Exeter International Airport (EXT) - General Thread

[Aviador]

Re: Exeter International Airport

Given Flybe has an extensive programme from the airport can we assume Flybe is making a recovery as well?

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Re: Exeter International Airport

Given Flybe has an extensive programme from the airport can we assume Flybe is making a recovery as well?

Yes, it is mainly down to Flybe.

Malaga and Alicante are up by around 3,000 thanks to more rotations this year and new routes to Barcelona and Nice picked up another 3,000 between them.

The hub operation into MAN also saw another 2,500.

In addition the change of stretegy of Isles of Scilly Skybus to make EXT a focal point to replace the Penzance helicopter service to the Scilly Isles which is not operating this year generated 2,000 extra passengers.

Next year Thomson/First Choice will be flying to Heraklion (not featured this summer) and will operate a second weekly rotation to Mahon.

There is no suggestion of increasing the single based TOM B 738 next summer so the routes will be operated either as a W (possibly not too realistic for Heraklion) or with a third party carrier. That is, unless other routes are to be dropped to make way but I've not checked in any detail.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Re: Exeter International Airport

CAA stats August 2013

93,092 passengers were handled in August, up 15.4% on August 2012. Atms were up 15.2%. Rolling total was 727,196, up 3.9% on a year ago.

Another very good month for EXT - very similar to July and broadly for the same reasons as set out in the previous post above.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Re: Exeter International Airport

CAA stats September 2013

81,993 passengers were handled in September, up 11.4% on September 2012. Atms were up 6.7%. Rolling total was 735,535, up 6.3% on a year ago.

Another very good month for EXT - very similar to July and August and broadly for the same reasons as set out in previous posts

 

[News Guru]

[textarea]Flybe to cut 116 jobs at its Exeter headquarters

Flybe has confirmed that it wants to make 116 people redundant at its Exeter headquarters as it seeks to make further cost savings.

Announcing half yearly profits of £13.8 million earlier this week, Flybe said it wanted to make 500 staff redundant in order to make the business viable in the future.

​The airline has now begun consultations with unions as it wants to streamline its operations in two waves, with the first round of departures in January and the second in March.

Read more: http://www.exeterexpressandecho.co.uk/F ... z2ku8CpO4P[/textarea]

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Flybe

Amongst 30 routes (of which 14 are seasonal) announced today for closure are Exeter-Newcastle from the end of next March and the summer routes from Exeter to Nice and Barcelona.

 

[Aviador]

Exeter is a the airlines home base and a major base at that. The loss of just three routes, two of which are seasonal goes to show how well the base is doing generally.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Exeter is a the airlines home base and a major base at that. The loss of just three routes, two of which are seasonal goes to show how well the base is doing generally.

There will be disappointment at EXT nevertheless as Barcelona and Nice only commenced in summer 2013.

The route network at EXT is not that extensive. The following will be left after the cuts:

Alicante, Amsterdam, Belfast-City, Dublin, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Guernsey, Jersey, Málaga, Manchester, and Paris CDG.

The sun routes are not operated daily even in summer.

There are also seasonal routes, many of which are weekly only, viz: Bergerac, Chambéry, Dubrovnik, Düsseldorf, Faro, Geneva, Palma de Mallorca, Rennes, Salzburg

 

[TheLocalYokel]

CAA stats November 2013

42,966 passengers passed through the terminal in the month, a fall of 1.7% on November 2012. Atms were up 2.6%. Rolling 12-month total was 736,565, up 6.3 % on a year ago.

Disappointing that the first winter month should see a slight fall in passenger numbers but 2013 as a whole has been positive after five years of continuing falling numbers.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

CAA stats December 2013

42,659 passengers were handled in the month, up 4.7% on December 2012. Atms were up 8.2%. Rolling total was 738,157, up 6.2% on a year ago.

So, as with Cardiff, Exeter Airport saw the beginning of a recovery in 2013 after five years of serious passenger losses that saw a drop of over 30%.

It's difficult to predict 2014 with Flybe, the sole scheduled operator apart from the niche Scilly Skybus, reducing its EXT operation.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

CAA Stats January 2014

EXT did not join in the generally very positive January enjoyed by many UK airports.

It handled 33,431 passengers in the month, down 0.4% on January 2013. Atms were up 1.3%. Rolling 12-month total was 737,797, up 6.3% on a year ago.

As I said last month, with EXT relying so heavily on Flybe that is cuttng some summer routes this year it's difficult to see where any substantial growth is coming from.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Flybe to Paris Cdg

From April Flybe will double its weekday frequencies between Exeter and Cdg to two with an evening rotation complementing the morning one.

As things stand BRS will have just the daily easyJet service to Cdg which means the same number of seats as Flybe's two Q400s each weekday (assuming easyJet uses the A319) but inferior flexibility for passengers.

This will be some compensation for Flybe axing the summer routes from EXT to Nice and Barcelona.

When Flybe operated EXT-CDG double daily before the recession it claims it increased its market share on the South West-CDG route taking passengers from the BRS-CDG route.

http://www.businesstraveller.com/news/f ... ris-market

 

[TheLocalYokel]

CAA stats February 2014

Exeter had an excellent February.

