Southampton Airport - General Thread

[Aviador]

Three Peaks completed by Southampton Airport team

Southampton Airport has made the headlines this week after a team of fire fighters from the travel hub made record time in the Three Peaks Challenge.

The team of eight won a platinum medal after the impressive feat which saw them conquer Ben Nevis, Scafel Pike and Snowden in 17 hours and ten minutes.

Stuart Carpenter, team captain and airport fire fighter, said they had beaten their goal of winning a gold medal and completing the climb in 20 hours.

"With some serious training in the months leading up to the event we actually managed to get a platinum medal and came 11th out of 112 teams," he added.

The group have raised £1,000 which will be divided between two causes, The Fire Fighter's Charity and The Burns Unit at Salisbury Hospital.

In 2005 a team from Gatwick Airport completed the challenge in 17 hours and 24 minutes - 14 minutes longer than the Southampton Airport team.

Both airports are owned by BAA, which also owns Heathrow, Edinburgh, Stansted and Glasgow airports.

Source

 

[News Guru]

Flight chaos costs Southampton Airport £50,000 a day

The flights shutdown caused by the Iceland volcano ash cloud is costing Southampton Airport more than £50,000 a day, the Daily Echo reveals. The airport closed its doors at 11:30 Thursday and has since cancelled hundreds of flights.

Airport boss David Lees told the newspaper: ‘We appreciate the continued patience of passengers at this difficult time and will provide updates as often as possible. The [first] two days [of the disruption] have cost us in excess of £100,000.’

Source

 

[News Guru]

Southampton Airport marks 100 years of aviation

Edwin Moon brought Moonbeam II to North Stoneham Farm by horse and cart.

In the spring of 1910, aviation pioneer Edwin Moon, took his life in his hands and took off in his Moonbeam II aircraft in fields north of Southampton.

That first flight was not recorded or photographed. In fact historians are not even sure of the exact date - it was some time between April and June 1910.

However it marked the first moments of the aviation industry which was to play such a big part in the life of the region over the subsequent century.

Moon, who lived in Cranbury Terrace in Southampton at the time of his first flight, tragically drowned following an air crash off Felixstowe ten years later, aged just 33.

His legacy was to be Southampton's international airport which grew up on the same land as the original flight on North Stoneham Farm.

Colin Van Geffen from the Solent Sky Museum explained how the flight was little more than a "series of hops".

He said: "Sadly it didn't end the way he hoped - when he was landing he struck a tree, got tangled in it, damaged the undercarriage and the aircraft landed in a rather inelegant manner. He wasn't hurt, and was able to the recover the airframe ... and make a more successful flight a few days later."

Moonbeam II was based on French design of a tubular-framed monoplane, with the tail section away from the centre of gravity. It carried a 20 horse power engine on the airfame and had a wooden propeller - the combined weight was 260lbs (118kg).

Southampton was part of the heyday of passenger aviation after World War II.
Moon went on to have distinguished service as a military Flight Commander during World War I but died in an air crash in 1919.

He received full military honours at his funeral at Southampton's Old Cemetery on Southampton Common. The propeller from the plane in which he crashed sits alongside his gravestone.

Aviation takes off

When Moon first took off, it was only seven years after the Wright Brothers' first flight and aviation was still very much its infancy.

However during World War I, Southampton became a staging post for military aircraft.

Between the wars, the area also became a hub for aircraft production and the burgeoning civilian air transportation sector. There were many landmark moments in early aviation - like the arrival of Amelia Earhart who became the first woman to fly across the Atlantic in 1923.

Southampton Water became the ideal staging post for the flying boats - in 1919 the city was the world's first 'air-port'. The flying boats ran until the late 1950s, connecting the UK with the outposts of the empire - as far as Australia and New Zealand as well as making transatlantic crossings.

The land at North Stoneham Farm became the northern end of Southampton Municipal Airport which officially opened in 1932.

