Birmingham: Emirates News & Flight Discussions

[jfy1999]

A disproportionate number of aircraft pictures at LAX are taken from above, like these:

http://www.airplane-pictures.net/photo/174171/vh-oqb-qantas-airbus-a380/

http://www.airplane-pictures.net/photo/712373/f-hpjb-air-france-airbus-a380/

Is there a skyscraper nearby?

 

[IanFarquharson]

1,408 pax on the three EK inbound's today = 96% LF
Must be the end of half term

 

[Matt995]

Looking ahead to the winter schedule from Emirates, its very noticeable that the evening service EK37/38 now has a longer turn around at Birmingham, 2 hours on the ground, suggesting that it could well be a A388 service from the end of October :-

Scheduled 30 Oct to 25th Mar :-

EK 041/42 arr 06:25, dept 08:15 B77W
EK 039/40 arr 11:25, dept 13:30 A388
EK 037/38 arr 18:45, dept 20:45 B77W (or A388?)

I know the rumours indicate that this service may be upgraded to an A388, maybe its looking good for an end of October start!!

mind you early days still, the times can still yet be changed/tweeked!!!

 

[IanFarquharson]

EK loads have really picked up again

Saturday = 2,206 pax
Sunday = 2,407 pax

 

[Kevin Farnell]

EK loads have really picked up again

Saturday = 2,206 pax
Sunday = 2,407 pax

Thanks, Ian.
These were a little more difficult to work out than the Qatar figures, but thanks to your own wonderful Blog and Planespotters.net I was able to find the seating configuration for each flight.

I calculated Saturday to be -

2206/(((428+615+360))x2)x100 = 78.6% LF

and Sunday -

2407/(((428+615+428))x2)x100 = 81.8% LF

Regards

Kevin

 

[User001]

Emirates just announced A380 swaps from Lunchtime to evening flight from January 1st

 

[nwoody2001]

great news, Thanks User.... source? link?

 

[Brummiegem]

I have just read the press release and it appears to me that the plan is to swap the A380 on to the evening EK37/8,while reverting back to B777 on the EK39/40.
Can this be confirmed??

 

[nwoody2001]

news reports following a google search suggesting not a 2nd A380 but a swap from the Morning service (even though its the mid-day service that's the A380) to the evening flight ...which I assume is just shoddy reporting???

 

[nwoody2001]

confirmed here in their press release which is a little disappointing.....

we don't get a 2nd A380, it just moves the the evening flight

http://www.emirates.com/media-centr...nchester-adjusts-a380-schedule-to-birmingham#

 

[Brummiegem]

nwoody,I think that it is referring to Dubai morning as opposed to UK morning.
Aren't they 6 hours or something like that ahead of us?

 

[User001]

sorry Woody, just had to amend post as its not a 2nd A380, it's a swap. Confirmed in news sources

 

[ronnoc1k8]

It does seem quite logical, hopefully they'll put the A380 back on the lunchtime service as well as the evening flight being A380.

 

[Barry Beeth]

Suspect nothing more sinister than swapping what few "spare" a/c they have - remember the rumour for MAN was a 4th daily rather than an upgrade of the morning 777. The BHX lunchtime loads are generally very healthy from what I can gather (else why put a 615 seater on in the first place?!) but the 37/38 has always held up better. Should've been the first 380 anyway, imo...

 

[nwoody2001]

well yes, its not bad news really but just not what people had hoped for....

its worth noting that only 12 months ago, we have only 2x 77W going to the middle East, now we have 2x B77W, 1x A388 and 1x B788

I still think its a matter of time before we get out 2nd A388 but maybe not until next summer peak?

 

[Ray Finkle]

A good move in my opinion, the evening service has always been the best performer.

This should also take a bit of pressure off the new morning flight and help it grow. A 2nd A380 will come but we've only had the first for 4 months and a new 77W for 12.

 

[JENNYJET]

A potential for Qatar to use the A380 stand perhaps with their own A380?

 

[ethanegcc]

A potential for Qatar to use the A380 stand perhaps with their own A380?

I do think it is a bit far fetched to believe QR will use the BHX - something thay QR only uses on a handful of routes and I don't think first class is a necessity on BHX flights, let's not forget there has been recent downgrades albeit temporary. The route only launched earlier this year. The best move forward for QR at BHX will be two 788s daily or a high density 77W.

It is great news for MAN getting all 388 service but lets not forget that MAN had the 388 years before BHX did and we had to wait years for a second daily service and until now for a third so BHX will get a capacity increase but let's not forget the most recent one was just earlier this year - MAN's was quite a while ago. BHX's time will come for a second 388 but I can't see how it would come just months after the inaugural 388 flight. Next year maybe. For the near future EK are the only operator I can see operating the 388 to BHX or MAN and I think QRs 388 to BHX is a bit of a fantasy.

 

[JENNYJET]

Far fetched? Possibly the kindest way to dismiss my innocent suggestion that a prized space on the apron could be used by a carrier capable of exploiting the facility.

 

[Brum X]

Well if the evening service is the busiest flight out of the 3 flights, then this makes good business sense. And maybe just maybe they want to keep the cargo capacity at BHX for the time being. Introducing a second A380 at BHX would reduce this by quite a bit and with MAN going all A380, there cargo capacity will reduce further.