38,420 passengers were handled, up 10% on February 2013. Atms were unchanged. Rolling total was 741,248 up 6.9% on this time last year.

The figures suggest the increase was entirely due to higher loads given that atms were unchanged. This must be very gratifying for the airlines (Flybe and Thomson mainly) and for the airport.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

[textarea]Megabus service adds Exeter Airport stop

Stagecoach Group's new integrated coach-rail service megabusplus.com has added Exeter Airport to its list of destinations, providing local people with a new airport link.

The new budget service, which was launched last month to help storm-hit communities in the south-west of England, provides a link between London and the West Country using a combination of South West Trains rail services and megabus.com coaches.

The new services use a rail hub at Honiton, where customers transfer between train and coach.[/textarea]
Full report at: http://www.exeterexpressandecho.co.uk/M ... story.html

I missed this when it was announced last month. The coach will call at EXT 15 times daily. It sounds an excellent way of improving public transport connectivity to the airport, especially from further west in the county and from Cornwall.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Flybe

Flybe announced this morning that from 27 October 2014 they will operate from London City Airport to Dublin (4 x daily), Edinburgh (4 x daily), Belfast City (3 x daily), Exeter (3 x daily) and Inverness (2 x daily).

Exeter is interesting because it's usually been thought to be too near London for an air route to be viable against the train. There have been attempts in the past but nothing of any significance in 'modern times'.

The train journey from Exeter St Davids to London Paddington takes around two and a half hours (some trains are a bit quicker and others a bit slower than this).

Cardiff is about 20 minutes closer to Paddington by rail than Exeter is to Paddington and Air Wales linked CWL and LCY in 2003 at first 3 x daily with their ATR 42s. The service was gradually whittled down and, after reducing to Mondays and Fridays only, it was withdrawn completely by the end of 2004.

EXT-LCY seems something of a gamble.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

FREE domestic flights for Etihad passengers

Etihad Airways are offering all passengers booked on an Etihad flight to Abu Dhabi and beyond... free domestic flights with Flybe from Exeter to Manchester.

FREE domestic flights for Etihad passengers. This Etihad-only exclusive offer
valid for sales until 19 May 2014 allows a hassle free journey at no addition costs.

Full item at: http://www.exeter-airport.co.uk/airport-news?item=905

A good initiative even if only for a limited period.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

[textarea]Exeter Airport rolls out the red carpet for delegation of Chinese investors

Exeter Airport has played host to Chinese delegates representing a huge investment syndicate looking to identify major projects in South West England.

Speaking on behalf of the Devon & Cornwall Business Council, Tim Jones said: “We were extremely fortunate to have secured a visit for this very important Chinese delegation.[/textarea]
Full report: http://www.exeterexpressandecho.co.uk/E ... story.html

The 3 x daily Flybe link with London due to commence this autumn could be very extremely useful to the Exeter region's growing importance as as significant economic city region, giving it a unique selling point over places like Bristol and Cardiff.

EXT is losing its Flybe sun routes this winter but is pushing ahead with the more important business routes to such places as Paris and London. With its 2 x daily Paris Cdg link with Flybe it has the best Paris network of any airport in South West Britain.

Exeter is unofficially regarded as the capital of the South West even though it's only half the size of Plymouth.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

CAA stats April 2014

Another heartening month for EXT with 57,702 pssengers handled, up 8.1% on April 2013. Atms were actually down 1.3%. Rolling 12-month total was 746,194, up 7.6% on a year ago.

Given that EXT relies almost entirely on Flybe for its scheduled routes and one based TOM B 738 for charter work these figures suggest that improved loads were the driver of the rise in passenger numbers.

The 3 x daily MAN route was especially noteworthy with over 8,000 passengers carried in the month (14% of the total), mainly it seems to connect into MAN's Flybe network and code-share partners such as Etihad.

With London City 3 x daily with Flybe due to start in October, EXT's passenger recovery after five years of constant reductions looks set fair to sail serenely on.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

CAA stats May 2014

EXT continues to repair the damage done in the five year slump from 2007 with 77,501 passengers handled in May, an increase of 1.5% on May 2013. Atms were down 4.1% so loads must have been better generally. The rolling 12-month total was 747,356 which is up 7.1% on this time last year.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

[textarea]Exeter Airport owners forecast further growth in Devon and Cornwall

One of the largest and most successful family-owned businesses in the UK is planning further growth in the Westcountry.

The Rigby Group, which owns and operates Exeter Airport and recently acquired the iconic Bovey Castle has reiterated the importance of the region in its worldwide business after ploughing £50 million in the last 12 months alone.

Sir Peter Rigby, the CEO and group chairman, said the Rigby Group was already planning further growth and investment in Devon and Cornwall over the coming years.

He called Exeter Airport a ‘sleeping giant’ with massive potential and insisted the new luxury hotels the group is building will further strengthen its top end leisure offer in the region.[/textarea]

Full report at http://www.westernmorningnews.co.uk/Exe ... story.html

Let's hope this confidence is borne out.