Route Development & Rumours

[Birmingham Aviation]

BHX is not a low cost leisure airport

Majority of it is low cost
Pegasus
Ryanair
Jet2
Easyjet
Wizz air
Eurowings
Vueling

 

[Matt995]

So the answer to your question is this

https://twitter.com/x/status/1852367933197979824

And demand for Bodrum is that we have actually increased capacity on the route this summer with A21Ns on the route so this is the situation I think where bhx build on and take a grip of things.Increase demand on flights where summer has been a success and build up capacity for the next summer.

I personally think and I think you will agree with or maybe not that sun express and Pegasus Birmingham pile drivers for increased capacity in turkey

Credit Anna Aero and Sean M

not certain what Pegusus flights to Istanbul has to do with increased demand to Bodrum? This data was taken from August 2024, a year ago, Jet2 havent increased capacity this year, and these figures do not indicate that the demand for Bodrum has increased?

 

[Birmingham Aviation]

not certain what Pegusus flights to Istanbul has to do with increased demand to Bodrum? This data was taken from August 2024, a year ago, Jet2 havent increased capacity this year, and these figures do not indicate that the demand for Bodrum has increased?

to be fair Matt would u agree with me that regardless of Bodrum.Pegasus and Sun express are the main driving points at bhx for Turkish Expansion I Think I mentioned this before.
Sun express already planning ahead next summer before it’s even started proves to me there’s more works to be completed.
Pegasus hopefully a Dalaman or Antalya Route.Double figures daily for Istanbul would steady the ship nicely next summer.Theres a year to go and lots of time

 

[rollo]

Majority of it is low cost
Pegasus
Ryanair
Jet2
Easyjet
Wizz air
Eurowings
Vueling

Sorry Ant but I don't think that you grasp the concept of a LCC carrier.

The likes of Eurowings and Vueling are subsidiaries or associates of groups in this case Lufthansa for Eurowings and IAG for Vueling and operate on a reduced cost base compared to national or flag carriers.In Vuelings case Iberia and BA but higher costs than say Ryanair. Crew and staff are generally on lower salaries and terms than their counterparts they both offer code share arrangements within their respective groups Low cost carriers do not offer this and turn their aircraft round in 30min as a rule.

The likes of Easy and Ryanair negotiate eye watering terms with airports and other suppliers in exchange for passenger volume hence airports now resemble shopping malls and have endless rising parking/drop off charges etc.

Pegasus is debatable but they operate a considerable connection network out of Istanbul which isn't in the LCC model

As for Jet2 they are absolutely not low cost and if anything more expensive than TUI or at least when I price check them.

BHX while not exactly Changi is not a low cost airport have you ever been or flown from the likes of Luton or Stansted as a comparison.

Finally the true low cost operators are Ryanair, EasyJet and Wizz - fact.

 

[Karl C]

Well it is, and even the airport has said that is their primary focus moving forward. Increasing the number of routes and based aircraft from the low cost/lesuire airlines

BHX is an airport with low cost carriers.....like most other airports. Primary focus is just that...what BHX will be finally doing and should've done many years ago. Doesn't make them a low cost carrier airport, just an airport with low cost carriers.

to be fair Matt would u agree with me that regardless of Bodrum.Pegasus and Sun express are the main driving points at bhx for Turkish Expansion I Think I mentioned this before.
Sun express already planning ahead next summer before it’s even started proves to me there’s more works to be completed.
Pegasus hopefully a Dalaman or Antalya Route.Double figures daily for Istanbul would steady the ship nicely next summer.Theres a year to go and lots of time

SunExpress will be operating less services from BHX next summer.

 

[rollo]

Hi Ben.
If you want to add in the word leisure that's fine just means about every civil airport in the UK of any size fits the definition even LHR I believe, I understand we were talking low cost which is absolutely not the same thing

 

[Birmingham Aviation]

List of low-cost airlines - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[rollo]

Wickepedia is a useful tool but not necessarily accurate given anyone with an Internet connection can post or amend on any subject. For example lf Wickepedia considers Jet2 low cost (laughable, they perhaps offer value for money) why are Tui not considered low cost along with their German, Dutch, Belgium and Nordic divisions, ditto Emerald who were set up specifically to compete with EasyJet and Ryanair on UK /Ireland routes

Anyway we obviously have different views so fair enough.

P.S. to mods there are a few posts on this subject here that perhaps need moving including this one

 

[nwoody2001]

So on the basis that a) a majority of passengers through BHX are leisure passengers and b) we have a number of Low-Cost airlines based at BHX, with the exception of London Heathrow (LHR) and London City (LCY), can we name a single other UK airport that isn't a "low-cost leisure airport"???

