Newquay and Plymouth Airports - their rise and fall - ongoing discussion

[whole diary]

[Bob_Blakey]

A reporter from our local BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) news, etc. programme 'Spotlight' travelled on the last early ASW flight from Plymouth this morning.

From the footage broadcast I would guess that the 'plane was no more than half full; a fair reflection of normal loadings or have lots of passengers already moved to alternative forms of transport?

[brompton rail]

Interestingly bmi have announced they are withdrawing from Heathrow to Glasgow leaving BA^» (British Airways - about) as the sole operator - it doesn't pay!

Is this a trend? Will we see more domestic flights going? Does this mean more business travellers are going by train, or by car, or staying at their offices and video conferencing?

[woody]

Stock market announcment this morning that Plymouth city airport is to close in Deecember 2011.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-13219590

All we need now is for the McNulty report to knock the final nail into Plymouth economic coffin.

[paul7575]

Plymouth City Airport is to close in December, its owner has announced.

Sutton Harbour Group blamed the economic downturn and "challenges for the UK^▸ (United Kingdom) regional aviation market".

It said the airport, which employs 56 people, had suffered "significant losses in recent years" and was facing a ^1m loss over the next year.

Air SouthWest axed its service to London Gatwick in February, meaning fewer than 100 people were flying out of Plymouth every day

More here:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-13219590

[LiskeardRich]

somebodys already started a thread on this, this morning

[paul7575]

Ah I missed that - mods please feel free to delete my thread.

Paul




_{Edit note: Purely for continuity reasons, I've merged both topics here, rather than delete any member's posts. CfN.}

[JayMac]

The 'Analysis' from BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) South West Business Correspondent, Neil Gallacher, that accompanies that story is interesting.

Plymouth is a city that risks losing not only its airport, but its football team.

Are 'The Pilgrims' thinking of moving?

[Bob_Blakey]

Only as far as the Bankruptcy Court - they are around ^17.5m in debt.

[broadgage]

I would regard the closure of an airport as good news for the enviroment.
It would appear that significant numbers of passengers are useing rail instead of air, and I  hope that the trend will continue with more airports closing.
Recent reports in the railway press note considerable shifts from air to rail over recent years, though Plymouth is not specificly mentioned.

Although the rail services to Plymouth could no doubt be improved, they are not bad compared to some cities.

There is growing evidence that crude oil production has reached a peak, and is now declining, which will lead to rapidly increasing prices.
Aircraft are almost totally reliant on fuels derived from crude oil.
Diesel trains use less fuel, and could eventually be replaced with electric ones.
I doubt that we will ever see an electric aeroplane with significant speed, payload and range.

[JayMac]

I doubt that we will ever see an electric aeroplane with significant speed, payload and range.

I doubt it too. How do you string overhead wires at 30000 feet? 

[grahame]

... How do you string overhead wires at 30000 feet? ...

You don't need to. You run a rail along the ground and pick up from a shoe.  Been doing it on the Southern for years. 

[JayMac]

[eightf48544]

Didn't a solar powered electric plane fly round the world?

Admittedly there were only one or two people on board and they were the pilots.

[broadgage]

Didn't a solar powered electric plane fly round the world?

Admittedly there were only one or two people on board and they were the pilots.

There have been a number of flights useing batteries, or solar power, or both.
These are interesting research projects, but are most unlikely to ever lead to large electric aircraft with range, speed, and payload comparable to kerosene burning planes.
The energy contained in say 1,000 kilos of batteries is very much less than that in the same weight of kerosene.
Peak oil=peak air travel.

[woody]

Tim Jones, chairman of the Devon and Cornwall Business Council has urged Sutton Harbour and Plymouth city council, which owns the land on which the airport is built not to use it for housing or any other use, suggesting it be "mothballed" for five years until the economy picks up adding that "If the city had a motorway or a fast train line this move would be more palatable. But without them the airport is a vital transport link."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/apr/28/plymouth-city-airport-to-close.
The trouble was although a"vital transport link." it had become hopelessly uneconomic and is symptomatic of the now wider problem of too many small uneconomic airports in Britains today.
http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/plymouth-airport-closure-a-sign-of-things-to-come-2276386.html