Newcastle International airport is currently the 10th busiest airport in Britain, and is one of the fastest growing. In 2007 the airport had 5.6m passangers, more than double the passangers from 1997.


Year Number of Passengers
1997 2,592,000
1998 2,920,000
1999 2,934,000
2000 3,147,000
2001 3,376,358
2002 3,387,222
2003 3,903,340
2004 4,707,818
2005 5,187,182
2006 5,431,976
2007 5,623,765

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0a/Newcastle_Airport_Pax_Statistics.png

A new air traffic control tower was completed last year:

http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/project/uploaded_files/174_385%20Newcastle.jpg

Designed by REID architects, the control tower is the most advanced in the country. It was named the Emirates Tower, due to the sponsorhip recieved from Emirates Airlines.

REID Architects also designed the new Edinburgh control tower:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d1/Edinburgh_Airport_Control_Tower.jpg/450px-Edinburgh_Airport_Control_Tower.jpg

Future plans from Wikipedia:

"The Airport recently published a Master Plan that set out development proposals for the airport until 2016. In the near term, these include building a multi-storey car park to replace the current short-stay parking, a new 187-bedroom on-site hotel and the expansion of the freight facilities on the south side of the airport."

Feasability studies are being carried out to evalute longer term proposals, such as converting the junction with the A696 into a grade-separated junction to cater for the expected increase in traffic levels, the building of a heavy rail link to connect the airport with the National Rail network, and extending the runway at the eastern end.

New attractions in Newcastle and near by such as the completion of the Quayside, the Newcastle Great Park development, continuing regenration of the town centre and Science Central mean more and more passangers are likely to use the airport in the future and it's growth should continue.

Recent long haul flights include the Carribean and Mexico, and Emirates recently celebrated their 100,000th passenger at the airport.

From Flickr:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3148/2304966057_5a607bee38_b.jpg

The most recent diagrams from the official website (http://www.newcastleairport.com/Corporate/Masterplan.htm) show plans to extend the runway and to increase the size of the terminal by 2011.

.

Good news! The control tower looks like a great design.

Yeh, great news and that control tower is a beast.

It shares it's design with the new Edinburgh control tower by REID, though theirs is 57m and ours is only 45m. Here is a picture of Edinbugh's tower:

http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/project/uploaded_files/72_towerweb.jpg

It gives a good idea of how Newcastle's will look

from the chronic:

Jobs soar at airport

Oct 30 2006

By Peter Taylor, The Evening Chronicle


Booming Newcastle International Airport is creating more jobs. Plans for a new office development south of the main airport runway were revealed today.

The move is part of plans to double the capacity of the airport - one of the fastest growing in Europe.

A planning application for the latest development has been lodged with the city council by the airport and UK Land Estates.

The scheme involves building a new three-storey office block - with 78 car park spaces - which will employ around 170 people.

An empty site south of the airport bounded by the runway, Woolsington Park and the existing freight village is earmarked for the scheme.

At one time there were houses on the site and more recently it was used as a building compound during a major work on the runway apron.

The airport handled 5.3 million passengers last year and if the predicted growth continues this will rise to around 10 million by 2016 and 15 million by 2030.

At present, the airport employs just under 3,000 people but that is set to double by 2016.

"New routes are being added on almost a monthly basis, connecting Newcastle with further European destinations," says the planning submission.

"The airport has the potential to offer the region not only a transport hub but a genuine dynamo of regional economic growth.

"As a result, the areas around the airport have become attractive locations for further commercial development.

"The airport currently has an under-supply of airport-related accommodation on the site.

"Virtually all of the office accommodation on the airport site is occupied and the airport requires further room for expansion."

Future plans for the 80-acre southern end of the airport include extending the apron as demand increases and large-scale freight or maintenance operations.

The airport, which started in 1935 with a grass runway, club house and hangar, is now one of the region's biggest success stories.

Since the boom in sunshine holidays in the 1960s Newcastle has gone from strength to strength.

A new terminal opened two years ago and plans include investing £70m over the next 10 years.

Thanks Johnny! Great Article!

Going on new statistics, I worked out the airport is up 170,000 passangers so far compared to last year, with 2 months left to go.

I hope we get a new terminal by 2020. Especially if capacity has doubled.

good news, flybe might be expanding operations at Newcastle:


Flight jobs boost

Nov 6 2006

By Nick Whitten, The Evening Chronicle


Flybe plans to introduce four new aircraft to be based at Newcastle Airport

Hundreds of jobs could be created on Tyneside following a major airline takeover.

Flybe unveiled plans to offer up to 600 jobs in Newcastle after announcing it had agreed a takeover of British Airways’ regional airline, BA Connect, yesterday.

The airline’s chiefs are in advanced talks to place four new aircraft at Newcastle International Airport, adding more domestic and European routes.

Flybe’s plans include introduc ing four 80-seater Bombardier Q400 aircraft, creating 130 jobs directly as well as supporting a further 470 jobs.

The airline’s chief commercial officer, Mike Rutter, said: "We currently serve 400,000 passen gers in Newcastle. We’re hoping to push that past a million if these plans come to fruition."

According to Flybe bosses, discussions should be done and dusted within the next two weeks with the new services up and running by next summer.

They are aiming to add more domestic routes to the likes of Belfast, Birmingham, Southampton and Inverness.

They also want to add services to several main cities in Europe, including the Danish capital Copenhagen and several under-served business centres in Germany, such as Stuttgart, Dussel dorf and Frankfurt.

Mr Rutter added: "We have a good relationship with Newcastle Airport and we’re now looking to more than double our business there.

"Our plans will create 600 jobs directly and indirectly.

"As someone who was born, bred and educated in the North East it would be great to create a major operation in Newcastle.

"That would fulfil a lifetime’s ambition for me."

Flybe’s takeover of BA Connect, subject to the completion of financial checks, makes it the largest regional airline in Europe.

The proposed acquisition will create an enlarged business with over £600m in revenues and car rying nearly 10 million passengers.

Jim French, chairman and chief executive of Flybe, said: "We’re committed to serving Newcastle, as our continued investment and growth in the region demonstrates.

"Through this acquisition we’re seeking to build a bigger, stronger and even more defensible Flybe.

"This will allow further opportunities to develop routes, encourage further business to the area and see the Newcastle hub go from strength to strength.

"The Flybe business model concentrates on domestic and European city markets and has been incredibly successful over the last four years. This acquisition will allow us to bring our growth plans forward by two years.

"The new enlarged Flybe should provide strong employ ment prospects for operational staff in BA Connect.

"This acquisition will make Fly be the largest regional airline in Europe and one of the largest in the UK by any measurement.

"Across Europe more consumers will benefit from Flybe’s efficient and friendly service at a price which provides outstanding value."

Thanks Johnny.

The airline’s chief commercial officer, Mike Rutter, said: "We currently serve 400,000 passen gers in Newcastle. We’re hoping to push that past a million if these plans come to fruition."

If this happens, then it alone could push Newcastle up to 6,000,000!

How come Edinburgh and Newcastle can have such great control towers when Heathrow T5 gets the most lousy design of a tower needing to be held up by some steel cables, designed by "Tesco & Co" Foster?

^^ Atleast Heathrow are getting some modern terminals though, Newcastle's is outdated apart from the recent extension. If they do plan to go to triple capacity of ncl by 2030 then they are going to have to build a new terminal.

Older part of the terminal:
http://images.icnetwork.co.uk/upl/icnewcastle/jan2004/2/7/0002C0AE-D51B-1FFB-AA2580BFB6FA0000.jpg

http://www2.northumberland.gov.uk/imagelibrary/images/0511.jpg

The extension:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/27/Nia22.jpg

Latest figures including November:

In 2005, the airport handled 5,187,000 passengers

In 2006 upto end November, the airport handled 5,372,000 passengers, 185,000 more:)

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^^ Thanks for posting:)

Not too bad considering some of the pax lost because of EZY.

Tower's coming along nicely too:
http://xs110.xs.to/xs110/06525/ncltower.jpg

:drool: :master: ......can we have one at LBA please!! :)

http://www.newcastleairport.com/General/News/emirates_announce_dubai_.htm

Just saw this. It's official, new Emirates service to Dubai:)

http://www.newcastleairport.com/General/News/emirates_announce_dubai_.htm

Just saw this. It's official, new Emirates service to Dubai:)

Amazing, what a superb addition. This really does open up the whole eastern market, plenty of onward conecting Chinese students could route through Dubai and there will be plenty of people who could use it for business instead of trolling over to Manchester or down to Heathrow.

that's a big coup for NCL.
as reported by the Evening Chronicle:

Arabian Flights

Jan 10 2007

By Paul McMillan, The Evening Chronicle


Emirates who are due to fly from Newcastle Airport

North East travellers will be able to jet off to the Middle East and beyond as Emirates airline touches down in Newcastle.

The airline, one of the world's leading carriers, is starting daily long-haul flights from Tyneside to Dubai on September 1, the first scheduled long-haul flight to operate from Newcastle Airport.

It is expected to revolutionise air travel for North East passengers by offering a hassle-free gateway to 80 long haul destinations in the Far East, Australia, New Zealand, Africa, the Middle East and the Indian sub-continent having previously had to catch a connecting flight to London or start from another UK airport.

The new route is also expected to generate many new jobs at Newcastle Airport and throughout the region.

Emirates will directly employ up to 15 people at Newcastle International Airport, and it is anticipated it will also result indirectly in the creation of scores of new positions at support services companies such as ground handling and catering.

Although once seen as a playground for the rich, Dubai is becoming an increasing attractive holiday destination for couples and families as the cost of travel comes down. Vic Sheppard, Emirates' vice president for the UK and Ireland, said: "This new service will provide the North East with direct and convenient access to Dubai and onwards to destinations across the globe.

"No longer will travellers and cargo shippers from the North East face the unnecessary delay of connecting on to flights via London or points in mainland Europe.

"We firmly believe there is a significant potential market for Emirates in the North East, one that currently remains largely untapped, and believe this new route will prove hugely successful for both Emirates and the North East. With the involvement of the local community, it has the potential to boost inbound trade and tourism, while also helping to foster strong trade and tourism links between the North East, Dubai and other destinations we serve."

The announcement has been seen as a coup for the airport and puts Newcastle on the global map.

John Parkin, chief executive of Newcastle International Airport, says: "We are delighted that Emirates has shown such a huge vote of confidence in the region and Newcastle International Airport by introducing daily services to Dubai. Newcastle can now offer its customers direct services to one of the most important destinations in the world and an enormous choice of destinations beyond."

Business leaders have greeted the news with enthusiasm and hope it will lead to the North East forging greater links with the Middle East.

A spokesman for the North East Chamber of Commerce said: "Newcastle Airport is making tremendous efforts to increase the amount of passengers it carries and also the number of destinations it carries to.

"It's testament to all the hard work they have been doing there. From a business point of view I would have thought a route to Dubai would be extremely popular."

Budget airline easyJet is also adding another Eastern European destination to its Newcastle schedule. From March 30, passengers will be able to fly four times a week to Krakow, Poland, from £21.99 one-way. The Polish city is already served from Newcastle by rival airline Jet2.com.

--

This is great news. From what I have seen on the site (http://www.newcastleairport.com/Corporate/FlightStats.htm) the airport had a very poor December, pushing numbers RIGHT down.

Hopefully new services to Dubai, and soon beyond, will vastly improve passanger numbers.

is that because of the weather issues Newcastle Guy? i seem to remember a week where all the domestic flights were screwed, so that could explain it.

^^ I would expect so yes.

We were doing really well too, about 180,000 on last year, believe it or not it finished at something like 30,000.

I don't know. The numbers were the same mid December though, so I'm hoping they need to be updated yet.

I expect thinngs will pick up though with this news and the New York stuff too.

Great news this flight to Dubai...Lets hope NYC follows.

What happened with Easyjet and NCL?

^^ What do you mean?

Anyway here is some images of the new 4 story 187 bedroom hotel proposed near the airport:

http://www.magix-photos.com/mediapool00/54/48/6F/30/77/16/11/DA/85/15/20/23/52/27/29/83/oma/10/4F429F80AA3011DBA8ED9A0A52273AB1.jpg

http://www.magix-photos.com/mediapool00/54/48/6F/30/77/16/11/DA/85/15/20/23/52/27/29/83/oma/10/4FE1C5B0AA3011DB823C370E52273AB1.jpg

http://www.magix-photos.com/mediapool00/54/48/6F/30/77/16/11/DA/85/15/20/23/52/27/29/83/oma/10/506ACBD0AA3011DB8B34801D52273AB1.jpg

http://www.magix-photos.com/mediapool00/54/48/6F/30/77/16/11/DA/85/15/20/23/52/27/29/83/oma/10/50F77B70AA3011DB9EF5121552273AB1.jpg

http://www.magix-photos.com/mediapool00/54/48/6F/30/77/16/11/DA/85/15/20/23/52/27/29/83/oma/10/4EB24660AA3011DBBD93CFDB52273AB1.jpg

http://www.magix-photos.com/mediapool00/54/48/6F/30/77/16/11/DA/85/15/20/23/52/27/29/83/oma/10/4D7866D0AA3011DB901D2A0A52273AB1.jpg

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that looks damn good for an airport hotel!

^^ I would expect so yes.

We were doing really well too, about 180,000 on last year, believe it or not it finished at something like 30,000.

I don't know. The numbers were the same mid December though, so I'm hoping they need to be updated yet.

I expect thinngs will pick up though with this news and the New York stuff too.

