TRANSPORT | City Airport Manchester | Salford

[Mez]

Iv just noticed, one of the runways points pretty much at Salford Quays. Is there any chance serious air traffic to barton would stop any possible super tall being built there???

image hosted on flickr

[Architecty]

I wouldn’t have thought so, even if they upgrade the place they are still only targeting private jets, helicopters, and small commercial. Its still a good 2/3 miles away from the Quays anyway, but this kind of traffic isn’t ever going to be a problem.

I don’t think the Quays is likely to have anything very tall in this cycle anyway; there is just far too much land available to justify it. It’s hard enough to make the returns stack up for it in town, despite the relatively high land values.

[Craig]

Originally Posted by Isaac Newell

I'm a great believer in Salford retaining a strong identity but those councillors are going a little too far.

A lot of Salford councillors are professional 'were not Manchester were not' despite what the rest of the globe think. Are local politicians in the City
of Westminster the same about London?

[The Longford]

All landings come in from the west mostly (wind permitting) anyway. The Barton viaduct to the east is a pretty big obstacle and they manage to get past that so some tall 3 miles away aint gonna bother em.

[BeardedGenius]

FAO Angry Salford Councillors

In 1926, Manchester bosses realised they would need an airport to compete with the world’s other big cities.

Work started on the first Manchester Airport in 1928 in Barton, five miles west of Manchester. Old Manchester Airport was the first city airfield to be licensed by the Air Ministry.


Manchester Airport in Barton was completed in 1930

Another airfield was built for the city in Wythenshawe and opened as Wythenshawe Airport in 1929.

Manchester Airport was completed in 1930 at Barton. It's original control tower and large hangar are still standing today. The airport’s first passenger flight took off in June. Imperial Airways flew three times a week from Croydon and Birmingham to Manchester Airport and Liverpool.


Heavy rainfall often soaked the runways at Barton

But Barton had a serious problem. Manchester’s heavy rainfall soaked the runways and many flights were cancelled. In 1934 Manchester Airport bosses started planning a route from Holland to Manchester. But Royal Dutch Airlines would not fly to Manchester Airport while it remained at the waterlogged airfield.

So Manchester officials decided to build a brand new airport at Ringway, southwest of Manchester, where the aircraft manufacturer Fairey Aviation had set up a factory in 1934. In four years this small airfield there was transformed into the new Manchester Airport.

[jrb]

Jet hub plan revealed
Chris Barry
4/ 3/2008

PEEL Holdings' airports division hopes to create Manchester's second commercial airport, at Barton.

It has recently renamed Barton Aerodrome as City Airport, Manchester, and is hoping to make it a hub for business aviation.

Managing director Andrew Simpson said there was `no question' of the new facility rivalling Manchester airport, but it would complement services there.

He said "We are in discussions about making City Airport Manchester a business and general aviation airport. There has been a massive rise in business travel - executives using small corporate jets as they are quicker.

"Manchester airport is very busy with larger jets and international flag carriers, and it's not an effective use of its facilities to have small aircraft going through there."

Peel owns the land with Manchester city council (should be fun. get the knives ready) and the plans hinge on how the development would be funded. Mr Simpson says: "We're at an early stage, assessing how to make it happen. It would need new facilities and a new runway.

"We believe the development of City Airport Manchester' is important from a regional point of view. If Manchester is going to be a world class business city it needs to have easily accessible facilities for scheduled carriers and also for smaller jets"

Meanwhile, Peel's largest and most popular airport, Liverpool John Lennon will make a maiden profit this year, says Mr Simpson.

Boosted by worldwide interest in Liverpool as a consequence of the Capital of Culture, record numbers of people are expected this year.

Last year saw an 11 per cent hike in passenger numbers to 5.5 million.

Peel also owns Durham Tees Valley Airport, Robin Hood Airport in Doncaster and a 50 per cent interest in Sheffield City Airport.

[Mez]

What are the odds of a tarmac runway?

[sjwmoore]

Zero!

What a load of nonsense, a grass airstrip that hosts private light aircraft and a flying club.

Who on earth is going to fly in on a business trip in a Cessna?

The old airport site on Hough End Fields would even be preferable for a heliport type affair, you would be in town in no time.

[Chogmook]

Originally Posted by sjwmoore

Zero!

Who on earth is going to fly in on a business trip in a Cessna?

no one of course, that's why they want to attract private jets!

[SteveC]

Originally Posted by sjwmoore

Zero!

What a load of nonsense, a grass airstrip that hosts private light aircraft and a flying club.

Who on earth is going to fly in on a business trip in a Cessna?

The old airport site on Hough End Fields would even be preferable for a heliport type affair, you would be in town in no time.

Things to consider:

It would need new facilities and a new runway.

The intention isn't that exec jets will land on the grass - they are looking at providing a new, hard runway

Peel already own all the farmland around City Airport, so ownership is not an issue.

The site is an existing licenced airfield - far easier to gain approval from the CAA than it would be to create a new operation. The airspace is also geared up to accomdate CAM's operation.

The ownership of the airfield itself actually sits wholly with Manchester Ship Canal Developments, which is a joint venture between Manchester CC and Peel. Peel have the controlling (51% IIRC) shareholding.

[Metrolink]

Would be great to have this as a mini version of city airport in Canary Wharf.

[Mez]

We could get the Top Gear team to race different methods of Transport across Gtr MCR.
Clarkson ragging it down the ship canal*

(*obviously under great frustration due to the locks) heheheh.

Seriously though, what are the objections to this proposal? Does anyone stand to lose out?

[Metrolink]

Locals who would get more noise I suspect.

Green campaigners.

Liverpool and Manchester airports are odd ones, as they are both owned by the same companies that are planning to make City Airport.

[Chogmook]

Will the Stig last 5 minutes on a tram through Langworthy?

[dgnr8]

Peel are planning on laying down a 1200m+ tarmac, possibly at the furthest end of the field (furthest from the club house and hangar that is).

[Chogmook]

dgnr8!! Where've you been?! Good to have you back!

[Mez]

Thanks for the update dgnr8. The longest hypotenuse of the field though is less than 1km.

Would they go into the next field?

image hosted on flickr

[Mez]

Possibly this????

image hosted on flickr

[SteveC]

Mez.

The last suggestion is probably more likely, the first would be difficult for several reasons:

1. As you've said it isn't long enough. 1200m is really the minimum for corporate jet use

2. It disables the use of the entire airfield during the construction project for the hard runway.

3. It points directly at the Barton High Level Bridge and the under construction Salford Reds Stadium - these obstacles would create significant problems for arriving and departing aircraft. The existing grass runway is offset slightly to the North however as it is a visual runway only (i.e. pilots land by looking out of the window and not by instruments), these obstructions are acceptable. Corporate Jets will require an instrument runway, so clear approach paths are needed.

4. It would demolish two listed buildings (control tower and main hangar).

My understanding is that the other fields surrounding the airfield are already in Peel's ownership. I think though that the runway would be about 400m shorter than your line as the railway line to Port Salford needs to run through the North East side of it.

[rolybling]

I really hope this new "City Airport"....takes off so to speak. I've been thinking recently that Manchester was busy enough for 2 airports, it's the first time I've read anything about it though today, on this forum.

All very exciting.

As for the name change issue a few pages back. Meh!! Who really cares? Doesn't Salford benefit from having the UK's 3rd busiest airport just a few miles away? When will all this "Salford" nonsense end? OK it has city status, but would it gain such status today, as it stands? I doubt it. I think of Salford as being a bit like Brooklyn, which is also it's own city, but nobody else thinks of it that way.It's Brooklyn, New York. Salford, Manchester, end of.