You aren't too far off Ant, BHX is a low cost lesuire airport. The split is 88% lesuire and 12% business so the majority of all passengers use the low cost lesuire carriers

Where did you get those stats from?

 

[Iron Duck]

What’s worrying is that other airports seemingly steaming ahead with long haul e.g MAN/DUB/LHR all getting extra dailies to the Gulf yet BHX is left behind?

 

[nwoody2001]

Stats are from the CAA continuous Survey 24/25, so are 100% factual

If you could provide a link to those pages please, I would be curious to read it please. I cant find any reference to such tables in the 2024/24 CAA Statistic Page.

I don't the validity, would just like to view them...

Annual airport data 2024 | UK Civil Aviation Authority

Airport related statistics for 2024

www.caa.co.uk

 

[nwoody2001]

What’s worrying is that other airports seemingly steaming ahead with long haul e.g MAN/DUB/LHR all getting extra dailies to the Gulf yet BHX is left behind?

I think if you are comparing BHX with the primary airports of 2 Capital Cities and an airport that is 2.5x bigger than BHX, you will be in for a disappointment. BHX is a very different airports to the likes of LHR/DUB/MAN, the smallest of which serves over 31m passengers, verse BHX which carries a respectable 13.5m.

Given the fact that DUB is an airport of 34million pax, the fact that in summer 2025, EK were only operating 2x 77W compared to 1x 388 and 1x 77W from BHX, we were doing very well by comparison. Even with the introduction of 3x daily 77W, EK will offer 2,160 seats between DUB and DXB. EK will offer 2,086 seats between BHX and DXB... i think BHX is fairing pretty well in comparison!

I don't have a link, but the figures were stated and referenced to the CAA continuous survey.

Interesting.... I cant find any reference to the "CAA continuous survey" when searched in google, let alone find access to it/one... Can i ask where you saw it referenced, maybe I can search that instead.

 

[Birmingham Aviation]

can’t believe no 1 on here has mentioned Saudia have taken a good amount of passengers from Emirates and Qatar if I’m right…….No it’s a guess and I don’t have figures

 

[Birmingham Aviation]

Don’t wanna create commotion but I think this is an interesting question.

1.At route development at bhx what do they actually look at in terms of routes.Is it a case of mmm that could be operated let’s test it or is it a case of let’s see how many people use the route for connection from the connecting airport.

2.Are we shocked or stunned we haven’t got more expansion to the Norwegian border of Norway and Denmark and Sweden and even Latvia.Currently Ryanair operates 3 weekly summer seasonal to Stockholm and SAS 6 weekly year round with a CRJ9.I don’t want routes going away that will convince others to sway away if you get my point.

Thanks Ant

 

[IanFarquharson]

Don’t wanna create commotion but I think this is an interesting question.

1.At route development at bhx what do they actually look at in terms of routes.Is it a case of mmm that could be operated let’s test it or is it a case of let’s see how many people use the route for connection from the connecting airport.

2.Are we shocked or stunned we haven’t got more expansion to the Norwegian border of Norway and Denmark and Sweden and even Latvia.Currently Ryanair operates 3 weekly summer seasonal to Stockholm and SAS 6 weekly year round with a CRJ9.I don’t want routes going away that will convince others to sway away if you get my point.

Thanks Ant

Route Development is very complex, all airlines / routes would be in scope but building up a business case can take years, look at Finnair as an example 25 years plus of talking and nothing.

 

[Birmingham Aviation]

Route Development is very complex, all airlines / routes would be in scope but building up a business case can take years, look at Finnair as an example 25 years plus of talking and nothing.

Do you have any inclusive idea of what airlines are close to coming to bhx in the next 2/3 years or is that information private from your half?

 

[IanFarquharson]

Do you have any inclusive idea of what airlines are close to coming to bhx in the next 2/3 years or is that information private from your half?

No one outside of the BHX team would know that. But BHX have publically named a few airlines recently including Finnair, Cathay, Ethiopian and a US carrier. But they have mentioned others such as Play which never happened.

 

[Birmingham Aviation]

No one outside of the BHX team would know that. But BHX have publically named a few airlines recently including Finnair, Cathay, Ethiopian and a US carrier. But they have mentioned others such as Play which never happened.

Bring back Turkmenistan and Austrian

 

[Iron Duck]

No one outside of the BHX team would know that. But BHX have publically named a few airlines recently including Finnair, Cathay, Ethiopian and a US carrier. But they have mentioned others such as Play which never happened.

is it JetBlue?

 

[gulftraveller]

JetBlue is apparently selling two of its XLRs, deferring other deliveries, and is reducing some of its Transatlantic schedules in response to market conditions. On the plus side, they are forming a partnership with United which might help with new European markets. But I would be a little surprised to see expansion from them in Europe in the near future. My money would be on UA.