The figures weren't final:)

They have been updated, and after analyzing both I found that the airport had about 220,000 more passangers last year than in 2005:)

I expect it will be even more this year with the new flight routes and Emirates starting in September. I heard on the news a few weeks ago that the airport is expecting around 6,000,000 this year:)

With future expansion in mind I think Newcastle Airport really needs a rail link to the ECML and a further link from Heaton across the Tyne to connect with the Leamside line and Sunderland line near Pelaw. But not just that, a tram/metro link through Newcatsle's west end and connecting with the current underground line at St James Park along with a new motorway from the A1(M) near Chester-le-Street around to Newcastle Airport and then connecting with the A19/A1 at Seaton Burn would prove very useful aswell and would accomodate greater passenger numbers.

--

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Thanks for the pics mate!

Beautiful tower !!

http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/project/uploaded_files/72_towerweb.jpg

I was pleasantly surprised by NCL & the Tee & Wee Metro last july.

Pretty much seemless connection from Newcastle Central (I got the train down from Edinburgh) to the airport on the metro in peak hour, checkin desks open before they were officially supposed to (I flew HLX to Hannover (onward connection next again day to Dubrovnik)) and had a good amount of bars where I proceeded to get absolutely shitfaced with a few local Geordie chavs on their way to Germany (great guys actually :lol: ) and boarded my brand spanking new Yellow Pages-yellow 737 very comfortably.

Very impressed actually.

I'm planning on flying with HLX from Newcastle to Hannover soon, what are they like?

Impressed that on their website they are offering tickets for DB rail journey's aswell.

I was pleasantly surprised by NCL & the Tee & Wee Metro last july.

Pretty much seemless connection from Newcastle Central (I got the train down from Edinburgh) to the airport on the metro in peak hour, checkin desks open before they were officially supposed to (I flew HLX to Hannover (onward connection next again day to Dubrovnik)) and had a good amount of bars where I proceeded to get absolutely shitfaced with a few local Geordie chavs on their way to Germany (great guys actually :lol: ) and boarded my brand spanking new Yellow Pages-yellow 737 very comfortably.

Very impressed actually.


Yeah the Metro is really an excellent sevice. Tynesiders take it for granted, and should appreciate it more imo.

From the airport to the city to the coast to the suburbs it'll take you almost anywhere you want to go and some places you dont!

If you like trains like me (no im not a train spotter!) Riding north or south through the great big tunnel under the city is a great urban rail experience then all of a sudden you pop out onto the QE2 bridge over to Gateshead and the views are stunning!

I also like the part when you come from Byker towards the city centre and you go onto that high bridge, again you get some terrific views!

However, that stretch from North Shields to Byker is not for the faint hearted at night!

I used to have to make that journey three times a week at 11:00pm back when I was a teenager in the late 90's and it used to scare the shit out of me!

All sorts used to happen like bricks through the windows, chavers putting the windows out with baseball bats and I can still remember that sickly feeling when a group of 'dodgy' lads got on the train!

Terrifying!

The official 2006 figures are up for 2006.

2004 4,707,818
2005 5,187,182
2006 5,431,976

That is an improvement of 244,794 (higher than the 220,000 I previously expected) passangers on the previous year. Not as much as 2004/2005, but still good. And with the Emirates flights starting in September to locations across the world, I expect 2007 will be better, and that next year will be much better:)

My friend who is a councellor for the area near the Airport says a deal has been agreed to start running JFK services next year too.

when do you all reckon they might start a plan for a second runway at newcastle airport?

Hopefully if the new inter-continental flights do well (Emirates and those to JFK) there should be interest for even more, and another runway could be planned around 2010? Completed 2011/2012? Possibly?

Hopefully if the new inter-continental flights do well (Emirates and those to JFK) there should be interest for even more, and another runway could be planned around 2010? Completed 2011/2012? Possibly?

Do you think a second runway would run parallel to the existing one?

Presumably it would be over a kilometre longer aswell?

If the inter-continental flights succeed then Newcastle Airport is definitley going to need an electrified heavy rail link from the ECML.

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I'm almost certain there is no chance of the airport getting a second runway infact I doubt it will under go any type of extention unfortunatley.

The main reason for this is the new ownership structure of the Airport. It used to be owned by 5 local councils Newcastle, Gateshead, Sunderland, North Tyneside and Northumberland. But A private equity firm made an offer for the airport which worked out at about £7 million for each council. Sunderland took it straight away because its not really anywhere near Sunderland, Newcastle Northumberland and North Tyneside all accepted the offer as they all needed the money Gateshead initially refused the offer but under pressure from the other four acccepted the deal. This means that a Private equity firm owns the airport.

Not sure if everone knows about PE firms but basically they lever the firm up with debt so they avoid paying corporate tax (if your total debt is above a certain amount you can avoid corporate tax). Anyway the Airport now is almost fully levered with debt. This basically means that it is not in the best interest of the company to expand the airport.

Personally I'm upset that the councils sold off the Airport for such a small amount and that now it seems that any further expansion is doubtfull. I have flown from Newcastle twice before and its a great little airport I love it.

Thread hasn't been updated in more than a month, so here is a recent article:

Newcastle to become one of Europes greenest airports (http://icnewcastle.icnetwork.co.uk/0500business/0100local/tm_method=full&objectid=19543801&siteid=50081-name_page.html)

Also, the website has changed slightly, and they have added a future plans and development section (http://www.newcastleairport.com/Corporate/Future+Plans+and+Developments.htm). Runway expansion looking very likely post 2011, and it is expected an increse of 375m to 2,600m will be made. (info under masterplan). Large-scale terminal expansion is on the cards before 2016, when the capacity is expected to hit 9 to 9.5 million.

hmmmmmm looks like they didn't spend too much money on the 'masterplan' I really hope it does expand but now its in the hands of private equity they really have very little insentive to continue to expand, well not unless Durham tees valley starts to take away there existing custom.

Tom, they will HAVE to expand. It isn't huge at the moment, and the passenger numbers are expected to pretty much double by 2016. You won't be able to get moved in there if that happens.

They don't HAVE to do anything they don't have any shareholders lol. I know its not huge at the moment I've been enough times, bare in mind 2016 is nine years away its hardly exponential growth is it.

Plus when ever I've been there has been plenty of room inside and in the future airports may become more efficient and so have a shorter holding period.

They don't HAVE to do anything they don't have any shareholders lol

No, they have something just as, if not more important: Customers. Customers who will go somewhere else if the airport's development is not handled properly, or addressed at all as you seem to think will happen.

They would not have put that masterplan up if they didn't intend to extend the airport in the future, short or long term. And yeah, I'd say adding 4m passengers to the current 5.5m in less than 10 years is pretty good growth-wise.

Infact, I've just checked, and Newcastle wasn't bought out by a private equity firm, it is owned 51% by 7 local councils and 49% by Copenhagen Airport. I can find nothing saying it was bought out.

Plenty of room to expand at Newcastle Airport :)

No, they have something just as, if not more important: Customers. Customers who will go somewhere else if the airport's development is not handled properly, or addressed at all as you seem to think will happen.

They would not have put that masterplan up if they didn't intend to extend the airport in the future, short or long term. And yeah, I'd say adding 4m passengers to the current 5.5m in less than 10 years is pretty good growth-wise.

Customers who at the moment have very little if any choice Tees Valley is not really comp at the min. Don't get me wrong I love Newcastle Airport and I love Newcastle even more!!!! My issue is with the current council who DID sell it off to a private equity firm who have since levered it up to its eye balls in debt. I really would love to see it grow I have very fond memories of my Grandad taking me to the Airport when I was little to watch the planes.

Just reading the posts here is really sad, I can't believe the councils have been so daft as to sell such an asset as the airport for a paltry 7million each. I fear it's one of those short term decisions that future generations will say what the hell did you sell of such a gateway asset of for such a low price for.

Sure sell it to someone who is committed to expanding the airport as part of a partnership scheme but to sell it to private equity is crazy.

I know I totally agree I was so p*****d off when they did it!!!

So where does it say they actually did it? I can't find anything? Has anyone got a link? My dad seems to think it's still owned by the councils.

i don't remember that either. i remember when they sold half the company to Copenhagen Airport around 5 years ago tho.

If the councils had sold it, it would have been reported. I just checked on the site.

They didn't sell to a private equity firm. It is still owned by the councils (51%) and Copenhagen Airport (49%).

An article on retail expansion in the airport, in order to improve the airport for the new Emirates flights:

Link (http://icnewcastle.icnetwork.co.uk/0500business/businessnews/tm_headline=further-expansion-as-airport-takes-off%26method=full%26objectid=19585687%26siteid=50081-name_page.html)

Well the first flights to and from Dubai started today I just hope they continue to experience high passenger numbers.

It is one of the biggest days in the airports history I just hope they manage to secure a New York service sometime in the near future, Preferably with American Airlines (who dropped the propesed route) but anyone will do really.

Well, it looks as though the route to New York may be back on again in the near future as the airport is in discussions with 2 US carriers!

http://icnewcastle.icnetwork.co.uk/chroniclelive/eveningchronicle/tm_method=full%26objectid=19732812%26siteid=50081-name_page.html#story_continue

Taken from the link:

He added: “The east side of the globe is now covered on a worldwide scale. If you go to Dubai from here you now have access to 87 sites across the world.


“From an airport prospective, our key ambition now is to establish a similar link going west, with New York still our number one preferred location. Work is still ongoing to achieve the golden ticket.


“We are in talks with two US carriers at the moment and we are confident we will make a breakthrough. What will help us attract them to the airport is the success we are enjoying with Emirates.”

The new tower will be opened tomorrow by Nick Brown MP minister for the North East and the Chief Exec of Emirates. Emirates are also going to Sponser the new tower so it looks as though there here to stay!!

The control tower, or The Emirates Tower (to give it it's proper name) has opened for business. Story (http://www.ameinfo.com/131012.html).

Saw it on the news, it's looking good. I personally like the lattice work and exposed core. It's the most technologically advanced control tower in the country, and apparently has views reaching the coast. That's a long way lol.

Great news that there is growing hope for a New York service. If Newcastle could have both, then the airport will have a huge boost, more so than it is having already. It's a shame the same isn't happening in the city. Why can't we have cutting edge new buildings there for god sakes!?!

Anyway, hopefully this will be two way, and we will have alot more visitors coming from the east... We could do with some of their creativity in Newcastle.

http://www.newcastleairport.com/NR/rdonlyres/CA355674-9DA3-42C8-9D97-401E650081D5/1183/EmiratesNewsFeaturepicture2sponsorship.jpg

http://www.newcastleairport.com/NR/rdonlyres/C906F446-1131-4A05-AD90-E100EA8D5E6F/1184/airporttowerpicture.jpg

It's all looking up for our airport.

BTW, I'm not sure if it has been posted yet, but planning permission was given for this 4* Ramada hotel airport:

http://www.newcastleairport.com/NR/rdonlyres/A7A0245D-9296-453D-B3C4-20917D943A62/668/hotel.png

The control tower, or The Emirates Tower (to give it it's proper name) has opened for business. Story (http://www.ameinfo.com/131012.html).

Saw it on the news, it's looking good. I personally like the lattice work and exposed core. It's the most technologically advanced control tower in the country, and apparently has views reaching the coast. That's a long way lol

Told you so ;)

Yes, we should all bow down to Tom's amazing premonitions:D

^^ That would be great if you could :lol: and it wasn't a prediction I somehow get to know a lot of things in the Newcastle area ;) :lol:

The control tower, or The Emirates Tower (to give it it's proper name) has opened for business. Story (http://www.ameinfo.com/131012.html).

Saw it on the news, it's looking good. I personally like the lattice work and exposed core. It's the most technologically advanced control tower in the country, and apparently has views reaching the coast. That's a long way lol.

Great news that there is growing hope for a New York service. If Newcastle could have both, then the airport will have a huge boost, more so than it is having already. It's a shame the same isn't happening in the city. Why can't we have cutting edge new buildings there for god sakes!?!

Anyway, hopefully this will be two way, and we will have alot more visitors coming from the east... We could do with some of their creativity in Newcastle.

http://www.newcastleairport.com/NR/rdonlyres/CA355674-9DA3-42C8-9D97-401E650081D5/1183/EmiratesNewsFeaturepicture2sponsorship.jpg

http://www.newcastleairport.com/NR/rdonlyres/C906F446-1131-4A05-AD90-E100EA8D5E6F/1184/airporttowerpicture.jpg

It's all looking up for our airport.

Indeed!, great times at the airport!

Its great to see the beautifull Emarites Airbus A330 and it would be even greater to see a nice shiny silver American Airlines (737 probably) landing from New York!!

btw, im not too keen on the exposed bottom to the tower!

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from the Chronicle



Airport to try and attract new airlines with speed dating

Sep 21 2007 by Nick Whitten, Evening Chronicle

AIRPORT management will be seducing airlines to bring new flights to Tyneside.

Newcastle International Airport chiefs are going aviation speed dating to win new routes for the region.

They are heading to Stockholm in Sweden for the annual World Routes Development Forum where they will have a series of meetings with airlines.

Hundreds of airports and airlines attend the conference – which runs from Monday to Wednesday next week – and Newcastle Airport has lined up meetings with 25 airlines. They will have 20 minutes with each to see if they can persuade them to fly out of Tyneside. Their priority is to secure a transatlantic service and they hope to start the ball rolling for a direct scheduled flight to New York. And their trump card could be a little help from Newcastle Brown Ale, who have supplied the airport with some Broon to give out at the conference.

It could be a tactic to impress the US carriers, with Newcastle Brown Ale being the number one imported beer in America.

Chris Sanders, head of aviation development at Newcastle, is leading the airport team, and he said: “In the airline industry, this event is a bit like speed dating, not that I have ever had the pleasure of that. But it is about sparking an initial attraction and hoping to make an airline interested in starting a new route.

“Having secured Emirates and their routes to the Far East last time, New York is the target for us.”

Supporting the airport in Sweden will be One NorthEast and NewcastleGateshead Initiative, and Tom Warburton, head of regeneration at One North East, said: “We are working with Newcastle and Durham Tees Valley airports to attract new routes”.

