Air Arabia Maroc

[Ray Finkle]

Flights are still showing in Amadeus and Skyscanner still shows it but when you go through to the Air Arabia website it says no flights.

One to keep an eye on.

 

[58terminus]

Runway extension, new ATC tower, new pier, new airfield lighting, new ground based radar system, MAEL hangar, new fleet of fire and rescue vehicles, internal developments such as new security and extra bussing lounges. We should see work on the departure lounge extension start this year, then there is that £500 million make over masquerading as an ambitious master plan.

All that glitters is not gold

 

[Ianbutty]

Are enough bums sitting on the plane seats? If not, the services will go. A demand and supply business.

With TUI axing the service is this a popular enough route?

 

[smithy108]

Are enough bums sitting on the plane seats? If not, the services will go. A demand and supply business.

With TUI axing the service is this a popular enough route?

Spot on but new routes don't sell themselves. Any new route needs a co-ordinated marketing campaign around the various media channels and of course, particularly social media . You would also expect that a first year isn't likely to make money given the cost of such launch costs. If airlines bail out after one year ( or a season) then its never going to be sustained growth for the second year and the future. This seems to have happened too often at BHX

 

[58terminus]

Are enough bums sitting on the plane seats? If not, the services will go. A demand and supply business.

That's what i am struggling to understand. If an airline starts a route i thought it must be on the basis that they see a demand and will supply. Why else would you do it unless the incentives were so good you could fly mt and still make money?
When the incentives expire move on and find another sucker.

 

[Ianbutty]

That's what i am struggling to understand. If an airline starts a route i thought it must be on the basis that they see a demand and will supply. Why else would you do it unless the incentives were so good you could fly mt and still make money?
When the incentives expire move on and find another sucker.

I have often said that an airline only starts up after intensive research. Air Maroc as often reported have had very poor publicity, so maybe the bums on seats did not materialise as a result.

If it is the loss of incentives that causes airlines to pack up after a year then what on earth is BHX doing to them not keep them or are the profit margins so low from the Midlands that the incentives tip the balance between profit in loss?

Something not night at mill. They should take the same approach as a commercial lease: offer a free period, rack up the value of that period into a break payment, but only offer the free period on the agreemnt to a long term business plan which demonstrates the sustainability of the business.

 

[58terminus]

or are the profit margins so low from the Midlands that the incentives tip the balance between profit in loss?

Again this something that keeps cropping up and i don't understand. The airport should have a catchment area which includes Oxfordshire.Gloucestershire,Northamptonshire.,Shropshire etc..
You would think it is confined to Sandwell.Dudley.Ladywood etc from how often this crops up.
No disrespect to the residents of the latter intended.

 

[thunderchild]

Another one confined to the history books - last flight operated today. At least it’s not necessarily BHX specific as they’ve shut down the Agadir base.

 

[Ray Finkle]

Hopefully it will ease any pressure on TUi as we don't need yet another destination added to the extensive unserved list.

 

[thunderchild]

Hopefully it will ease any pressure on TUi as we don't need yet another destination added to the extensive unserved list.

Well the load factors didn’t exactly set the world alight but TUI is a different beast so I imagine a package flight should probably do OK.

 

[A330]

I agree the service was not used well enough, so a reduction to weekly or suspension was on the horizon even before the base closure.

Morocco remains popular especially with the local Muslim population, I would guess more traffic to Marrakech, however I am convinced both cities could support at least twice weekly. The number of times I have heard friends/work colleagues have booked a short break from other airports and not always LGW/MAN/STN/LTN. I must admit to being surprised when people (non aviation folk) have told me Marrakech is served by FR from LPL or easyJet from Bristol!!

We must do more to hold on to such services. Any service no matter how small which reduces leakage is progress in my opinion.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

I agree the service was not used well enough, so a reduction to weekly or suspension was on the horizon even before the base closure.

Morocco remains popular especially with the local Muslim population, I would guess more traffic to Marrakech, however I am convinced both cities could support at least twice weekly. The number of times I have heard friends/work colleagues have booked a short break from other airports and not always LGW/MAN/STN/LTN. I must admit to being surprised when people (non aviation folk) have told me Marrakech is served by FR from LPL or easyJet from Bristol!!

We must do more to hold on to such services. Any service no matter how small which reduces leakage is progress in my opinion.

easyJet operates to a lot of destinations from BRS that might surprise you but Marrakech is not one of them. It was axed in 2017. Only TUI operates there now and just once weeky in summer.

 

[A330]

easyJet operates to a lot of destinations from BRS that might surprise you but Marrakech is not one of them. It was axed in 2017. Only TUI operates there now and just once weeky in summer.

Thanks for the up to date info TheLocalYokel. I had a feeling it may not be served currently.

 

[JENNYJET]

SAUDIA, Royal Air Maroc, Qatar and Emirates are the big names but Air Arabia Maroc? Publicity in the right places and context will get travellers to notice an alternative to the usual low cost suspects and hopefully independent travel consultants may consider them.

 

[mullion]

Royal Air Maroc has the same problems as Air Arabia

 

[KJAY 786]

I spoke to Air Arabia; they said put in writing suggestion to start Sharjah flights demand is very high and business load will be busy with onward connections to ASIA - India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Middle East - it will be busy as a cheap airline-
Air Arabia we in Birmingham love you x x x