Brief summary:
Egis, the operator of Antwerp Airport, wants to offer new routes from spring 2016. They are in talks with smaller companies not yet flying from Antwerp Airport.
And:
"The existing departure hall is too small for more pax. The airport has already anticipated that by requiring a building permit. They hope a more comfortable, bigger hall can open by the spring of next year." Anyone any more info? Renderings or drawings of a new building? How would this be possible in such a short timeframe? thx
this building can easily handle 300.000 to 350.000 pax / year
and i am surprised, because i thought there would come a new destination a the end of this year!
James Thorpe, a Leeds-born businessman living in Scandinavia, plans to set up a Leeds based airline ExtraJet, with focus on business travellers. Plans: two ERJ-135, wet-leased from BMI regional. One for Leeds-Copenhagen, one for Leeds-Antwerp, both twice a day, as from 2016.
Will there be an opportunity to book Antwerp - Waterford throughout Birmingham? I doesn't seem so on site's booking engine. But is would be possible no? Flights are on the same days, For example: Arrival ANR-BHX 12:05 and departure BHX-WAT 13:35.
Thrice weekly seems very insufficient for a business destination. I wish them good luck, but I doubt. Will it be more successful than ANR-MAN (an even bigger business destination) that was cancelled a couple of years ago?
For connecting flights to Waterford via BHX, the IT systems of both VLM and ANR Airport must be designed to handle connections. I doubt it is the case right now...
You may be sceptical, but they are still flying all the other connections, with variable success. Till now, they are the only ones together with Jetairfly and Cityjet who believe in the airport in Antwerp (given its short runway). BMI was flying the Manchester connection a year ago, and when they stopped (because EMB135 were leased to fly in Scandinavia), average pax was close to 20.
VLM needs to regularly rotate their Waterford-BHX-Luton planes, so they have these empty legs anyway.
And finally, IT-systems or Antwerp Airport facilities should be no issue since, for example, a number of pax book and fly already now from Hamburg to Southampton, transfering through Antwerp, and this trend is increasing.
I agree that 3x per week is not ideal (would expect at least daily), but let's wait and see.
But BHX-ANR-GVA does match, and 8 months per year BHX has no direct GVA connection.
I hope it will work, but we'll have to wait & see. (Totally different region, I know; but the 7-passenger SOU flight I just saw departing, isn't really helping being confident )
But BHX-ANR-GVA does match, and 8 months per year BHX has no direct GVA connection.
BHX-GVA via ANR is now bookable on the VLM website. Stopover in ANR is only 35 minutes.Total flight time from BHX to GVA is less than 4 hrs.With a return tariff as from ER 165 ,I think this connection could be a viable alternative for people looking for travel between BHX and GVA.
FLYAIR10 wrote:BHX-GVA via ANR is now bookable on the VLM website. Stopover in ANR is only 35 minutes.Total flight time from BHX to GVA is less than 4 hrs.With a return tariff as from ER 165 ,I think this connection could be a viable alternative for people looking for travel between BHX and GVA.
Against the multiple options they have with LCCs duing the Winter (and I count Chambéry as an alternative for GVA)? For the pax probably just another option, for VG very difficult to compete with (and all the other options they have via AMS, BRU or CDG).
DIBO wrote:But BHX-ANR-GVA does match, and 8 months per year BHX has no direct GVA connection.
Probably because there is very few people flying between these cities outside the ski holiday season?
Against the multiple options they have with LCCs duing the Winter (and I count Chambéry as an alternative for GVA)? For the pax probably just another option, for VG very difficult to compete with (and all the other options they have via AMS, BRU or CDG).
True. But I checked KL,AF,SN,BE sites for BHX-GVA return flights early october 2015 and all of them were showing prices which were at least 20% higher and with mostly longer total flight times.Only Easyjet offers better prices for the same dates,but that was from Luton or Manchester and without luggage.So ,on this route VLM IS in fact offering an interesting alternative for businesses located in or around BHX.
FLYAIR10 wrote:True. But I checked KL,AF,SN,BE sites for BHX-GVA return flights early October 2015 and all of them were showing prices which were at least 20% higher and with mostly longer total flight times.
Then they should get the GDSs to include better mention those connecting flights. I just looked at Amadeus: lots of possibilities with SN, AF, Kl, LX, LH and even 9W (on SN metal: I wonder how much they quote). And one with a company called Flexflight (W2) with the same schedule as VLM and Antwerrp Airport not even mentioned (it is just called "International").
The duration of the flights varies between 3h 20m (LX via ZRH) and 4h 15m (LH via FRA)
Anyone any more info? Renderings or drawings of a new building? How would this be possible in such a short timeframe? thx
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