Flybe to the Toon

Jan 30 2008

by Adam Jupp, Evening Chronicle


MORE than 1,000 jobs are set to be created as an airline jets into Toon.

Europe’s largest regional carrier Flybe is setting up a base at Newcastle International Airport.

It is today set to announce three new routes to London Gatwick, Aberdeen, and the French town of Rennes.

And services to other of continental cities, including Stuttgart and Frankfurt in Germany, as well destinations across Scandinavia, are set to follow in the next 18 months.

Dunston-born Mike Rutter, Flybe’s chief commercial officer, said: “We are delighted to announce new Flybe routes to Gatwick, Aberdeen and Rennes.

“On top of that, we will bring to the airport over the next 18 months brand new routes to Scandinavia, routes to Frankfurt, Stuttgart and we will also bring a further range of French regional routes, as well as extending services to places like Brussels.”

Mr Rutter, who also plans to name an aircraft after Kevin Keegan, added: “We are Europe’s largest airline and it always galled me, being a Geordie, that we didn’t have a major base on Tyneside. Now, by announcing these routes, we have the anchor to create that and take it one step further in the region. I can personally say I am well chuffed.

“It is a massive boost to the economy of the North East and also provides safeguards for tourism and inward investment and the move to create an HQ in Newcastle creates jobs. The establishment of a base at Newcastle will itself create 125 jobs and when we hit our passenger target of one million in the next two years, that will support 1,000 jobs.

“In the long-term we will see the creation of highly skilled jobs like pilots, along with cabin crew and engineering staff and then there will be knock-on jobs in support services, ground handling and so on.”

Jet2.com currently operates the Newcastle to Gatwick route, but Flybe will take over the three daily flights to Gatwick, as well as adding the new services to Aberdeen and Rennes. The three routes add to those already running to Jersey, Southampton, Exeter, Limoges, Belfast and Cardiff.

The Aberdeen service will be six days a week, starting in March, while flights to Rennes will start in May and will be summer-only.

The arrival of Flybe, which also plans to set up a business lounge, is a coup for Newcastle Airport’s new chief executive Dave Laws.

He said: “Attracting Flybe was one of our strategic objectives for 2008, so to have achieved it so early on in the year is fantastic.

“In terms of their products domestically and in Europe, I think the airline will go down a storm in the region. What we need to do now is work with them to bring aircraft to the airport and get additional routes.

“It will create jobs for the region, which is good news, and from an environmental perspective, Flybe is a very very good airline.”

Flybe prides itself on being one of the most environmentally friendly operators in the world.

It has bases at Birmingham, Southampton, Belfast, Channel Islands, Edinburgh and Glasgow and runs 157 routes to 12 different countries. Flybe dealt with seven and a half million passengers last year.

Stacy Hall, One NorthEast director of communications and tourism, said: “Flybe is another internationally-recognised brand and its arrival is further recognition of North East England’s success at attracting inward investment.”

Graham Eastwood, regional industrial organiser for the T&G Section of Unite said: “As far as we are concerned, this is welcome news.

“Flybe have been an important part of the growth of Newcastle airport and we are delighted they have seen the reliability of the workforce at Newcastle and that it wants to invest further in the airport in terms of additional routes.”

Jet2.com will cease flying between Newcastle and London Gatwick on March 29 and all passengers booked on this service from March 30 can transfer to Flybe at no additional cost

Is anybody ever going to take on the Newcastle-Berlin route?

Is anybody ever going to take on the Newcastle-Berlin route?

good question. people i know who travelled on the easyjet service said it was always packed.

Used it a couple of times and it always seemed well used, shame they dropped it because I quite fancied going back to Berlin in the summer. Now I'll have to use HLX/TUI and fly to Hannover and do the rest of the journey by train.

Great news about Flybe:)

Still waiting on news about the American route though. We have our gateway to the east now in the form of Emirates/Dubai, we need our gateway to the west!

Great news about Flybe:)

Still waiting on news about the American route though. We have our gateway to the east now in the form of Emirates/Dubai, we need our gateway to the west!

Canadian airline Air Transat begins a regular toronto service in May tho i suppose we've had charter flights to Toronto for years.

I've heard the reason why the Newcastle-New York flight didn't get going was because they couldn't get the necessary landing and take off slots at JFK. Everything else was in place apparantley.

I've heard the reason why the Newcastle-New York flight didn't get going was because they couldn't get the necessary landing and take off slots at JFK. Everything else was in place apparantley.

Shame did they not try getting slots at Newark? I know La Guardia is just for domestic US flights.

More flights planned to boost expanding airport

Mar 3 2008 by Karen Dent, The Journal

THE number of flights, destinations and size of aircraft used at Newcastle International Airport are on the up after existing routes proved popular.

From today, Eastern Airways has boosted the number of daily trips from the airport to Aberdeen from five to six a day and from Southampton from three to four a day. The regional airline has brought in a larger 50-seat Saab 2000 aircraft to increase seat capacity by up to 50% for the additional flights.

From April the airline will introduce three flights each weekday to Cardiff and two daily flights to Stavanger in Norway.

The Aberdeen and Stavanger routes are both aimed at serving demand from the offshore oil and gas industry.

The Eastern news comes as global carrier Emirates has announced positive figures for its new route from Newcastle to Dubai, with 70,000 passengers reported to have used the link in its first six months.

Eastern Airways chief operating officer Chris Holliday said: “Business commuters want punctual, convenient flights specifically timed to suit their travel patterns and our increased services from Newcastle enable us to provide a comprehensive schedule to meet their needs and expectations.”

Newcastle Airport chief executive Dave Laws said: “We’re delighted that Eastern Airways are continuing to expand their services at Newcastle Airport.

“Additional flights to these popular destinations will greatly increase flexibility and choice for existing Eastern Airways passengers and should also help stimulate extra customer demand.

“The airline has an excellent reputation for punctuality and service, so its not surprising that their operations from Newcastle are continuing to grow.”

The airline, which according to Civil Aviation Authority figures is the most punctual operating from Newcastle, has dedicated fast-track baggage handling facilities at Newcastle, Southampton and Cardiff airports.

Although widely recognised as a business service – the airline says the high frequency of its flights are designed to cater for business people – Eastern is aiming to attract leisure passengers by offering discounted one-way tickets to coincide with the launch of the additional services. The promotional tickets, which include taxes and airport charges, start from £49.

Eastern Airways, which also flies to Birmingham and the Isle of Man from Newcastle, has a specially-branded North East plane as part of a partnership with regional development agency One NorthEast flying on scheduled routes from Newcastle and Durham Tees Valley Airport.

Vic Sheppard, vice president of Emirates in the UK, said he was pleased with their success in the North East.

He said: “When you launch a new service, the first year you expect to make a loss, the second to break even, and the third to make a profit. Our forecast for this year is to break even or perhaps have a little bit of profit.”

Emirates is considering upgrading its 180-seat Airbus to a Boeing 777 with 400 seats.

"Emirates is considering upgrading its 180-seat Airbus to a Boeing 777 with 400 seats."

I wonder if NCL could eventually cope with an A380 - Emirates has one or two of those on order!

Whats load factor on the dubai route?

I wonder if NCL could eventually cope with an A380 - Emirates has one or two of those on order!

Probably not, a 747 can only manage a take off from NCL if it has nothing in the hold. Obviously that isn't any good for a commercial service.

Any extension of the runway would probably meet with serious local opposition given how close such planes would be passing over the neighbouring villages at the end of the runway.

From the official airport site, plans of how it should look in 2011 following the current masterplan, expanded terminal and runway.

http://www.magix-photos.com/mediapool21/54/48/6F/30/77/16/11/DA/85/15/20/23/52/27/29/83/oma/10/F4A7EF70366B11DD808CD46052273AB1.jpg

I've updated the front page.

Can I jus say that I very much doubt that the airport will look like that in 2011. Expanding the airport at the moment would be daft as the number of flights are decreasing not increasing at the moment- that is even including Emirates. Easyjet and Jet2 have both reduced the number of aircraft at the Newcastle and the charters have also decreased the number of holiday flights this year.
Plus getting planning persmission for a terminal building and runway expansion (that will involve redirectinga road underneath the new extended runway) will take ages let alone get to build- seeing as though 2011 is what only 2 1/2 years away I simply can't see it happen.
That is unless there is something the airport hasnt told us yet i.e another low cost operater is going to base in Newcastle (Ryanair or Flybe) or we are going to get more long haul (Pakistan airlines has been mentioned and of course the long awaited USA conection) I would be totally flabergasted if their is any increase in terminal building and/ or runway in the next 3 years especially the way economy is going.

I really don't mean to drag down the debate here but am I the only one who's noticed the proposed layout looks a bit like an erect penis?

I really don't mean to drag down the debate here but am I the only one who's noticed the proposed layout looks a bit like an erect penis?

YES you are!!!

(actually . . no you're not!)

http://www.newcastleairporthotel.com/

I see there is a website now online for the new airport hotel- however it doesn't state an operator. Originally wasn't it suppose to be Ramada? However the most recent I heard was that it will be Hilton.

Also the Britannia hotel at the airport has been granted permission for it's extension.

Yeah, I've tried applying for jobs their, also loads at the airport aswell, both are only going to get better and bigger.

Yeah, I've tried applying for jobs their, also loads at the airport aswell, both are only going to get better and bigger.

See, told you we had an airport thread!

:)

See, told you we had an airport thread!

:)

It fell out of sight though, but hopefully we can have our own sub-forum (will I get a hero's parade or something if we do?) will help it keep up, and in sight of everyone.

Anyone know if they've sorted a new viewing deck out yet?

Anyone know if they've sorted a new viewing deck out yet?

Yeah, what a twat it was when they changed the layout, so you could only see planes if you were going away, what a wasted day of bunking off school that was for me. It is good for the duty free shopping though, it looks like a mini mall now, it's great, but still, I want to go to the airport and watch planes instead of going do things I should without having to buy a return ticket to Amsterdam next time.

I'm sure I have read somewhere that the old terminal building is being turned into a visitor centre with a viewing area.

I'm sure I have read somewhere that the old terminal building is being turned into a visitor centre with a viewing area.

Serious?, damn, I hope you are right!

I've done a quick search and found the news article I read it from...

http://www.newcastleairport.com/Newsroom/Press/Airportacquiressamsonaviation.htm

This is all very exciting news.

Icnluding making the airport available for private flyers, this could mean that Newcastle could soon see more upper class residents, making it better for the whole of the city and surrounding areas.

Does anyone else think that eventually Newcastle may have it's own airline in the future?, it all seems like those steps are taking place.

Gill Air? :lol:

AirNewcastle

Direct flights between Newcastle International and Durham Tees Valley.

AirNewcastle

Direct flights between Newcastle International and Durham Tees Valley.

Now now, what about daily flights to the Shetlands?

But sreriously, it could mean they wouldn't have to rely on AA taking up daily flights to the USA, they could do it themsefl's, I'm sure they could get investment for it, and having them own the airline, would mean it would be cheap or no airport charges, unlike what would happen with AA or BA.

Could also do with reinstating the flight to Berlin.

Does anybody know if the new petrol station adjacent from the terminal building is open yet?

http://www.newcastleairport.com/NR/rdonlyres/BBCE6690-A193-4A7D-8EC2-B3C631982631/407/FutureDevelopments1.jpg

I don't think it is.

I also have not seen any of the jobs advertised for it either, so it may take a little while to open yet.

Just saw the other thread and going by the stats Newcastle suffered more than any other airport in the UK in 2008.

Passenger numbers down 11% on 2007.

NCL was already seeing cut-backs, and that combined with the recession hitting earlier and harder up here than anywhere else contribute to the figures.

Jet2.com will keep flying from Newcastle Airport

Apr 21 2009 by David Old, Evening Chronicle

GEORDIE sunseekers can continue to look forward to low-cost holidays, an airline has vowed.

Jet2.com pledged its commitment to Newcastle International airport after its parent company, Dart Group, announced strong trading despite the economic downturn.

It is the latest show of support for the region since the boss of Durham Tees Valley warned the North East could lose links with London.

Newcastle International chief executive Dave Laws joined BA bosses in rubbishing the claims Tyneside to London links were under threat.

Now Jet2.com’s boss, Philip Meeson has hinted more destinations could be on the cards from Newcastle.

He said: “We like Newcastle and are very committed to the city. We are always in constant dialogue with the airport about how we can expand our services and serve more destinations.

“We certainly hope to add more destinations but we don’t want to go too fast. We’ve had a very fast-growing leisure offering and we want to ensure we give our customers really friendly service so they want to come back. Their holidays start with us and we’re working very hard to give them the lowest possible fares at destinations which are very popular.

“This past year we have seen excellent growth into brand new destinations while our most popular routes are still at the core of our service, providing value holidays and leisure breaks for people to escape the gloom of the UK.”

His comments came after the Dart Group’s pre-close update revealed the firm was in line to hit profit targets. A statement revealed 1.2m passengers had already booked their breaks with the airline which is in line for a record summer.

City analysts said the collapse of rivals XL had strengthened the group’s position.

Analyst at Collins Stewart, Andrew Fitchie said: “At Jet2.com, small capacity cuts and last year’s network re-focus on the Eastern Mediterranean, Turkey, the Canaries and Sharm el Sheikh, have paid off. Charter income has increased substantially, driven principally by the collapse of XL.

“Jet2.com is one of a small number of airlines that has traded consistently profitably over recent years. Clearly the outlook for the sector remains uncertain, however Jet2.com’s bookings remain strong.”

Chris Arden, analyst at Arden Partners, said: “These results show that the strategy of evolving Jet2.com into an integrated airline/holiday/charter model is working very well and that its longer range routes to the Canaries and the Eastern Mediterranean provide great competitive services.”

