remains poor. Although all the EI USA/Canada destinations remain on the dropdown menu it is hard to find any bookable flights other than JFK and sometimes BOS and ORD. Perhaps that might change as the summer season draws closer.
|
|
|
Post by tagron on Nov 19, 2014 1:37:09 GMT
I see that SEN has a new Operations Director, Jason Ivey, ex Cranfield,Gatwick and Farnborough.
The previous incumbent, David Lister, appears to have held the post for little more than a year. Is it known if he is still with SEN/Stobart in some other role or has he "moved on" ?
|
|
|
Post by devonian on Nov 19, 2014 9:34:19 GMT
Mr Ivey certainly has a good deal of experience, ex-RAF and holding posts at Cardiff and Manchester airports as well as the CAA before moving on to Farnborough, Gatwick and Cranfield. Let's hope he can have great success at SEN. David Lister had been in post for less than two years.....
|
|
|
Post by littlekat on Nov 19, 2014 9:57:38 GMT
Unfortunately there seem to be more arrivals and departures in Sen management at the moment than on the runway.
|
|
|
Post by devonian on Nov 19, 2014 11:09:13 GMT
Ha! Yes. But it is the middle of November, just about the quietest time of year. A glance at many airport departure boards will show that they are at their least busy now. Christmas and ski holidays are approaching so hopefully there will be more runway use than management change soon....
|
|
|
Post by devonian on Jan 31, 2015 11:38:17 GMT
|
|
|
Post by EGMCfollower on Jan 31, 2015 13:05:03 GMT
This summer is an ambitious target given the amount of construction work yet to take place. We'll wait and see...
|
|
|
Post by devonian on Feb 6, 2015 10:55:20 GMT
Note the phrase at the attached web article that SAS will consider the use of other airports in the London region having sold slots at Heathrow. I wonder if SAS would consider SEN? There are a lot of advantages for them to do so - Scandinavia is in the right direction from SEN i.e. no worries about having to fly through London's congested airspace, and there is a long history of Scandinavian airlines using SEN - remember Fred Olsen, Sterling, Braathens etc... Stobart should be on the blower to them right away. www.routesonline.com/news/29/breaking-news/247053/sas-sells-heathrow-slot-pair-for-60-million/
|
|
|
Post by expressflight on Feb 7, 2015 11:33:13 GMT
I can't really see SAS being persuadable to consider SEN. Surely STN would be more attractive to them without SEN's limiting CAT I ILS among other things. I thought it more interesting that Jason Ivey inferred in a recent Echo story that they were talking to four airlines currently.
|
|