CityJet

[lbaspotter]

Looks like Irish based Avro RJ85/Sukhoi Superjet operator Cityjet are taking over the current Austrian Arrows Fokker 70 operated weekly Saturday Leeds/Bradford - Innsbruck charter flights for Inghams Holidays next summer 2017 season.

Flights/Holidays are now on sale and commences operation from Saturday, June 10th 2017 and run up until September 16th 2017 using what looks to be an LBA based aircraft. (Goes off elsewhere on a w-leg)

BCY9355 = LBA 07:10 - INN 10:35 / BCY9358 = INN 17:45 - LBA 19:05

 

[Aviador]

Could possibly be the first Sukhoi Superjet to use LBA.

 

[Bigman]

I like the sound of 'an LBA based aircraft'. Presumably it must position in just to do that rotation?

 

[Britannia94]

How nice would it be if they decided to use this aircraft on a Sunday - Friday to operate a codeshare with Air France to Paris CDG three times a day.... wishful thinking on this one though.

 

[Bigman]

I was thinking precisely the same thing myself. There has to be a really good reason as to why Cityjet would want an aircraft in LBA to do a Saturday only Austrian service.

 

[armadillomaster]

Daily LCY? That would be cool...

 

[ZB757]

And for it to be parked where exactly?!?!

 

[White Heather]

Always one negative response! LBA have repeatedly stated that the parking aprons will be expanded once they have confirmation that the number of based aircraft cannot be accommodated and that it can be delivered quickly - over a winter period. On a more positive note it would be nice to just have a City Jet based all week operating Paris and other routes.

 

[ZB757]

Not a negative response White Heather.. Just a very clear observation. LBA may have stated this HOWEVER as an employee for an airline at the airport, one of our aircraft every night block another one in at the remote stands and it's a tight squeeze and some nights only back steps can be used.. not a good look for the airline as passengers DO complain and blame the airline when its clearly the airports fault as we point out. The parking problems at the airport is a major issue and airlines are not happy about it. There is a Jet2 still parked on the taxiways some nights and the airport still clearly hasn't catered for these extra aircrafts. So any more based units would go where? What about diversions into the airport?? Airlines get turned away because we are full isn't the best look for the airport if they cant cater for 1 or 2 extra aircraft then planned, also a missed revenue opportunity and to gain a good reputation instead of aircraft diverting away.

 

[whoshotjimmi]

Having gone for a lovely and completely unnecessary bus tour around the apron on arrival from Cork the other day, I would say there is more to be gained from finding somewhere better to park all the support vehicles. This would free up a couple of roughly Sukhoi/Avro/ATR/Dash 8 sized parking spaces right in front of the terminal building. This would provide somewhere to put a CityJet but also to put an Aer Lingus so its passengers can walk straight through the door and do not have to be bussed to the antiquated Republic Of Ireland entry point in the terminal building. It would also mean that domestics could offload even closer to the door than they do now. I'm not entirely sure where all those support services would go but there MUST be a better solution than the one currently in operation.

 

[Airplane]

When I returned from Dublin last week we had an announcement onboard to say be had to wait for a bus. And that all flights from the Republic of Ireland have to be bussed to the terminal no matter how close they are parked which no one onbored understood.

 

[ex_crew]

If I were an airline looking to use LBA , hopefully the tour would not take place at the crack of dawn.

Its been quite a few years since I flew from LBA this early in the morning and quite honestly , I was disappointed , confused and felt quite claustrophobic after clearing the check- in formalities with JET2.

I found the interior very shabby , overcrowded and very claustrophobic.

There clearly is not enough room for this level of traffic at this early time.

After leaving the , elongated corridor , acting as a terminal , I was quite surprised to see so many aircraft parked on the taxi-way.

Our aircraft , a Titan Airways 757 was parked at the far end.

We were walked the entire way through an odd looking perspective corridor , airside, passing lots of other waiting passengers.......as you do in a bus station.

Business is booming at LBA , so are the facilities .......at the sides.

 

[Seasider]

To get back to Cityjet operation next summer. They could easily position the aircraft to/from LBA, British A/W position 2 EMJs on a Saturday to/from Humberside to operate a single flight to Alicante & one to Palma.

 

[a300boy]

As Cityjet are taking over Stobart Air in the near future would a based aircraft doing two Dublins a day for Aer Lingus plus Cork midday and also these charters at weekends be in the plan.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Looks like Irish based Avro RJ85/Sukhoi Superjet operator Cityjet are taking over the current Austrian Arrows Fokker 70 operated weekly Saturday Leeds/Bradford - Innsbruck charter flights for Inghams Holidays next summer 2017 season.