The low-cost airline is launching flights to party island Ibiza and Eastern European’s hotspot Split, in Croatia, from Newcastle next month.

some pretty bad news - Cimber Air are cutting the Newcastle Copenhagen service in May. I bet our co-owners in denmark are a bit miffed.

My parents' monthly trips to Copenhagen are about to get a lot harder!

What's the nearest city to Newcastle with a direct flight to CPH? It's Edinburgh, isn't it?

yes i think so. i can't see this route being resurrected until the recession is over.

though talk of the BA LHR route being axed is fanciful... i hope. those flights are usually very busy and more importantly, they connect into the long-haul flights that are BA's cash cow.

Yeah but how many of the passengers on those BA flights are from Newcastle Airport?

I'd imagine in comparison to Manchester/Edinburgh/Glasgow not a lot. Plus the growing popularity of other hubs such as Schipol, CDG and even Dubai must be eating into their passenger numbers.

Schipol and CDG have been around for ages. Dubai is the only one that i can see having any sort of impact. as i said, can't see them dropping the route.

I use the LHR flight about 5 or 6 times a year and I would say I'm an average traveller, maybe once or twice for hols and the rest for work trips to London... everytime I have been on its been packed! Not one seat free. Flybe to Exeter on the other hand, ghost town every time!

My parents' monthly trips to Copenhagen are about to get a lot harder!

What's the nearest city to Newcastle with a direct flight to CPH? It's Edinburgh, isn't it?

some good news, Cimber are re-instating the Newcastle-Copenhagen route on May 11th, only 3 days after they were supposed to end scheduled flights. :banana:

lol, that's good news indeed.

My dad is a Danish translator, so he's always going to Copenhagen for work.

some good news, Cimber are re-instating the Newcastle-Copenhagen route on May 11th, only 3 days after they were supposed to end scheduled flights. :banana:

Its soooooo expensive! I looked into it once and I think a return was £300. Yikes!

Its soooooo expensive! I looked into it once and I think a return was £300. Yikes!

i looked into going in May and it was £330 return for two people which isnt terrible, could come down a bit imo to compete with the budget airlines.

Nice airport:)
Keep it up

I've just came across this photograph of the construction of the new hotel at NIA. I'm not sure if anyone will have seen it before so I thought I'd add it here. It was taken at the end of last year. The last I heard was it is due to open in December as Doubletree by Hilton, not sure if anyone has heard anymore?

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u209/gazcowley/ncl%20airport/nclairporthotel.jpg

Credit goes to WAZA05 on flickr.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/9888034@N06/2878504763/

Great to hear a new route opening to Norway, I would love to visit some day.


"Travellers wanting to sample the delights of the Fjords can access Norway and other Scandinavian countries following the re-introduction of flights between Newcastle International Airport and Bergen, Norway's second largest city.
Operated by Eastern Airways, the route was launched by the Lord Mayor of Newcastle, Cllr Mike Cookson, at the airport today on Monday, 5 October at 9.45am before he boarded its inaugural flight at 10.30am.
This daily weekday service arrives in Bergen at 1.35pm local time and the return flight will leave Newcastle's twin city at 2.30pm arriving into Newcastle at 3.35pm, with fares starting from £89 one way.
Cllr Cookson was joined on this first flight by Cllr Bill Shepherd, Newcastle City Council's Executive Member for Regeneration and Housing, and on arrival were guests of the Mayor of Bergen before returning to Newcastle International Airport tomorrow.
Once in Bergen the Lord Mayor and Cllr Shepherd will be looking at regeneration projects and offshore businesses which have close links to the North East. The Lord Mayor and Cllr Shepherd hope Newcastle and Bergen can learn from each other and promote economic growth between the two cities.
Before his flight on this new service Cllr Mike Cookson, the Lord Mayor of Newcastle, said: "This city already enjoys a close friendship with the people of Bergen and I am thrilled to be launching this new Eastern Airways flight which not only gives people access to whole of Norway but to all Scandinavian countries.
"Each year Newcastle welcomes thousands of visitors from Norway and this weekday service will provide a fantastic gateway to the United Kingdom for business and leisure passengers, especially as we head toward the festive period."
Chris Holliday, Eastern Airways' chief operating officer, said: "Restoring this important link will help to further strengthen business links, forge new partnerships and also provide greater inbound tourism opportunities to both these attractive short break destinations. We're also pleased that our new service allows the Lord Mayor of Newcastle to take a convenient direct link to meet Bergen's mayor as part of the city's long-standing relationship."
Chris Sanders, Head of Aviation Development at Newcastle International, said: "We are delighted that Eastern Airways have chosen to launch flights to Bergen in addition to their existing Stavanger service. Trade and tourism links with Norway are strong and this service will help these important links expand further."

An application was submitted last week for signs on the new hotel, they are to be Doubletree by Hilton, which confirms the operator! I believe the hotel is due to open early next year.

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u209/gazcowley/ncl%20airport/airporthotelsigns.jpg

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/dec/08/passenger-tax-flights-reduce-co2

Only a passing mention of Newcastle airport, but an important one - the expansion of Heathrow will essentialy take up all of the UK's capacity for extra air travel without going above the level of carbon emissions we hope to be making in the future (if that makes any sense - I'm very tired right now!).

As a result, expansion of a number of regional airports including Newcastle would be blocked.

Personally I'd block any expansion and stop the third runway at Heathrow...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/dec/08/passenger-tax-flights-reduce-co2

Only a passing mention of Newcastle airport, but an important one - the expansion of Heathrow will essentialy take up all of the UK's capacity for extra air travel without going above the level of carbon emissions we hope to be making in the future (if that makes any sense - I'm very tired right now!).

As a result, expansion of a number of regional airports including Newcastle would be blocked.

Personally I'd block any expansion [i]and[i/] stop the third runway at Heathrow...

That is a joke, yet again it means people have to travel to London, this government is a fucking joke, I thought they atleast wanted to give the impression they wanted the NE (and other regoins for that matter) the progress, and to stop the north-south divide.

Fucking joke.

This whole tax to reduce CO2 emissions is non-sense, people will still fly, they have no choice if they want to go abroad. The only difference is the government gets more money, which will no doubt be wasted. Or are they trying to make flying only accessible to the rich?? What a disgrace! :ohno:

Well hopefully if we can get high speed rail up here eventually we won't need to fly. In fact I'd only fly to a London airport if a) the flight was much cheaper (which happens all too often and needs to be rectified - through train prices dropping, obviously) or b) because it was a connecting flight to another flight out of that London airport.

As things stand, it takes you about three hours to get to London by flying anyway - getting to the airport an hour before flying, slightly under an hour's flight, plus the time for picking up bags, passport control, getting into London itself etc etc. As long as the train's clean and not full of idiots (which admittedly isn't always the case) I'd rather just hop on one and read for the three hours.

As for the taxes, the research shows that the majority of people using cheap flights are those who have bought holiday homes abroad that they visit regularly - not exactly poor people. They're maybe talking about adding £10 to a flight (although I'm pulling numbers out of the air to some extent), which is nothing on the cost of a holiday even to the poorest members of society. And if this money is being put directly into fighting climate change (this is a big "if" though) then I think it's entirely a good thing.

The thing is by building high speed rail it only reduces the number of domestic flights to the areas served by the rail service. Even then people will use domestic flights for connections because its easier, not to mention people using the airport to fly to other countries, which is the majority of passengers for the airport.

The suggested restriction on expansion of the airport is in terms of there not being any new runways (and therefore an expansion of the number of daily flights). If some of the Newcastle-London flights (and flights to other cities linked to by high-speed rail) can be ditched we'll have more space for flights to these further-flung foreign cities surely?

Yeah thats true Anger, I don't think NIA suffers from any capacity issues at the moment though. But I do agree it would be better to drop some domestic routes in favour of international ones. We could do with connections to the likes of Milan, Berlin, Prague and it would be nice to have a USA flight!

I've flown Newcastle-Prague before on Easyjet - has it been dropped?

I think it would actually be illegal for the Government to force regional airports to not expand whilst favouring expansion at another. They are after all private companies and something like this would be seen as an act of unfair business practice and anti-competition.

But if push comes to shove the third runway at Heathrow can be stopped by physical means, there'll be enough environmental protesters getting in the way.

Either way this should never be accepted and I think an organised campaign with various airlines to step up connections at other European hubs to undermine Heathrow's business case is the way forward.

I've flown Newcastle-Prague before on Easyjet - has it been dropped?

Yeah the route was dropped last year I believe.

I think it would actually be illegal for the Government to force regional airports to not expand whilst favouring expansion at another. They are after all private companies and something like this would be seen as an act of unfair business practice and anti-competition.

But if push comes to shove the third runway at Heathrow can be stopped by physical means, there'll be enough environmental protesters getting in the way.

Either way this should never be accepted and I think an organised campaign with various airlines to step up connections at other European hubs to undermine Heathrow's business case is the way forward.

Do you mean for people to fly to the likes of Schipol and Charles De Gaulle for their connections instead of Heathrow?

I think it would actually be illegal for the Government to force regional airports to not expand whilst favouring expansion at another. They are after all private companies and something like this would be seen as an act of unfair business practice and anti-competition.

But if push comes to shove the third runway at Heathrow can be stopped by physical means, there'll be enough environmental protesters getting in the way.

Either way this should never be accepted and I think an organised campaign with various airlines to step up connections at other European hubs to undermine Heathrow's business case is the way forward.

Nope, I'm pretty sure the government can plan this sort of transport infrastructure however they like - and quite rightly. Things like this need to be managed on a national scale.

Like I say, I'd stop all airport expansion and I'm sure so would a lot of those environmental compaigners if Newcastle tried to build another runway.

(PS can you tell I'm working from home and am bored out of my tiny mind?)

tbh i think adding a £5 tax to flights is a pretty good idea, as long as half the money is dedicated to a HSR fund, and the rest to green initiatives like carbon offsetting or investing in renewable energy sources. £2 from each passenger per flight would give the govt 5 to 6 billion pounds over a decade - a huge boost to getting HSR off the ground.

tbh i think adding a £5 tax to flights is a pretty good idea, as long as half the money is dedicated to a HSR fund, and the rest to green initiatives like carbon offsetting or investing in renewable energy sources. £2 from each passenger per flight would give the govt 5 to 6 billion pounds over a decade - a huge boost to getting HSR off the ground.

What, and you honestly think thats where the money will go? Otherwise yeah I'd be all for that.

What, and you honestly think thats where the money will go? Otherwise yeah I'd be all for that.

Indeed - it will just be used to bail out some retarded banks and to give those bankers nice bonuses for pissing lots of money up the wall

Yeah the route was dropped last year I believe.

The b**tards...Easy Jet keep doing that, dropping the routes to interesting cities like Prague, Berlin, Krakow and introducing ones to Spanish resorts, shame really.

The b**tards...Easy Jet keep doing that, dropping the routes to interesting cities like Prague, Berlin, Krakow and introducing ones to Spanish resorts, shame really.

I've noticed that, it's such a shame. I'm glad I took advantage of the Prague flight while it was here, a really beautiful city.

The b**tards...Easy Jet keep doing that, dropping the routes to interesting cities like Prague, Berlin, Krakow and introducing ones to Spanish resorts, shame really.

If afraid it doesn't matter how interesting the city is ... If load factors are extremely low the these links just can't be sustained .. hence they get dropped in favour of the 'money shot' bucket and spade routes.

Newcastle like many uk regionals has seen a considerable drop off in pax no's in the last 2 years and are unfortunately struggling to break the 5 million mark this year so any significant investment has been put on hold along with the 10 yr masterplan. However, on a positive note EK (Emirates) are currently doing better than projected with a load factor of around 75% per flight.

The CC report are ultimately looking to put a halt to any 'long haul' operations from regional airports in favour of a decent 'inter city' link (whether HSR or not) allowing passengers to travel to main hubs such as LHR or MAN and then travel on to destinations worldwide effectively ending the ambitions of any 'non BAA' regional airport such as Newcastle. :ohno:

TBH I wouldnt mind if the regionals disappeared if we could develop HSR properly and have secure trains. But it would have to be:

1. Arrival at HSR station
2. Check-in bags and clear airline level security
3. Board HSR service to MAN or LHR
4. Transfer from HSR to Flight (no more security, bags transferred automatically)
5. Arrive at destination

It can be done that seamlessly, I did it in Kuala Lumpur (the rail station has an airport code so you can check-in right through to England from there before you board the train!)

Yeah, maybe we should get BAA to purchase Sundelrands "majority" shares, so it would still be one of the favoured BAA airports.

I agree, there is scope for a legal challenge. The government is creating trading conditions which favour a particular airport, therefore a particular airport operator. Shareholders in BAA stand to get rich as traffic expands at Heathrow, whereas stakeholders in Newcastle Airport will lose out at the reduced growth devalues the airport. The government is creating a market place that favours a particular company and stifles the competition.

It has to be illegal :ohno:

Exactly!

I hope this Government gets it's arse handed to them once again on this one. Wouldn't be the first time they've tried to over step their remit and been horribly shown up. Bunch of corrupt arrogant pricks, I hope they pick that one fight too many which finally kills them off.

Exactly!

I hope this Government gets it's arse handed to them once again on this one. Wouldn't be the first time they've tried to over step their remit and been horribly shown up. Bunch of corrupt arrogant pricks, I hope they pick that one fight too many which finally kills them off.

I think they'll be doing just that, next year at the General Election!

THE region’s biggest airport, Newcastle International Airport, has been crowned the best in the UK.

The British Air Transport Association (BATA) awarded the accolade to Newcastle International at a glitzy London ceremony. It comes as the region has been boosted by the announcement of extra services. Brussels Airlines has confirmed it is increasing the number of daily flights it runs from Newcastle to the Belgian capital to three from January. The move is in response to feedback from some of the region’s major employers, including Procter and Gamble and Komatsu. And low-cost carrier Flybe has revealed it is launching a route to Hannover, Germany, in March.

http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/north-east-news/todays-evening-chronicle/2009/12/11/newcastle-airport-on-a-high-after-bata-win-72703-25370985/

Good stuff eh!!

