Post by Humberside on May 7, 2009 17:40:02 GMT
Leeds/Bradford airport will have a direct scheduled transatlantic service by the end of next year, its commercial director has claimed.
Tony Hallwood said the airport was talking to one North American carrier and one UK carrier about operating a regular Toronto service starting next year.
He said the airport was also in talks with US carriers about operating a New York service.
Hallwood was talking after Leeds/Bradford’s application to expand its terminal with a bigger security area, more general floor space and a new departure lounge was unexpectedly turned down by the local council because of fears it would create more traffic congestion.
The airport was putting a package together to improve its bus service links, said Hallwood, who believed the application would be approved when it was resubmitted next month.
The expanded terminal will be key in the airport’s plans to expand its short-haul routes and secure a scheduled transatlantic service.
Jet2.com ran some one-off Christmas shopping flights to New York last year but Hallwood said the airport could support a scheduled operation.
The Leeds/Bradford boss added that he believed the region had great potential for a regular transatlantic service.
“We have a large catchment area and our aim is to stop the leakage of traffic across the Pennines to Manchester,” he said.
“We have 2.8 million passengers now and we are confident it will be five million by 2012.”
This summer the airport is gaining new services or increased frequencies to Dalaman, Rhodes, Newquay and Islamabad.
Longer-term short-haul expansion would concentrate on new services to Germany, Italy, Spain, France and Scandinavia, and the airport was talking to “a number” of no-frills carriers about Frankfurt, Hamburg and Copenhagen services, said Hallwood.
Next month will also see the start of a thrice-daily Gatwick service operated by Flybe, which will replace a link to London dropped by BMI.
Hallwood said 125,000 people a year used the BMI link to London, and claimed service on the rail link between Leeds and the capital was so poor that business travellers preferred to fly, especially those who were not going for meetings in central London.
Tony Hallwood said the airport was talking to one North American carrier and one UK carrier about operating a regular Toronto service starting next year.
He said the airport was also in talks with US carriers about operating a New York service.
Hallwood was talking after Leeds/Bradford’s application to expand its terminal with a bigger security area, more general floor space and a new departure lounge was unexpectedly turned down by the local council because of fears it would create more traffic congestion.
The airport was putting a package together to improve its bus service links, said Hallwood, who believed the application would be approved when it was resubmitted next month.
The expanded terminal will be key in the airport’s plans to expand its short-haul routes and secure a scheduled transatlantic service.
Jet2.com ran some one-off Christmas shopping flights to New York last year but Hallwood said the airport could support a scheduled operation.
The Leeds/Bradford boss added that he believed the region had great potential for a regular transatlantic service.
“We have a large catchment area and our aim is to stop the leakage of traffic across the Pennines to Manchester,” he said.
“We have 2.8 million passengers now and we are confident it will be five million by 2012.”
This summer the airport is gaining new services or increased frequencies to Dalaman, Rhodes, Newquay and Islamabad.
Longer-term short-haul expansion would concentrate on new services to Germany, Italy, Spain, France and Scandinavia, and the airport was talking to “a number” of no-frills carriers about Frankfurt, Hamburg and Copenhagen services, said Hallwood.
Next month will also see the start of a thrice-daily Gatwick service operated by Flybe, which will replace a link to London dropped by BMI.
Hallwood said 125,000 people a year used the BMI link to London, and claimed service on the rail link between Leeds and the capital was so poor that business travellers preferred to fly, especially those who were not going for meetings in central London.
www.ttglive.com/c/portal/layout?p_l_id=61139&CMPI_SHARED_articleId=2436948&CMPI_SHARED_ImageArticleId=2436948&CMPI_SHARED_articleIdRelated=2436948&CMPI_SHARED_ToolsArticleId=2436948&CMPI_SHARED_CommentArticleId=2436948&articleTitle=Leeds/Bradford eyes Atlantic link