Flights/Holidays are now on sale and commences operation from Saturday, June 10th 2017 and run up until September 16th 2017 using what looks to be an LBA based aircraft. (Goes off elsewhere on a w-leg)

BCY9355 = LBA 07:10 - INN 10:35 / BCY9358 = INN 17:45 - LBA 19:05

The w-leg could be Bristol.

Inghams are showing INN-BRS 1130-1245 on BCY9352 and BRS-INN 1330-1645 on BCY 9353 on summer Saturdays next year.

This summer the INN-BRS-INN flights times are exactly the same as those for summer 2017 although slightly different flight numbers to those for next summer. A CityJet ARJ85 is the aircraft type this summer; in previous summers Inghams have used Austrian Arrrows F70.

 

[lbaspotter]

I understand Stobart Air maybe withdrawing the Leeds - Cork route at the end of thi Summer's 2016 schedule due to a strategy change by the airline believe to be connected to the new ownership of Cityjet.
Hence it was confirmed a few months back that Cardiff, East Midlands & Doncaster-Sheffield would all be losing its Stobart Air operated routes to Dublin.

 

[whoshotjimmi]

When I returned from Dublin last week we had an announcement onboard to say be had to wait for a bus. And that all flights from the Republic of Ireland have to be bussed to the terminal no matter how close they are parked which no one onbored understood.

I must say that, when I have returned from Dublin previously, this has not been the case. However, it seems that all ROI arrivals go through the side door into passport control. Additionally, the people checking the passports were not regular immigration officials but looked far more serious. I theorised that it has something to do with the increased terror threat from Northern Ireland related terrorism. However, this would seem pretty daft as one can cross the border into Northern Ireland with no passport check and then catch a domestic flight. Perhaps someone with a bit of security background can explain the situation. What I do know is that it added 10 minutes on to the arrivals process.

With regards LBA - Cork, it would be a shame to see it go yet again but perhaps CityJet has bigger plans. Twice daily Dublin with daily Cork Mon-Fri would be perfect. It would remain to be seen as to what would happen to the Saturday Dublin rotations but perhaps a non based aircraft could be found. The only problem I foresee is that the ATR seems like the perfect aircraft for the job. Would they remain or would CityJet prefer to keep an all jet fleet?

 

[Bigman]

I had forgotten about the Stobart Air connection, so maybe Cityjet may be in the frame to take over their LBA operations. It would be nice. One aircraft could easily do 3 x daily Dublin and a daily Cork, with ample scope for the Innsbruck on a Saturday. And if you are basing 1 aircraft, why not go the whole hog and base a second to do a 3 x daily Paris? Right, tin hat on!!

 

[White Heather]

Not a negative response White Heather.. Just a very clear observation. LBA may have stated this HOWEVER as an employee for an airline at the airport, one of our aircraft every night block another one in at the remote stands and it's a tight squeeze and some nights only back steps can be used.. not a good look for the airline as passengers DO complain and blame the airline when its clearly the airports fault as we point out. The parking problems at the airport is a major issue and airlines are not happy about it. There is a Jet2 still parked on the taxiways some nights and the airport still clearly hasn't catered for these extra aircrafts. So any more based units would go where? What about diversions into the airport?? Airlines get turned away because we are full isn't the best look for the airport if they cant cater for 1 or 2 extra aircraft then planned, also a missed revenue opportunity and to gain a good reputation instead of aircraft diverting away.

Not arguing with any of that Ap1995, but that is now, and the point I am making is that we are talking about 2017. The airport masterplan includes a considerable amount of additional aircraft parking, so it isn't as though they are planning to do nothing. They have confirmed they WILL be extending the stands, and they have confirmed they WILL be doing it when the demand for stands is such that it is necessary. It isn't going to happen overnight but it can happen over a winter period so who is to say it won't be this winter? It was done that way the last time the apron was extended.

IF it turns out that we do have even more based aircraft next year, then clearly Bridgepoint will have no option but to build more stands. Another Ryanair 737 has been suggested, possibly another Jet2, possibly this City Jet, so that is 3 and I cannot see where they can put another 3 without such expansion. They clearly need around another 6 stands to provide more space and flexibility.

 

[a300boy]

would be nice if they were proactive rather than reactive though would it not ?