Newcastle Airport on a high after BATA win
http://images.icnetwork.co.uk/upl/nechronical/dec2009/5/8/alan-clarke-chief-executive-of-one-north-east-left-and-dave-laws-chief-executive-of-newcastle-airport-celebrating-winning-the-best-airport-award-73460801.jpg

say what you like about Newcastle airport, but it has an impressive array of scheduled links on proper full service airlines.

say what you like about Newcastle airport, but it has an impressive array of scheduled links on proper full service airlines.

Completely agree Johnny. Hopefully once the recession is over the growth can begin again and the masterplan can be implemented.

quick comparison -

Leeds-Bradford:
Pakistan Airlines - Islamabad
KLM - Amsterdam
BMI - Brussels, Edinburgh, Glasgow

Liverpool:
KLM - Amsterdam

East Midlands:
BMI - Brussels

Newcastle:
Air France - Paris
BA- Heathrow
Brussels Airlines - Brussels
Cimber - Copenhagen
Emirates - Dubai
KLM - Amsterdam
Lufthansa - Dusseldorf

Whike Eastern and Wideroe also go to stavanger which opens up scandanavia for connecting flights. and there's also on-off Aer Lingus flights to Dublin which will probably return when the economy picks up.

Exactly why the Government cannot be allowed to bully regional airports into cut backs. It is the North East's link to the world and not even a massive HSR network could replace that.

Great news for the Airport - now the Government needs to shove the plans of wrecking regional Airports up its arse

Exactly why the Government cannot be allowed to bully regional airports into cut backs. It is the North East's link to the world and not even a massive HSR network could replace that.

Hopefully NCLE's masterplan will be started before the Government set up their own masterplan, and then it will be to late, Newcastle would of already expanded, HSR will be on it's way, and Newcastle will then have even more slots for flights going all around the world.

gaps i can see in our service would be a strong link to central or latin america - presumably through Spain. Let's say an Iberia flight to Madrid to open that up.

On top of this a direct flight to North America - we have a scheduled flight to Toronto with transat but it is only seasonal and they are a bit tatty as an airline. I actually think a link to Toronto, considering the extant link, may be easier to establish than a flight to a US city.

Great news for the Airport - now the Government needs to shove the plans of wrecking regional Airports up its arse

They'll shove it if we all make sure they know the outcome for them would be bad. If however we all roll over and do nothing they will continue to abuse their powers like the dictatorship they are. They must be stopped by any means necessary - a precedent of fierce opposition needs to be set for the next Government.

I'll give you the real reason for this plan to screw over regional airports. They can see other hubs (CDG, Schipol, etc) are winning a lot of business from the UK regions which is helping them to leave Heathrow behind. The Government wants to sabotage these links so we're all forced to use Heathrow to travel around the World. In their eyes we do not deserve independent International links and wants to force us to rely on London so they can feel important.

Remember, links from the North East to other countries develop trade and improve our economy. Plenty of this helps us to prosper and prosperous regions is bad for London.

They'll shove it if we all make sure they know the outcome for them would be bad. If however we all roll over and do nothing they will continue to abuse their powers like the dictatorship they are. They must be stopped by any means necessary - a precedent of fierce opposition needs to be set for the next Government.

I'll give you the real reason for this plan to screw over regional airports. They can see other hubs (CDG, Schipol, etc) are winning a lot of business from the UK regions which is helping them to leave Heathrow behind. The Government wants to sabotage these links so we're all forced to use Heathrow to travel around the World. In their eyes we do not deserve independent International links and wants to force us to rely on London so they can feel important.

Remember, links from the North East to other countries develop trade and improve our economy. Plenty of this helps us to prosper and prosperous regions is bad for London.

you may have a point there. heathrow is the world's connecting gate and this keeps london, and the businesses that are located there, in the centre of the world. but if we're going to Dubai or Paris or Dusseldorf for our connections then it's less people using Heathrow. The recent plan was explicit about favouring heathrow over, and to the detriment of, everywhere else. it's just another example of london centralisation by the UK elite. it doesnt matter what party they are in they follow the same line.

They'll follow the same line for as long as they're allowed to.

Everyone has their breaking point - if they keep this hateful bullying attitude going then as far as I'm concerned they aren't our Government and should be seen as an aggressive dictatorship who we need to fight off.

They'll shove it if we all make sure they know the outcome for them would be bad. If however we all roll over and do nothing they will continue to abuse their powers like the dictatorship they are. They must be stopped by any means necessary - a precedent of fierce opposition needs to be set for the next Government.

I'll give you the real reason for this plan to screw over regional airports. They can see other hubs (CDG, Schipol, etc) are winning a lot of business from the UK regions which is helping them to leave Heathrow behind. The Government wants to sabotage these links so we're all forced to use Heathrow to travel around the World. In their eyes we do not deserve independent International links and wants to force us to rely on London so they can feel important.

Remember, links from the North East to other countries develop trade and improve our economy. Plenty of this helps us to prosper and prosperous regions is bad for London.

Very well put!

Great news about the award, its a shame I dont get to use the airport more often. The last time I used it was about 5 years ago and it was quite a pleasant experience.

Councils fear having to ‘bail out’ airport
Dec 16 2009 by Adrian Pearson, The Journal

A SPECIAL meeting will be held on Tyneside as cash-hit councils seek assurances their investment in Newcastle Airport is safe. Airport bosses will be asked for guarantees that taxpayers’ cash will not be used when a £300m debt is refinanced.

North Tyneside Council has agreed to hold a special cabinet meeting next month amid concerns they could be asked to hand over extra cash to Newcastle International Airport in a few years. Tyneside councils are the majority shareholders behind the airport, and as such have benefited from multi-million pound pay-outs in previous years.

Controversial former airport boss John Parkin secured the last £80m dividend in 2006, three months before he was suspended. Mr Parkin received a bonus worth nearly £6m, eventually reduced to £2m, for bringing about the bumper payday.

Just three years later the council is eyeing up a refinancing deal which is expected to be nowhere near as profitable, and could cost councils.

The airport has some £300m of debt, built around loans which are due to be refinanced within three years. Councillors are worried that when airport bosses sit down with bank managers to restructure the debt they may find bad news waiting for them. If the banks do not offer good enough terms, councillors say, councils need to be told if they will then be asked to help recapitalise the airport.

One councillor told The Journal the meeting had been set up to seek reassurances that “the council will not have to bail out the airport” at a time when local authorities are cutting spending.

Changes in the value of the airport have also prompted concerns from the Audit Commission.

The Government’s council watchdog told Newcastle City Council in its annual audit letter to adjust the documents which underpin its financial planning as a result of airport changes. Last night Graeme Brett, chairman of North Tyneside’s finance sub-committee, said the meeting was needed to clear up issues regarding the airport’s debt. “We need a much clearer idea of what will happen when it comes to refinancing the loan.

“As a shareholder it is important we know what is happening here, what the liabilities are for us and for Copenhagen Airports.”

A spokesman for South Tyneside Council, the lead authority on the airport, said: "When the original refinancing took place we knew that we would need to refinance at the end of 2013. “The Board and airport management team have a strategy in place which will lead to a successful refinancing at the appropriate time."

A Newcastle City Council spokesman said: “We are not reviewing our commitment. The airport is a vibrant international airport which is critically important to the city and to the economy of the region. “We do expect the dividend to be lower than it has been in previous years because of the recession and we are taking this into account in our medium- term budget plans.''

I think this all ignores the fact that we need to reduce the level of aviation within the UK overall.

I'd simply ensure that all flights from UK airports are international. If we can get rid of the hundreds and hundreds of internal flights we currently have (purely because the rail servies aren't good enough) then we'd save huge amounts of pollution and both regional and international level airports could continue to link us up with other major cities.

I think this all ignores the fact that we need to reduce the level of aviation within the UK overall.

I'd simply ensure that all flights from UK airports are international. If we can get rid of the hundreds and hundreds of internal flights we currently have (purely because the rail servies aren't good enough) then we'd save huge amounts of pollution and both regional and international level airports could continue to link us up with other major cities.

That is a nice thought but is a bit unrealistic. I mean it is highly unlikely that any high speed rail will ever go further north than edinburgh nor would it go to south west or even Wales IMO- it simply wouldnt be profitable. Then how on earth do you expect someone to go from say Bristol to Aberdeen? Or ro get to Shetland Islands?
The reason Newcastle has a lot of domestic flights is simply because the trains are generally slow and in a world of increasing hypermobility people need to get about. We will not get HSR to Newcastle till the 2020's I reckon and what till then? If you need to go to Heathrow what do you need to do if there are no flights? You have to drag your bags around get on a slow train- probably down to Leeds (of course changing in York more than likely) get on a HSR train (when that comes that is) and then get to London- i reckon still nearly 4 hours not even getting to central, and then changing.

Unitl HSR is up and running or even planned for defo- Newcastle desperately needs to maintain its domestic flights too especially our crap roads up here.

^^ Totally agree, the domestic flights are vital and will be until a better alternative comes along.

Okay, maybe not all internal flights, but they should certainly be looking to phase them out.

Maybe I'm the only one that thinks this way, but climate change is infinitely more important than whether we can get enough flights going in and out of our airport to persuade a couple more businesses to open yet another new call centre here.

Besides, the current plans that the government has involves stopping regional airports expanding, not forcing them to contract. Don't get me wrong, I'd happily see a ban on expansion on all UK airports, including Heathrow.

And Jon, the train to London is direct and takes almost exactly three hours to Kings Cross. And if you wanted to go to Heathrow, surely you'd be doing so in order to fly internationally? In which case my idea of simply having more international flights would be better - you'd have a much higher chance of being able to fly from Newcastle to the international destination direct, saving even more time.

It would be intersting to see the Newcastle Airport passenger numbers shown the same way (graphically) as these from Leeds Bradford Airport.

http://www.anna.aero/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/traffic-97-09.png

Even if not shown the same way, are the figures for Newcastle available over a similar range of years, for comparison?

Apologies if these have already been given in an earlier post!

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0a/Newcastle_Airport_Pax_Statistics.png/800px-Newcastle_Airport_Pax_Statistics.png

Any good?

You'll probably find a lot of the airports experienced similar levels of growth over the same time frames. However all of that came to an end as the recession took hold. Hopefully things will start picking up again soon though.

Any good?


Yes, perfect, thanks very much!

It is interesting to see how much busier an airport Newcastle is, than Leeds Bradford. Their best year is about equivelant to our worst!

http://www.anna.aero/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/traffic-97-09.png

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0a/Newcastle_Airport_Pax_Statistics.png/800px-Newcastle_Airport_Pax_Statistics.png

So what do you think the 2008 and 2009 levels are down to on our graph? The lowest in that timespan?

According to the CAA these are the stats for 2008. They haven't published 2009 yet.

Passengers: 5,039,993
Movements: 54,706
Tonnes Freight: 1,938
Tonnes Mail: 10,901

2009 is supposed to be even less going on monthly figures from earlier in the year. to be expected though, not only due to the difficult financial situation but the fact that NCL expanded so quickly, with so many new airlines and routes launching, it was inevitable that even in the best of times there would be some cut back.

Flybe Brings Channel Islands Closer For Newcastle Passengers
New Flights to Guernsey with Flybe
Flybe, the UK’s Number One Domestic Airline, has added another brand new route to its growing schedule out of Newcastle airport with a twice weekly summer service to Guernsey on Tuesdays and Saturdays giving North East travellers even more options for popular holiday getaways.

These first ever scheduled flights offered between Newcastle and the much visited Channel Island, further reinforces Flybe’s commitment to bringing convenient, affordable travel to the North East. Flights, operated by Flybe’s fuel efficient state-of- the-art 78-seat Bombardier Q400 aircraft, are available for booking now at www.flybe.com with fares from £35.99 one way including taxes and airport charges for travel between July 10th and August 31st, 2010.

SCHEDULE

Newcastle to Guernsey

Saturday July 10 - Tuesday August 31

Saturday flights

Depart Newcastle 1450 arrive Guernsey 1625

Depart Guernsey 1650 arrive Newcastle 1825

Tuesday flights

Depart Newcastle 0830 arrive Guernsey 1005

Depart Guernsey 1030 arrive Newcastle 1205

Mike Rutter, Flybe’s Chief Commercial Officer says: “With this brand new route to Guernsey we’re giving Newcastle travellers an attractive and affordable offer for direct summer travel to the Channel Islands. Despite the economic challenges of the past 12 months, Flybe has continued to grow and we remain committed to providing the widest, most convenient range of regional services for our passengers. We expect this new summer service to Guernsey to prove extremely popular for North East travellers.”

Chris Sanders, Head of Aviation Development at Newcastle International Airport comments: "We are delighted with Flybe's decision to add direct flights to Guernsey from Newcastle International. It opens up new holiday opportunities from the North East for short breaks and longer stays this summer. As a tax-free destination, Guernsey, like Jersey, offers great value to holidaymakers who want to enjoy sunshine and beautiful scenery, do not want to go too far away from the UK but still want to be somewhere ‘overseas’. This summer, Flybe will be operating over eighty weekly departures from Newcastle to UK and European destinations.”

Mr Rutter adds: “With flights available for booking now, we’d urge travellers to book early so they don’t miss out on the lowest fares possible.”



http://www.newcastleairport.com/Newsroom/Press/Guernsey.htm

New flights to Hannover with Flybe
Flybe announces new flights to Hannover
Flybe is delighted to announce the introduction of a brand new route from Newcastle to Hannover. From the 31st March 2010, you will be able to fly to the North East of Germany from as little as £39.99 one-way!