The current Ford factory beside Southampton Airport was used to assemble Spitfire fighters during World War II before they were flown out of the airport - re-commissioned as HMS Raven - to their squadrons taking part in the Battle of Britain.

In the post-war period, commercial airline services grew - a new hard runway in the 1960s meant the airport was suitable for the new generation of jet aircraft.

Colin Van Geffen said: "Southampton is a heartland of aviation development - there was more aviation companies here than anywhere else in the world. Our heritage is rich in the skills, development, technology and the production of aircraft."

Regional hub

Southampton International Airport has continued to expand - with a new passenger terminal opened in 1994, a £3 million runway upgrade in 2000 and the growth of regional airlines like Flybe, Blue Islands and Eastern Airlines contributing to the airport's growth.

Southampton airport in the 1990s
With 900 flights a week to UK and European destinations, employing 1,200 people the airport is still a major contributor to the local community.

Most of the airports regular users come from the local business community.

David Tipple, director of Southampton and Fareham Chamber of Commerce, said: "It puts Southampton on the map in Europe - Southampton flies to 50 airports so that's 50 places in Europe Southampton businesses can do businesses with.

"It doesn't require you to hack all the way up to Heathrow and Gatwick - so it saves time and it saves money."

A series of special events are taking place to mark the centenary of Edwin Moon's first flight. The view from the skies over Stoneham is now very different to when Moon first took off, but the first faltering flight is still a key part of the region's aviation heritage.

Source

 

[News Guru]

New Southampton Airport boss named

David Lees has been appointed the new managing director of Southampton Airport, after three years working at the hub. He will take on the role from July 31 and replaces the Kevin Brown, who is to take control of sister BAA airport Edinburgh.

Mr Lees joined Southampton Airport in 2007 as planning and development director, and was responsible for the airport's masterplan, which predicts how the airport will develop in the years to 2030. He is 42, married with two children, and his interests include swimming, running, photography, travelling and playing the saxophone.

Source

 

[News Guru]

[textarea]£1.5m overhaul for Southampton Airport duty free

Duty free shopping at Southampton Airport is about to get better with a £1.5m overhaul of the outlet. The store will be increased in size by a quarter and offer new products including sunglasses, watches and jewellery.

The work is expected to be finished early next year. A spokesman for the airport said: ‘We wanted to update and improve our largest shop, which opened with the terminal building 16 years ago. World Duty Free is currently being completely refurbished to provide a better shopping experience for passengers. With the increase in space, the store will also be able to provide even more product ranges.’

Source[/textarea]

 

[News Guru]

[textarea]Southampton Airport to support island games

Southampton Airport has announced it will support next year's NatWest Island Games on the Isle of Wight. It is the closest major airport to the Island and many of the athletes competing in the 2011 Games — 25 Islands from around the world are taking part — will fly there.

Jan Halliday, director of marketing and communications at the airport, said it had been working closely with the 2011 Games' organisers and it was looking forward to being part of the event. A £94,000 grant from the National Lottery-funded Arts Council has been awarded for a spectacular opening ceremony, which will be held in Ryde, on June 25. The carnival-style extravaganza will include more than 1000 young people.

Source[/textarea]

 

[News Guru]

[textarea]New Southampton Airport lounge opened

Southampton Airport has opened Breeze Priority Lounge, a paid-for lounge in the departure area with features including wi-fi internet access and locally produced snacks and drinks. The new £130,000 facility can accommodate up to 30 guests, and costs £17.50 per person.

In addition to free wi-fi access, there are laptop and mobile charging points, flight information screens, and food and beverage choices sourced from Hampshire-based companies including hand-made biscuits from Little Rose Bakery and wines from Wickham Vineyards. Passengers who have pre-paid for access to the lounge will also get a free priority security lane pass.

