Route Development & Rumours

[Kevin Farnell]

Turkish Airlines have had an interlining agreement with PIA for some months (hence frequent A330's to BHX), serving BHX, LHR and MAN. However. I believe this finishes on the 26 March. I think Turkish would work from LBA, but I'd expect BRS first (I was surprised when they announced NCL ahead of BRS, as they will compete against Emirates).

 

[Sherburnflyer92]

All 3 of those airports will work quite well.

@LBAYORKIE - 43,000 in 2021 in Scotland. Which is quite a sizeable population but really tiny in comparison to West Yorkshire.

Bradford was 140,000 (rounded up) with Leeds 30,000. So LBA has a huge market to be tapped into as I cannot seem to get Calderdale, Huddersfield or Dewsbury's demographics.

 

[A400]

I thought BA also operated LHR to Lahore.

No just Virgin from Heathrow. BA only fly to Islamabad.

 

[LBAYORKIE]

I couldn't find an IPS thread, but what I read in this article could be why their plans didn't progress.

Uncertainty remains over Hans Airways launch

The start-up carrier said that “Fulfilling the rightly stringent financial criteria required by the UK CAA to commence scheduled operations continues to hinder our launch plans”

www.businesstraveller.com

 

[White Heather]

I couldn't find an IPS thread, but what I read in this article could be why their plans didn't progress.

Uncertainty remains over Hans Airways launch

The start-up carrier said that “Fulfilling the rightly stringent financial criteria required by the UK CAA to commence scheduled operations continues to hinder our launch plans”

www.businesstraveller.com

Well, they weren't coming to LBA anyway, so personally speaking, who cares! Clearly a bit of a con.

 

[LBAYORKIE]

Well, they weren't coming to LBA anyway, so personally speaking, who cares! Clearly a bit of a con.

Beggars belief that prospective airlines announce plans to start operations without doing their homework.

 

[LBA4EVER]

Pakistan is certainly a large untapped market at present, in fact this conversation actually came up with myself and the asian taxi driver who took me to LBA on saturday.

 

[Sherburnflyer92]

Pakistan Airlines needs to really get its act together if we are honest.

I’ll keep banging the Turkish airlines drum.

 

[rollo]

Pakistan Airlines needs to really get its act together if we are honest.

I’ll keep banging the Turkish airlines drum.

Without wishing to intrude on the LBA forum your spot on in my view with Turkish, right aircraft for LBA, right routes, onwards connections plus reliability of service along with taking a long term view.

Given what PIA allowed to happen with the scandal of falsifying pilot records etc they really should have been shut down for good.

If it had been a UK or European airline or pretty much any western airline they would be history state airline or not.

Maybe I should add to the above "in my view."

 

[LBA4EVER]

Pakistan Airlines needs to really get its act together if we are honest.

I’ll keep banging the Turkish airlines drum.

Yes i agree, with any Pakistani route runway length is the issue at LBA as to be profitable ie max pax and cargo weight would be the issue, turkish is the key although it appears MAN is their expanding priority at present.

 

[Seasider]

Without wishing to intrude on the LBA forum your spot on in my view with Turkish, right aircraft for LBA, right routes, onwards connections plus reliability of service along with taking a long term view.

You are not intruding on the LBA forum, You are very welcome to post and a very pertinent comment it was.
Here's to the day when every forum member is prepared to post (and read) any thread.

 

[Bigman]

I would much rather have a daily Turkish B737/800 so I totally agree on that front

 

[Kevin Farnell]

I would much rather have a daily Turkish B737/800 so I totally agree on that front

I think it would be more likely to start at something like 4 per week (I believe that was how BHX started and the initial loads were terrible). Still, 4 Per week would be better than nothing.

 

[Bigman]

Don't get me wrong. I would quite happily settle for 4 x weekly.

 

[Aviador]

Yes i agree, with any Pakistani route runway length is the issue at LBA as to be profitable ie max pax and cargo weight would be the issue, turkish is the key although it appears MAN is their expanding priority at present.

It's really not though. The only constraint is the aircraft type. It has been discussed at great length over the years. Anything upto Boeing 777-200 or A350-800 is workable out of LBA subject to terminal constraints [work in the pending tray] and smaller aircraft types such as the 787 and A330 are very capable aircraft with full loads from LBA.

 

[Sherburnflyer92]

4 weekly would be fantastic addition. A mix of O/D traffic alongside connecting traffic. IF scheduled the correct way it could easily connect to not only the Pakistan, Indian flights but far east into China/Japan as they rebound, Singapore Thailand. There was dreams of them wanting to launch a IST-SYD flight - is it still on the table?

Also I'd much rather see A320/19 than a B738 as proven the Neo's from Wizz can handle fog.

Also @LBA4EVER Turkish offer quite a bit of belly cargo which is quite possibly why it receives A330. Where is LBA's cargo offering? My friend is BA cabin crew, and for ages, they went to Luanda a few times a week. She used to hate/loathe but love the route as the pax load was small. She told me once they had 60/70 pax on it ... proof that cargo kept that route profitable.

 

[LBAYORKIE]

4 weekly would be fantastic addition. A mix of O/D traffic alongside connecting traffic. IF scheduled the correct way it could easily connect to not only the Pakistan, Indian flights but far east into China/Japan as they rebound, Singapore Thailand. There was dreams of them wanting to launch a IST-SYD flight - is it still on the table?

Also I'd much rather see A320/19 than a B738 as proven the Neo's from Wizz can handle fog.

Also @LBA4EVER Turkish offer quite a bit of belly cargo which is quite possibly why it receives A330. Where is LBA's cargo offering? My friend is BA cabin crew, and for ages, they went to Luanda a few times a week. She used to hate/loathe but love the route as the pax load was small. She told me once they had 60/70 pax on it ... proof that cargo kept that route profitable.

Bear in mind narrow bodied aircraft are pretty poor for cargo.

 

[Sherburnflyer92]

Bear in mind narrow bodied aircraft are pretty poor for cargo.

My point was more to do with the usual “Manchester is main focus”, cargo been the reason why.

 

[Coathanger16]

There was dreams of them wanting to launch a IST-SYD flight - is it still on the table?

On the table, but some way off yet:

https://simpleflying.com/turkish-airlines-eyes-non-stop-australia-flights/

TLDR: Turkish would need either the 777X or A350-1000 to launch flights to Australia, and Turkish want to see both aircraft's "proof of maturity" before ordering either. The article suggests a launch in either 2026 or 2027.

With Qantas not expecting their A350-1000s until 2025 and Emirates their 777Xs in the same year, I suspect it'll be even later than that.

 

[Starflyer]

Glasgow has a fairly significant Pakistani diaspora and Lahore is the primary destination.

I think the Turkiye/Pakistan Air Services Agreement is quite limiting in relation to the number of frequencies and destinations that can be flown. I don't have the exact details. That may well be the reason why THY haven't steamed in - GLA-IST-LHE, LBA-IST-PEW to run alongside the existing IST-ISB service would be ideal use of two narrowbody aircraft.