In addition to their great low fares, the airline's regular flight schedule offers 3 flights a week from Newcastle. Book your flights today and you could soon be discovering the city famous for trade fairs, firework competitions, and for providing the British with their King Georges. Hannover is blessed with plenty of green spaces, galleries and museums, with a feeling of royalty remaining about the place. Streets like Georgstrasse are among the most popular shopping districts in Germany. The city is also close to Wolfsburg, home to Volkswagen, the Autostadt theme park with the astonishing ‘car towers’, as well as marquees to drool over such as Bentley and Bugatti.

Flybe's full summer schedule from Newcastle is also on sale for routes including Belfast City, Exeter, Southampton and London Gatwick with fares from £23.99 one way!


http://www.newcastleairport.com/Newsroom/Press/flybe_hannover.htm

http://www.newcastleairport.com/Newsroom/Press/flybe_hannover.htm

Good news, I'm glad they've added a route to a more 'interesting' destination.

Yup, I quite fancy Hanover actually... The channel islands I'm not so bothered about. Jersey and Guernsey are okay, but Alderney's nothing special.

Good news, but we still need to get someone like AA on board to get across to America, New York and LA would be the destination I would like here. Do we still have flights to Vancouver?

Good news, but we still need to get someone like AA on board to get across to America, New York and LA would be the destination I would like here. Do we still have flights to Vancouver?

Yeah a scheduled service to NY would be fantastic. However I don't think theres any chance of it happening in the current economic climate. I don't think theres ever been flights to Vancouver? I know there is a scheduled serviced to Toronto however...

Air Transat Announces 17th Year of North East Link to Toronto
Flights on sale from Newcastle to Toronto 2010!
Canadian Affair, the UK’s largest tour operator to Canada, has announced today that it will offer flights from Newcastle again in Summer 2010 with Air Transat – the airline’s 17th successive year of flights from the airport.

The carrier, which is popular with travellers throughout the North East for its services direct from the region to Canada, will offer a weekly flight from Newcastle to Toronto departing every Wednesday.

The weekly service will operate from 19th May – 29th September, 2010 with flights from just £129 one-way (incl. taxes and charges).

A six-night holiday in Toronto costs from just £419 per person, based on return Economy Class flights from Newcastle to Toronto, and six nights at the 3-star Days Hotel in downtown Toronto (based on two sharing, room only).

Kathryn Munro, Communication & Marketing Director at Canadian Affair, says: “Travellers from the North East have consistently told us that they prefer our service direct from Newcastle, rather than having to travel to airports further afield. We work very hard to ensure that we always offer great value prices, and wide range of flight and holiday options for people to travel from their doorstep.

“We’re delighted to be continuing our successful partnership with Newcastle International Airport, which is an excellent facility and departure point for the North East,” she added.

Graeme Mason, head of planning and corporate affairs at Newcastle International Airport, said: “This prestigious service linking Newcastle with Toronto is important for our region, which is why we are continuing to support and work closely with our partners at Canadian Affair to make it a success. This route brings a large number of Canadians into the region, visitors we and the region would lose without this service. However, the increasing burden of the Government’s Air Passenger Duty (APD) is a significant factor in airline route decisions and we call upon the UK Government to consider carefully the impact it is having and will have on future inbound visitors for tourism and business going forward.”

Flights will be operated by an Air Transat wide-bodied Airbus A310 aircraft. Passengers will have choice of two classes, with a generous seat pitch of 32 inches in Economy Class along with luxury leather seats, complimentary meals, soft drinks, and a hold baggage allowance of 20kgs.

Passengers can also upgrade to Club Class and enjoy a host of benefits such as greater legroom, extra wide seats, a four-course meal with choice of wines, a complimentary bar service, dedicated check-in, increased baggage allowances and much more.

In addition to flights, Canadian Affair also specialises in high quality, tailor-made holidays to Canada. A choice of over 100 hotels are available throughout Canada, plus car hire with free upgrades, train tours, self-drive holidays, motor-homes and much more, all at unbeatable prices.

For information and reservations, visit www.canadianaffair.com or call 0207 616 9933 or 0141 223 7516.


http://www.newcastleairport.com/Newsroom/Press/Flights+on+sale+from+Newcastle+to+Toronto+for+2010.htm

Why does the Toronto link only run in the summer? Do people not want to go to Toronto when its cold or something?

Why does the Toronto link only run in the summer? Do people not want to go to Toronto when its cold or something?

My nana has atleast one holidaymonth there to see family, usually she goes by Air Transat, but this year she had to use Air France because she went over Christmas, she also had to do that a few years back. When I went over in 2003 we used KLM, and alot of people I know use KLM aswell.

I'm pretty sure their is enough passenger numbers to justify a weekly flight to Toronto, even if it is at nearby Hamilton airport which I'm sure we used to have from the Scottish airline once which went bust the other month.

My nana has atleast one holidaymonth there to see family, usually she goes by Air Transat, but this year she had to use Air France because she went over Christmas, she also had to do that a few years back. When I went over in 2003 we used KLM, and alot of people I know use KLM aswell.

But why does the service stop when its cold?

But why does the service stop when its cold?

I'm guessing it's not as busy? The months it runs are the peak season really; probably when most people look at going on holiday?

I'm guessing it's not as busy? The months it runs are the peak season really; probably when most people look at going on holiday?

Yeah, youre probably right but for me, if I was going to visit Canada I'd want to go when it is cold not when its hot!!!

Anyone agree?

Yeah, youre probably right but for me, if I was going to visit Canada I'd want to go when it is cold not when its hot!!!

Anyone agree?

Dude, I couldn't careless when I go, just that I do, I love the place, I knew back then when I went that I wanted to move there some day, the whole place has that buzz, that everythings great feeling that I've only know there and in Newcastle.

Yeah, youre probably right but for me, if I was going to visit Canada I'd want to go when it is cold not when its hot!!!

Anyone agree?

Actually I looked at visiting Canada not long ago and I was looking at March-April time; so these flights would have been no good to me! Perhaps they should look at using a smaller aircraft over the off peak season when, persumably, not as many people use the service.

Actually I looked at visiting Canada not long ago and I was looking at March-April time; so these flights would have been no good to me! Perhaps they should look at using a smaller aircraft over the off peak season when, persumably, not as many people use the service.

It's often the higher passenger numbers that make up the money, especially with all the fuel they have to use and such just to get there, easier and more profitable for them just to do connecting flights like they do.

I've just checked the website out with Canadian Affair, and flights start at £140 without taxes etc, but you have to get a return flight aswell, otherwise prices go up to between £250-£300. I've got to say though £280 for a return flight (plus taxes) to Canada is pretty good, but bear in mind thats the no frills service aswell, shows that you don't have to spend loads of money to cross the Atlantic.

I wonder if an Icelandair link would work... not quite transatlantic but it could be timed to connect with the flights out of Reykjavik to Toronto, NYC , Halifax (handy for me) and so on.

^^

Well since we have gained Emirate, you don't need to leave the region to travel to Dubai, Austrailia, and Asia because of the connecting flights, which from this distance you would need to take in anyway, but it's no good going to Dubai to come back across is it? So having a connection flight to Iceland is a good idea, but I just don't think we should be aiming liek that, I mean we get direct flight to Canada and Mexico, so having atleast one to the USA shouldn't be so hard to ask, I think New York and another in California is what we should be aiming at. Having a connecting flight to Icleand isn't appealing or really any easier then going to London or Manchester to get a direct flight. Though having a direct flight to Iceland is a good idea in terms of different tourism. I just feel at the moment we need 4 additional flights to get the airport going. Those to me would New York, California, One of the South African cities, and Moscow. This in my opinion would attract people coming to Newcastle from these countries (in time instead of going to London, because of the use of HSR) but also attract people from elswhere in the UK to Newcastle to use our airport and travel to these places, aswell as providing these links for the current residents of the North East.

According to the CAA these are the stats for 2008. They haven't published 2009 yet.

Passengers: 5,039,993
Movements: 54,706
Tonnes Freight: 1,938
Tonnes Mail: 10,901

2009 stats :

HEATHROW 65,907,254 down -1.5
GATWICK 32,361,199 down -5.3
STANSTED 19,950,521 down -10.7
MANCHESTER 18,631,345 down -11.5
LUTON 9,116,057 down -10.4
BIRMINGHAM 9,093,787 down -5
EDINBURGH 9,044,402 up 0.6
GLASGOW 7,214,049 down -11.3
BRISTOL 5,615,336 down -9.8
EAST MIDLANDS INTERNATIONAL 4,653,195 down -17.1
NEWCASTLE 4,568,714 down -8.9
BELFAST INTERNATIONAL 4,536,843 down -13.1
ABERDEEN 2,984,035 down -9.3
LONDON CITY 2,796,998 down -14.2
BELFAST CITY (GEORGE BEST) 2,621,931 up 2
LEEDS BRADFORD 2,552,699 down -10.8
SOUTHAMPTON 1,789,579 down -8
CARDIFF WALES 1,624,728 down -17.9
JERSEY 1,461,111 down -8.2
GUERNSEY 902,079 down -1.4
BOURNEMOUTH 868,724 down -19.5
DONCASTER SHEFFIELD 834,644 down -13.8
EXETER 789,835 down -17
ISLE OF MAN 709,316 down -6
BLACKPOOL 277,191 down -36.9

^^ Where's Liverpool on that list?

^^
And Durham Tees Valley?

These are only from released statistics so far ...

Well although a fall in numbers it isnt as bad as some other cities.

We do have a direct flight to USA- Florida in the summer months with Thomas Cook and Thomsons. We won't be getting any heritage flights anytime soon- shame the AA didnt happen. Personally I can't see it happening within the next 5 years.

Quite dissapointing really, we knew it would have fallen however. The main thing is retaining the key routes and getting the numbers back up again as the economic climate improves. Hopefully get back towards the 5.6million of 2007. This year could start to see a slight improvement.

I agree about the NY flights being at least a few years off yet, and when/if they do start I don't think it will be with someone such as AA. I think it is more likely to be Delta/Continental; although rumours had Jet2 starting a trans-atlantic service...

Quite dissapointing really, we knew it would have fallen however. The main thing is retaining the key routes and getting the numbers back up again as the economic climate improves. Hopefully get back towards the 5.6million of 2007. This year could start to see a slight improvement.

I agree about the NY flights being at least a few years off yet, and when/if they do start I don't think it will be with someone such as AA. I think it is more likely to be Delta/Continental; although rumours had Jet2 starting a trans-atlantic service...

Hope it isn't Jet2, Continental would be most likely since they already fly
Newark - Edinburgh, Glasgow, Manchester, Bristol, Birmingham, London, Belfast...... God thats depressed me now! (At least we have Emirates unlike Edinburgh, Bristol and Belfast)

Hope it isn't Jet2, Continental would be most likely since they already fly
Newark - Edinburgh, Glasgow, Manchester, Bristol, Birmingham, London, Belfast...... God thats depressed me now! (At least we have Emirates unlike Edinburgh, Bristol and Belfast)

Continental would be fantastic, no doubt they wouldn't be using too big an aircraft either (Probably 757?). So that could work well for demand.

Well I hope it isn't one of the cheaper airlines like Jet2, but I'm not so sure having an American airliner would be a good idea either, since they seem to be targeted more for terrorism then the British counter parts, Virgin would be excellent in my opinion. I just doubt they would hand over something like that here when they seem to be in love with Gatwick at the moment, infact I heard they were interesting in buying the whole airport and having all of their London flights out of there.

Hope it isn't Jet2, Continental would be most likely since they already fly
Newark - Edinburgh, Glasgow, Manchester, Bristol, Birmingham, London, Belfast...... God thats depressed me now! (At least we have Emirates unlike Edinburgh, Bristol and Belfast)

Original discussions were with CO (continental) who decided 'at the time' that a scheduled route was not viable hence the later discussions with AA. As depressing as it is i'm afraid we can forget any US legacy carrier offering a scheduled service to NY within the next 5 years ... unfortunatley the economic downturn has diminished any small hope we had with LS (Jet2) offering a comparative seasonal service on a trial basis. This wouldn't have worked since the majority of revenue would be from the business sector thus a scheduled service would be a must but is just not sustainable.

As 'TownPlanningNE' suggested, it's the key routes that need to succeed and dare I say it 'bucket and spade' !! Pity more airlines don't share the optimism of Emirates atm :ohno:

Having flown transatlantic on a 757 it is a markedly inferior service to a 767 or 777 - or maybe I was just seriously underwhelmed with the Northwestern in-flight experience....

Having flown transatlantic on a 757 it is a markedly inferior service to a 767 or 777 - or maybe I was just seriously underwhelmed with the Northwestern in-flight experience....

Obviously the cabin is more cramped on a 757, but you would think they would be able to offer the same level of service; I mean I don't know as I've never flown smaller than 330 on transatlantic routes. Ideally I'd like to see a 767/330 do a NY route from NCL. But it all depends on demand, a 757 would be a good start though!

I notice how the new Dublin service has started from DTV. Good news for them, however it highlights how much NCL requires a decent Dublin link. Not rubbish timings of the 1 flight a day from RYR!

http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/manorpark_photos/Airportnedestinations.jpg
http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/manorpark_photos/Airportnewdestinations.jpg

Newcastle International Airport ready to celebrate 75th anniversary
THE region’s biggest airport is hoping to soar out of the recession in its 75th year.

Newcastle International has marked the milestone by announcing a series of celebrations and unveiling a special logo.

This week it was revealed seven new flight services will run from the airport in 2010.

And it is hops that is a sign of things to come, with chief executive Dave Laws predicting growth of 2% over the next 12 months.

He told The Journal: “This is a massive year for us.

“We first opened on July 26 1935 and now we are in a position where we have the capability to process 7.5 million passengers a year, fly people to more than 80 destinations worldwide and play a significant role in the regional economy.

“I think this is an exceptionally proud year for everybody connected with the airport and we have a series of events planned and what we want to do is involve as many people in our celebrations as possible.”

