Route Development & Rumours

[pug]

Via Istanbul on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday through LBA. Late afternoon turnround at LBA.

Assuming this comes off, one of the most important developments at LBA in many a year.



I'd be really surprised with Lufthansa. Their experience in UK regional airports hasn't been great (Bristol being the obvious example). Newcastle has hung in there with a near-daily FRA but for the rest, it lends little hope of LBA appearing on the route network any time soon. There are a couple of other things I'd think are far more likely to materialise before that, but who really knows?

I did think of BRS when I was typing that, but I do think there’s something to be gained from discussing a German hub. Rather than FRA I’m thinking MUC.

Via Istanbul on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday through LBA. Late afternoon turnround at LBA.

Assuming this comes off, one of the most important developments at LBA in many a year.



I'd be really surprised with Lufthansa. Their experience in UK regional airports hasn't been great (Bristol being the obvious example). Newcastle has hung in there with a near-daily FRA but for the rest, it lends little hope of LBA appearing on the route network any time soon. There are a couple of other things I'd think are far more likely to materialise before that, but who really knows?

i wouldn’t if it was MUC. Must admit i was thinking of BRS when I was typing that post out.

IST with Turkish would be my bet for the next hub, but I fully believe they’re talking to LH and therefore it may only be a matter of time.

 

[Starflyer]

Sofia as is with Manchester

It’s via Istanbul. At least that’s what they are saying as of last week but I guess could change again as it doesn’t really matter. Manchester was going to be via some airport in Türkiye that I had to look up!!

 

[Finger66]

Has anyone heard of a realistic start date for this ISB service? All I have so far seen is "the coming months" which could be interesting if in the depths of winter.
Also is the "stopover" point wherever that officially is going to be have traffic rights or just a fuel stop? IST would be a useful traffic rights stop

 

[lbaspotter]

Has anyone heard of a realistic start date for this ISB service? All I have so far seen is "the coming months" which could be interesting if in the depths of winter.
Also is the "stopover" point wherever that officially is going to be have traffic rights or just a fuel stop? IST would be a useful traffic rights stop

Well the job offers on went live on Thursday, so I suspect recruitment will take a few weeks and then the is training. So i’d expect the earliest start date will be end of October which is also inline with the start of the IATA Winter 2025/26 schedule.

I’m certain in past AirBlue didn’t have traffic rights for the stop over, so it was just to take on extra fuel uplift.

 

[robsh34]

It’s via Istanbul. At least that’s what they are saying as of last week but I guess could change again as it doesn’t really matter. Manchester was going to be via some airport in Türkiye that I had to look up!!

I may be wrong but I recall reading somewhere that the Manchester flights would refuel at Trabzon.

It’s via Istanbul. At least that’s what they are saying as of last week but I guess could change again as it doesn’t really matter. Manchester was going to be via some airport in Türkiye that I had to look up!!

 

[Starflyer]

I may be wrong but I recall reading somewhere that the Manchester flights would refuel at Trabzon.

They were originally going for Trabzon when Manchester was first mooted. This looks to have changed to OGU - Ordu / Giresun, which was the one I had to look up!

I can’t see that you would use traffic rights on the intermediate stop. You need one for fuel, but unless you have roughly similar numbers of people getting on there as you have getting off, the load factor imbalance this could cause may be quite large.

 

[SierraHotel]

Is OGU to be the LBA ISB stop off?

 

[752]

It’s via Istanbul. At least that’s what they are saying as of last week but I guess could change again as it doesn’t really matter. Manchester was going to be via some airport in Türkiye that I had to look up!!

Istanbul would be good. As mentioned be good to know if it’s just a splash and dash or if pax can get on / off from there. Could catch the attention of Turkish!

 

[lbaspotter]

Istanbul would be good. As mentioned be good to know if it’s just a splash and dash or if pax can get on / off from there. Could catch the attention of Turkish!

Don’t quote me on this as I maybe wrong.

It will most likely be fuel stop only as I don’t think Air Blue have fifth freedom rights to pick up/drop off in Turkey?

 

[752]

Don’t quote me on this as I maybe wrong.

It will most likely be fuel stop only as I don’t think Air Blue have fifth freedom rights to pick up/drop off in Turkey?

Quick splash and dash would get pax to Pakistani quicker then an aircraft change in DXB or IST (competition from MAN)

 

[Bigman]

Daft question. Would a NEO actually need a refuelling stop on the inbound? Surely it could leave on full fuel load from Islamabad

 

[Aviador]

Daft question. Would a NEO actually need a refuelling stop on the inbound? Surely it could leave on full fuel load from Islamabad

I believe it wouldn't need to stop but as I think @Starflyer mentioned it would limit the baggage allowance.

 

[LBAYORKIE]

Daft question. Would a NEO actually need a refuelling stop on the inbound? Surely it could leave on full fuel load from Islamabad

You've got headwinds to contend with flying West.

 

[LBA4EVER]

You've got headwinds to contend with flying West.

And of course when the aircraft gets to LBA well we all know what the weather can be like at our airport!

 

[Sherburnflyer92]

And of course when the aircraft gets to LBA well we all know what the weather can be like at our airport!

That wouldn’t affect take off performance from Islamabad. Holding fuel would be a factor that affects the Landing performance.

It would however affect take off from Leeds but the question wasn’t from Leeds.

 

[gulftraveller]

You've got headwinds to contend with flying West.

It is likely the service would operate on a A321CEO. The company has only one LR operational. It too would need a refuelling stop. Even if the airline had the XLR, it is likely it too would have to refuel given that the actual range being achieved by the aircraft is 3999 nm (as reported by operators of the type with 182 passenger configuration).

 

[Starflyer]

A Neo definitely couldn’t make ISB-LBA non-stop and an LR would struggle. You’ve got some pretty strong headwinds coming that way.

A fuel stop on a Neo is going to be the best option. An LR or XLR both have larger fuel tanks thus smaller baggage holds.

 

[LBA4EVER]

That wouldn’t affect take off performance from Islamabad. Holding fuel would be a factor that affects the Landing performance.

It would however affect take off from Leeds but the question wasn’t from Leeds.

What im saying is if the A321 was travelling direct from islamabad then weather conditions at LBA ie wind, fog, is definitely something to consider, basically flying west weather conditions at LBA and the typical headwinds are a factor and flying east runway length at LBA is the main factor!
But like previous posts suggest a fuel stop is best option.

 

[Iron Duck]

my worry is that airblue might just be hiring a station manager in the same vain as PIA - to support the Ringway flights!!

 

[White Heather]

my worry is that airblue might just be hiring a station manager in the same vain as PIA - to support the Ringway flights!!

Why would they advertise a post at LBA to do nothing except support an operation that flies from an airport 50 miles away where they are also employing someone to do the same job?