Like all airports, Newcastle International felt the bite of the credit crunch last year, with overall passenger numbers falling. Airport bosses are also pushing for a review of Air Passenger Duty - through The Journal’s A Tax Too Far campaign – and say the Government risks damaging regional economies if it presses ahead with planned hikes in November.

But airlines and holiday companies are showing their continued eagerness to do business with Newcastle International, including low cost carrier Flybe, which has announced a new service to Guernsey

It came as Kiss Flights launched flights to the islands of Rhodes and Corfu, along with Heraklion, in Crete, and Dalaman, Turkey, while Thomas Cook added Izmir and Bourgas to its list of destinations.

Mr Laws said: “Last year, everybody suffered from the recession. We are sitting here watching and waiting like everyone else to see what this year brings.

“But our hope is that we will get 2% growth, compared to last year and obviously, growth for us in our 75th year is very special, in the same way that any new routes we add this year will be special.

“But I have always said growth has to be sustainable and I have a responsibility when I put routes in to try and ensure they are sustainable.

“That might not be everyone’s cup of tea but it is mine and I am not going to do things I can’t sustain.”

Mr Laws told The Journal details of the airport’s planned celebrations. He said: “We will be releasing a commemorative book and an exclusive exhibition of archive film, photography and memorabilia will be on display at Newcastle City Library, with the possibility of a touring exhibition around other libraries during the summer months.

“On the anniversary day itself, July 26, a number of our airline partners will be marking the occasion by operating aircraft rarely seen at Newcastle, which we hope will appeal to aviation enthusiasts and the general public alike.

“The airport’s management team will also take part in a 75-mile walk in support of our nominated charity, the NSPCC.”

Rasmus Christiansen, chief executive of Copenhagen International, said: “I would like to congratulate Newcastle Airport on the start of its 75th anniversary year.

“Copenhagen Airports became a shareholder in Newcastle in May 2001, and since then our partnership with the other local authority shareholders has gone from strength to strength.

“We have been delighted with the investment we made and have seen, through working with the airport management and our local authority partners, what the airport means to the North East region.”

http://images.icnetwork.co.uk/upl/nejournal/jan2010/0/5/newcastle-airport-661957452.jpg


http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-news/todays-news/2010/01/29/newcastle-international-airport-ready-to-celebrate-75th-anniversary-61634-25711045/

Newcastle is defo my airport of choice in the North of England. I dont think it is rivalled in terms of facilities for passengers. I find Manchester to be too busy... like its running over capacity. The only one that comes close is Liverpool but its pretty much ALL budget airlines. I find with the mix of scheduled, long-haul and budget at Newcastle you have a real mix of passenger types and it elevates the level of service expected.

When I fly long-haul to places not served by Dubai, I normally use the Heathrow link. I find terminal 5 to be equally pleasent and the combination of Newcastle and LHR makes for a peaceful journey in my opinion!

Long live Newcastle Airport!!

expect something special from Emirates on the day itself ... :okay:

They sent an A380 into Birmingham on their anniversary ... we can't facilitate that unfortunately, but a 777 maybe on the cards .. :cheers:

I wounder if they are working on more links to announce on their anniversary.

doubt the airport can support much more. If we had a mainline rail link we might attract passengers from further afield!

The main focus of growth for the airport now has to be getting passenger numbers back up to the 5.6million mark; where they were at a couple of years ago.

Also would be great if Emirates do bring a 777!

Cost of keeping Newcastle Airport open during cold snap revealed
KEEPING the busiest airport in the North East open during the recent snowy weather has cost more than £500,000.

Newcastle International closed for only 17 hours out of the close on 600 hours during which snowfall could have caused runway problems.

But large amounts of de-icing liquid and grit had to be spread across the tarmac, with staff working around the clock to keep the airport open.

Around £27,000 has been spent on each day that the airport stayed open for the full 24 hours between December 17 and yesterday.

Chief executive Dave Laws said: “All our staff put in an enormous amount of effort to keep the runway, taxiways and aircraft stands operational, as well as keeping our customers fully informed. I have worked at the airport for 30 years and don’t think I have ever seen weather conditions quite as severe as they were in recent weeks.

“Colleagues have on many occasions worked around the clock to ensure that this weather disrupted as few passengers as possible over the Christmas and New Year period, and I am extremely proud of their efforts and commitment.

“Of course, we are still in the middle of winter and this current thaw will not make us complacent. We remain on standby and I am sure our staff will respond equally efficiently if snow hits the region again”

The airport’s snow team is made-up of nine dedicated staff, while a further 12 workers were drafted in to help keep it open during the cold snap.

On the most severe days, the senior management team worked through the night to ensure all areas were kept safe and suitable for use.

A series of snow ploughs are on stand-by at the airport in case more poor weather strikes.

More supplies of grit shipped in

CONSIGNMENTS of grit have been shipped to the North East in preparation for another bout of icy weather.

With more snow predicted, some grit was delivered to council depots yesterday and they expect more by the end of the week.

Steve Keetley of Durham County Council, said they had been prudent with our supplies" and are "able to continue to pre-salt our A and B category network while stocks remain".

Northumberland has 3,600 tonnes of salt after yesterday’s delivery, which is enough for between seven and 28 days, depending on the weather conditions.

Gateshead Council has enough supplies to deal with several days of further severe weather, while South Tyneside has just 300 tonnes, which are expected to last until the end of the week. North Tyneside Council says it has enough to deal with predicted conditions, based on Met Office estimates.

Concern had been mounting in Newcastle, where neighbourhood grit bins are empty and supplies were running low ahead of yesterday’s snowfall. But 200 tonnes arrived yesterday, with a further 200 tonnes promised for today.

The Met Officer predicts today’s weather will be frosty and icy, with sleet and snow falling during the course of the day, sometimes heavily and especially over hilly areas of the region.

The maximum temperature will be 2C, the minimum -4C, and there is expected to be heavy snow tonight.

http://images.icnetwork.co.uk/upl/nejournal/feb2010/4/3/newcastle-airport-827551300.jpg

http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-news/todays-news/2010/02/03/cost-of-keeping-newcastle-airport-open-during-cold-snap-revealed-61634-25748869/

Here are a few pics I snapped on my way back to Canada. This would have been Jan 7th, so right in the middle of the big freeze. I was on the last BA flight out for 5 days as the problems at Heathrow left most domestic flights cancelled.

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_EgLJDS2dIVI/S2m7BYNdlrI/AAAAAAAAAlk/A2owMuIb-T4/s800/DSCN1625.JPG

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_EgLJDS2dIVI/S2m7A5v_q-I/AAAAAAAAAlg/kxOjfv3qFs8/s800/DSCN1619.JPG

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_EgLJDS2dIVI/S2CYgkvs49I/AAAAAAAAAhA/Be06izzEbIM/s800/DSCN1626.JPG

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_EgLJDS2dIVI/S2CYhHPxZhI/AAAAAAAAAhE/G332lI5eEW0/s800/DSCN1621.JPG

In true geordie style, rather than worry about the fact the vehicles were sliding and skidding across the apron, they were just using this big yellow thing to shunt stuff about! Most flights were leaving on time too!

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_EgLJDS2dIVI/S2Cb6JdVJrI/AAAAAAAAAio/UstrWkEabCE/s800/DSCN1624.JPG

In contrast... this is the apron at London Heathrow. There were about 5% of flights operating as normal. I was stranded for 48 hours, and yes there really is as little snow as their seems to be:

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_EgLJDS2dIVI/S2CYhuAEVhI/AAAAAAAAAhI/NmSNI7DOvfs/s800/DSCN1629.JPG

nice shots toonlad :okay:

Now post the photos of when you landed back in Canada with 2 foot of snow on the ground and everything working as normal!.....................

Now post the photos of when you landed back in Canada with 2 foot of snow on the ground and everything working as normal!.....................

OK, but I know it makes chris pine for Canada when I post pics! This is not the airport, but I took this two days after I got back near Whistler:

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_EgLJDS2dIVI/S2CYk_IlcmI/AAAAAAAAAhk/t49bZ8HMhkw/s800/DSC_0003.JPG

This one is about 4 hours after 10-12 inches of snow. Note the piles of snow by the road side, the clear roads and the general lack of emergency :)

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_EgLJDS2dIVI/S2CYjdo8KNI/AAAAAAAAAhY/mF2wv2-Drb4/s800/DSCN1641.JPG

I MUST visit Canada someday. What were the cost of your flights?

my plane to LA once made an emergency landing at Goose Bay military base in Canada as some old woman needed emergency medical treatment. this was in the middle of december, and it was so cold that the plane froze up while it was on the runway and it took a few hours to get everything working right, including videophoning engineers back in London for them to sign off on the work the canadian military engineers took out. we took off about an hour before sunset, otherwise we would've had to spend the night at the military base.

my plane to LA once made an emergency landing at Goose Bay military base in Canada as some old woman needed emergency medical treatment. this was in the middle of december, and it was so cold that the plane froze up while it was on the runway and it took a few hours to get everything working right, including videophoning engineers back in London for them to sign off on the work the canadian military engineers took out. we took off about an hour before sunset, otherwise we would've had to spend the night at the military base.


But was the old lady ok? :)

But was the old lady ok? :)

never found out. though before we landed i did see her with an oxygen mask and she didnt seem that bad off.

never found out. though before we landed i did see her with an oxygen mask and she didnt seem that bad off.

I was only joking mate! lol , she interrupted your bloody trip!! :lol:

Great pics toonlad! Thanks for posting them!

Yeah good pics Toonlad. You do relise though we have all agreed that our first meeting will be at your place though.:)

By the way Toonlad, thanks for showing me what I'm missing now :lol:, but it doesn't matter, I'll get there one day. I'm currently trying to talk my nana round to taking me with her when she goes later this year, but I think everyone knows that I just wouldn't come back, they actually had to drag me when I went there when I was 13, by the end of the holiday and coming back I was suffering from depression and was actually sick on the plane.

I once went to Lapland on a business trip, which was excellent - included snowmobile ride, reindeer sleigh ride, and obligatory visit to Santa's workshop (on the Arctic Circle). The thing that most stood out for me was that even in the main town (Rovaniemi, which was mostly modern construction after the Germans burnt the town down in the war) people mostly got about via the wide frozen river rather than driving, including skiing, snowmobiles etc., and there were even coffee bars and a golf course out on the ice.

Anyhow, on the way back we arrived at the tiny but very modern airport terminal for flight back to Helsinki; the pilot held us at the end of the runway, and out of hides in the the surrounding forest six Finnish Air Force F18 Hornets emerged and took off in front of us; as well as civilian flights it's a front line military base and is only about 25 miles from the Russian frontier.

I MUST visit Canada someday. What were the cost of your flights?

Canadian Affair are doing return tickets from about £280 + taxes and charges I think from Newcastle to Toronto, but prices will go up the closer to the booking time it comes to.

expect something special from Emirates on the day itself ... :okay:

They sent an A380 into Birmingham on their anniversary ... we can't facilitate that unfortunately, but a 777 maybe on the cards .. :cheers:

^^^^

Emirates (EK) have hinted that they may operate an A340 on the 26th July in line with the anniversary celebrations. :)

^^^^

Emirates (EK) have hinted that they may operate an A340 on the 26th July in line with the anniversary celebrations. :)

That would be really good to see. Wonder if any other airlines do anything?

I'm hopeing they will have some new decent destination announcements.

New service to Oxford and Edinburgh
Varsity Express to launch new week-daily route from Oxford to Newcastle Edinburgh to go twice week-daily from 5 April Europe’s newest regional operator, Varsity Express (www.flyvarsity.com) will offer a second week-daily service to Edinburgh from London Oxford from 5 April in response to demand, one month after its scheduled debut on 1 March, the company announced today.

It will also add a second destination from Oxford – to Newcastle, gateway to the north east. Flights will initially run every afternoon from Monday to Friday, with introductory fares from £49 one way, including taxes and charges.

Chris Sanders, head of aviation development said,‘Varsity Express is looking to develop the market for air services to/from Oxford and they have identified Newcastle as a destination where travel by train is not easy and can be very expensive. The inclusion of a stop at Newcastle allows them to test the market to see what demand exists for further services on this route. Oxford provides a gateway to a wide area of Central England and this service improves accessibility not just to Oxford, but nearby places like Swindon, Milton Keynes and the Cotswolds.”

New Timetable effective 5 April
LNQ601 Depart Oxford 0800 Arrive
Edinburgh 0930

LNQ610 Depart Edinburgh 1000 Arrive
Newcastle 1030

LNQ610 Depart Newcastle 1045 Arrive
Oxford 1200

LNQ611 Depart Oxford 1430 Arrive
Newcastle 1545

LNQ611 Depart Newcastle 1600 Arrive
Edinburgh 1630

LNQ602 Depart Edinburgh 1730 Arrive
Oxford 1900

All Varsity flights will be operated by BAE Jetstream 31 aircraft and the company is close to finalising the use of a second aircraft. Both will be based at London Oxford Airport, where Varsity is taking office space.

Promotion of the Oxford-Edinburgh route started last month and forward bookings have exceeded expectation. In the first two weeks, where every seat is available at £49 one way, bookings have been especially high north to south. For the Oxfordshire region Varsity has enlisted the support of Great Experience Travel. The Witney-based company is assisting with marketing and promotion of the route, in conjunction with hotel and golf packages.

“We are delighted to be announcing a second UK route today,” said Varsity Express Director Martin Halstead. “Newcastle is a popular university city and we expect a good mix of business travellers, many from the automotive industry and VFR and leisure traffic.” Newcastle is also renowned for its music and arts centres, shopping and exciting night life. As such the city is a popular short break destination in the UK.

Onboard Varsity will offer a business class style service, with all-leather seating, serving complimentary tea, coffee and water, plus a small snack. There will be a range of other onboard refreshments available to purchase on board, including soft and alcoholic drinks, all served by an inflight attendant. The aircraft is on the AOC of Humberside-based LinksAir. Flying crew will be provided by Varsity.

Car parking at London Oxford Airport will be £5 (or £25 for the week) and check in will be at the oxfordjet business aviation facility, enabling passengers to experience a thoroughly pleasant travel experience.

To book flights log on to www.flyvarsity.com.
Telephone Reservations: 0871 644 0450


http://www.newcastleairport.com/Newsroom/Press/New+service+to+Oxford+and+Edinburgh.htm

Hold on, we can now fly to Edinburgh?, isn't it a little too close? I would of thought if we were going to be able to fly a distance like that then it would be to Glasgow since it's a similar flight time but can take another hour or so going on land.

The main issue I can see here is not distance but convenience. Travelling by train takes you to direct to the city centre. So unless you are catching a connecting flight onwards then the equivalent flight with all connections 'into' Edinburgh will make it considerably slower than the frequent and cheaper train service.

Not sure about the flight times either. Too late in the morning to attract potential commuters. However, I can see NCL-OXF working as rail connections aren't up to much !

edinburgh - newcastle on plane is ridiculous and should probably not be allowed for such a small distance. not to mention that the train would be quicker at 1 hr 25 mins city centre to city centre. both newcastle and edinburgh airports are quite a way out of the cities themselves and then you have check in, security, boarding time, waiting for bags etc. oh and the train is about 4 times cheaper for a return, there's about 3 or 4 services an hour instead of one a day and is more comfortable and relaxing, and gives you free wifi!

considering the environmental damage as well - DUMB.

however the oxford service does sound better.

The Newcastle to Oxford service would have been a boon for me back in the days when I worked for an Abingdon-based company.

Agree with the comments about Newcastle to Edinburgh, though. By the time you've got to the airport, parked up, gone through the obligatory hour of being treated like a criminal etc, you might as well have driven or train-ed it.

Does anyone think it will gain enough passenger numbers to work, or will everyone else relise what we have relised?

Maybe we should do a race, see who gets to a location in Edinburgh first?

The Newcastle to Oxford service would have been a boon for me back in the days when I worked for an Abingdon-based company.

Agree with the comments about Newcastle to Edinburgh, though. By the time you've got to the airport, parked up, gone through the obligatory hour of being treated like a criminal etc, you might as well have driven or train-ed it.

so true. i know there are essential security requirements but the whole flying experience is harrowing.

tbh i think the security and customs at newcastle are quite poor. the people at security are fine but there's never enough of them and even though the lines aren't that long they can, if you are unlucky enough to be in when there's a few charter planes leaving, take absolutely ages to move forward. and you'll be surrounded by boozed up lads and screaming kids with sand buckets. :ohno:

on the other hand the customs line moves quick but the witches that staff passport control are ruder even than heathrow!

Does anyone think it will gain enough passenger numbers to work, or will everyone else relise what we have relised?

Maybe we should do a race, see who gets to a location in Edinburgh first?

i'll do a google maps comparison by taxi (public transport would be far too in favour of central obviously).

let's say average newcastle suburb like Wallsend. 9 mins taxi to central station. 15 mins waiting at central, 1 hour 27 mins to Edinburgh Waverley, 5 mins to get from train to taxi at Waverley, 11 mins Edinburgh to average suburb like Morningside. total door to door: 127 minutes. cost - £10 Taxi, £12 train, £8 Taxi = £30.

Wallsend to Airport in Taxi 19 mins. 15 mins to get checked in. 15 mins to get through security. 15 mins waiting to board. 15 mins waiting to taxi. 30 minutes flight time. 10 mins to get through customs/security. 5 mins to get to taxi. taxi to morningside 19 mins. 128 minutes. cost - £20 Taxi, £50 flight, £20 Taxi = £90.

pretty close, but those google map times for driving to the airport are the stuff of fantasy. i'd add another 20 mins to the flying total for that, and probably a bit more for airport hassle too. and if you wish to take bags, add another half an hour. overall you could do the journey in something similar if you time it perfectly, but it could easily take you an hour and a half longer.

You have to remember the flight is OXF-NCL-EDI. I'm guessing the majority travelling to EDI will be from OXF with only a few from NCL-EDI.

The purpose of the flight isn't NCL-EDI it's EDI/NCL-OXF traffic. If the airline gets anyone travelling between NCL-EDI then it's just a bonus for them.

The flights between EDI, NCL and OXF will be busy at interview time in Oxford I bet.

Has anyone travelled on the Easyjet routes to Bristol or Stansted lately? How busy should I expect them to be?

The flights between EDI, NCL and OXF will be busy at interview time in Oxford I bet.

Has anyone travelled on the Easyjet routes to Bristol or Stansted lately? How busy should I expect them to be?

yes .. I travel the Stansted route regular. Depends on what time you travel but normally about 60-80% load. although i've also had it when there were about 10 ppl :nuts:

Has anyone travelled on the Easyjet routes to Bristol or Stansted lately? How busy should I expect them to be?

I use the Stansted service occasionally when I need to get to Ipswich, and it's nearly always busy.

Emirates Sky Cargo strengthens Newcastle team
17th February, 2010 - Emirates SkyCargo has strengthened its team at Newcastle International Airport with the appointment of Aileen Wallace as Cargo Supervisor, and Robert Gosling as Senior Cargo Customer Agent.

The team will be responsible for the cargo operation of Emirates’ daily service from Newcastle to Dubai, and for liaison with the airline’s freight forwarding partners across the North East.

Ross Barnett, Emirates’ Cargo Manager Northern England & Scotland, says: “Newcastle is now an established and burgeoning part of our UK operation. We’re delighted to attract two seasoned professionals to our team who will enable us to continue to strengthen relationships with the North East freight forwarding community.”

Aileen Wallace joins the carrier from Agility Logistics, and Robert Gosling from DHL Global Forwarding, both based at Newcastle Airport. Between them, they have over 35 years experience in the cargo industry, all based in the North East.

Emirates commenced services from Newcastle in September 2007, with a daily service from Newcastle to Dubai and beyond, giving shippers and forwarders access to a network of over 100 destinations across six continents. The flight to and from Newcastle is operated by an Airbus A330-200 with a cargo capacity of 13.6 tonnes.

In the last quarter of 2009, the amount of cargo carried by Emirates from Newcastle grew by over 60%. Since the start of services from Newcastle, Emirates has shipped over 4.5 million kilos of cargo to and from Newcastle.

The service from Newcastle is augmented by Emirates SkyCargo’s UK-wide trucking network. The service, which delivers cargo from across the UK to Emirates’ departure airports, enables freight forwarders to send their consignments to Newcastle Airport from more distant points across the region such as Durham Tees Valley, Doncaster, Humberside and Leeds Bradford.

For more information, visit www.skycargo.com


http://www.newcastleairport.com/Newsroom/Press/Emirates+Sky+Cargo+strengthens+Newcastle+team.htm

Good to see the cargo side of things doing well!

^^^^

The passenger side is also doing well with 13,500 pax's travelling on the Airline in Jan 2010 ... this is up 13% on Jan 2009 ..

We may soon see an upgrade from the 332 which is currently operating the route. I think this would happen before any frequency increases.

:cheers:

^^^^

The passenger side is also doing well with 13,500 pax's travelling on the Airline in Jan 2010 ... this is up 13% on Jan 2009 ..

We may soon see an upgrade from the 332 which is currently operating the route. I think this would happen before any frequency increases.

:cheers:

An upgrade would be good; 333 or 772 perhaps?

Ryanair announces new Newcastle to Oslo route
Ryanair, the world’s favourite airline, today (24th Feb) announced that it will open a new route from Newcastle to Oslo-Rygge (approx 50kms south of Oslo) which will commence on the 19th of May 2010 and operate three times per week with fares from £23.99 one way inclusive of taxes.

Ryanair celebrated this new route by releasing 1m £5 seats for travel on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays in late March and April (excluding Easter week). These £5 “all in” fares will be available on over 500 of Ryanair’s European routes but must be booked on www.ryanair.com before midnight (24:00hrs) Friday (26th Feb). Ryanair’s new Oslo route will goes on sale tomorrow on www.ryanair.com.

Ryanair’s Laura McCormack said:

“Ryanair is delighted to announce an exciting new route from Newcastle to Oslo. This new service will operate three times a week with fares from only £23.99 one way inclusive of taxes which will go on sale tomorrow on www.ryanair.com. Ryanair sells Europe’s lowest fares with a no fuel surcharge guarantee. In addition to our lowest fares we also deliver the No1 on-time performance across over 1,000 routes. Passengers can book our 1million £5 seats for travel on over 500 European destinations in late March and April. These seats can only be booked until midnight this Friday (26th Feb) and are sure to be snapped up fast so we urge passengers to book them on www.ryanair.com before they sell out”.

David Laws, chief executive of Newcastle International said:

“We are delighted with the announcement of the new flights to Scandinavia with Ryanair. We are confident that Ryanair's new low fares service to Oslo will prove very popular with travelers from Norway and the UK. Norway now becomes even easier and cheaper to reach by air from our region and is a fantastic country to visit for both holidays or on business. The North East stands to benefit from a very significant increase from tourism and inbound business.”

Notes to Editor
Ryanair is the World’s favourite airline with 40 bases and 1000+ low fare routes across 26 countries, connecting 150 destinations. Ryanair operates a fleet of 218 new Boeing 737-800 aircraft with firm orders for a further 96 new aircraft (before taking account of planned disposals), which will be delivered over the next 2.5 years. Ryanair currently has a team of more than 7,000 people and expects to carry approximately 73 million passengers in the current fiscal year.


http://www.newcastleairport.com/Newsroom/Press/Ryanair+announces+new+Newcastle+to+Oslo+route.htm

The one airline we didn't want to operate to and from Newcastle.

It's been operating Ncl-Dublin for years

It's been operating Ncl-Dublin for years

I thought we didn't have a direct Dublin route. Still though, the one airline we didn't want to expand has expanded.

I thought we didn't have a direct Dublin route. Still though, the one airline we didn't want to expand has expanded.

Yeah Ryanair have been operating Dublin for a while; Aer Lingus have also operated the route on and off. I would have preffered to see expansion from Easyjet but I suppose any expansion is good expansion in these difficult times.

The only good thing I can take out of this is if Ryanair does start trans atlantic flights from regional airports instead of the major ones as the said they aim to do. Hvaing more services from Ryanair at Newcastle would put more faith in Newcastle possibly becoming one of those regional airports chosen for trans atlantic routes, though it wouldn't be a we wished it would still be a direct route.

Well I think it's a good thing...

I wouldn't fly Mick Air if they were the last airline on earth.

Aer Lingus, on the other hand, used to operate an excellent business class service NCL-DUB. Champagne with breakfast. I can't tell you how many times I landed over there in no fit state to do a day's work.

The Dublin timetable from Ryanair is awful now becasue you can't ave a full day in Dublin. Aer Lingus missed a trick by not promoting the transfer possibilities onto their transatlantic routes. They won't be back now they have gone for a franchise with Aer Arann from DTV.

Transatlantic from NCL looks a long shot now which is a shame. A CO or DL lnk to NYC would have been doable imo but I think everyone has been put off by the AA experience and now the downturn.

The only option for potential long haul expansion is a second frequency to Dubai to tie into another one of their departure banks but again atm I don't think current demand is strong enough even though a second frequency would create new demand.

What I would like to see is easyjet expand away from the bucket and spade routes, there's loads of city destinations I'd love them to start. But there seems to be a perceived idea that all people from the North East want to do is sit on a beach.

God forbid I ever have to take a Ryanair transatlantic flight. Cannot envisage anything worse.

God forbid I ever have to take a Ryanair transatlantic flight. Cannot envisage anything worse.

Using their proposed standing service?

Easyjet used to do a route to Berlin which was great and I used several times. I never understood why it was pulled as it was always packed to capacity on every occasion I got it, would be great to see that put back on.

^^^^^^

Have been on that route several times .. was dropped due to pax/staffing issues. HLX also operated services to Munich and Cologne but they were also subsequently dropped.

Germany is currently underserved from Newcastle which never used to be the case. Flybe are now operating a Hannover service using D8's so hopefully if this proves successfull (which it should) we'll see other airlines following suit. TUI Fly (formerly HLX) previously operated a Hannover service and it proved very popular.

God forbid I ever have to take a Ryanair transatlantic flight. Cannot envisage anything worse.

It doesn't bear thinking about. Being treated like sh¡t at the airport is one thing, being treated like it for the duration of the flight is another. One short flight to Dublin was quite enough for me. Never again. I'd sooner swim.

How exactly do Ryanair treat you like shit on their flights?

^^ I would say they offer a customer service experience similar to a pound shop, or a crappy market stall. No smiles, no courtesy, just the bare minimum expected. But when the rest of the industry still prefer to roll out the red carpet for airline passengers, in comparison they look terrible.

Personally I think there is a middle ground, and easyjet have nailed it. Friendly, informal but no nonsense.

Godawful ringtone "music" and PA announcements. Cheap and nasty bright yellow seats. Every possible opportunity taken to gouge you for "extras", lottery tickets, etc. Staff treated like shit by the management so not incentivised to treat passengers well. Being told where you can and can't sit even on a 3/4 empty flight.

I have to admit I've never flown Ryanair. I recently bought tickets for a flight which I subsequently couldn't use. Cue a £100 fee to change the name on the tickets (I sold the tickets to a friend) along with a number of expensive, pointless calls and visits to their badly designed, cheap and slightly confusing website. I think it says everything when you hear that they're looking into giving people backless chairs to increase the number of seats they can squeeze on (seriously).

I never, ever plan to use Ryanair if I can possibly help it. Toonlad's right that Easyjet have got flights as cheap as you really want to go.