Source[/textarea]

 

[News Guru]

[textarea]Southampton Airport unveil two new emergency vehicles

Southampton Airport has unveiled two new fire service vehicles, putting the hub at the leading-edge of fire safety technology across UK airports. The two Rosenbauer Panther 6x6 vehicles are specialist fire engines specifically designed for airport use, and were built in Austria. They have a life span of 20 years, and represent an investment of over €1 million.

The vehicles weigh 35 tonnes each carrying a combination of water (capacity 12,791 litres), specialist foam (capacity 1,583 litres) and a variety of other safety equipment. They are capable of travelling up to 50mph, enabling the crew to be at any airport location within three minutes of an emergency call.

The vehicles also use Euro three Caterpillar C18 diesel engines, which meet strict European environmental standards, and are more efficient than the 20 year old engines they replace. Other new technological benefits include; infrared to help with locating objects in reduced visibility such as fog, 80m hose reels, cab operated foam monitors which can be used whilst in motion, as well as better acceleration and top speeds.

Source[/textarea]

 

[Aviador]

[textarea]Southampton Airport launches App

This week sees the launch of Southampton Airport’s iphone and Android smartphone App.

The free App is packed with planning tools, terminal information, special offers, news and more.

Neil Garwood, Head of Customer Service, commented, “Good information is the key to good passenger experiences, so it’s great to be able to deliver this information in a format that appeals to those passengers looking for info on the move.”

The airport’s Ambassadors will spend the week in the terminal explaining the App’s features to passengers and showing them how to download it to their smartphones.

With the Southampton Airport App you can:
• Keep a track of your upcoming trips
• Take a photo of your car to remind you where you parked
• Book car parking easily on your phone
• Check the weather in your destination
• View tourist guides on all of our destinations

Southampton Airport has over 1.7million passengers per year travelling for business and pleasure to destinations across Europe, including 15 French destinations, and new for 2012 Barcelona with Vueling, and Ibiza with Thomas Cook. You can now travel to 100s of worldwide destinations from Southampton Airport with KLM via Amsterdam.

Source: http://www.sourcewire.com/news/74042/so ... unches-app[/textarea]

Seems like a good idea. I don't use an Android or iPhone but it seems to be the way forward. I haven't seen the app but they will be able to develop it so foreign visitors can also use the app in their own language.

 

[LukeT]

Different Aircraft Seen At Southampton in the past....

757's (Not Sure On Airline), SAS ATR-72 , Nok Air Dash 8 Q400, BMI Regional ERJ 145, Austrian Airways Fokker 100, AlbaStar 737, Cityjet BAe 146, British Airways (SunAir) Dornier Jet, InterSky ATR-72, Livingston A321, L39 Jet Trainer, Jet2 757, Hamburg International A320, British Airways A320, Turkish Airlines A320, Aurigny ATR-72/42?, Hermes Airlines 737, Titan Airways 737, Vueling A320, Aurigny Dornier, Aurigny ERJ-175, Aurigny Trislander , RAF Tornado, Amsterdam Airlines A320, Lancaster Bomber, Condor 767, Cello Aviation BAe 146, French Airforce C-160.... and more!



To come....
Germania may be starting flights from Southampton! (Airbus/Boeing)
KLM Airlines (Fokker 70's)
Volotea (B717)
Aer Lingus (Stobart Air) (ATR-72)
Thomson Airlines? (Not Yet Sure)
Thomas Cook? (Not Yet Sure)
Air France
BMI Regional
Past Airlines
Vueling
British Airways





News: Volotea to start operating at Southampton Airport in 2016 : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-34675804
News: Aer Lingus to start operating at Southampton Airport in 2016 : http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/1412853 ... uthampton/
News: BMI Regional to start at Southampton Airport 2016 : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-35461096



Different Arrivals

07/12/2015 : Small Planet Airlines LY-SPD
11/12/2015 : Thomson Airways B737-800 G-TAWR
13/12/2015 : Germania A319, D-ASTT

Airlines Operating at Southampton :
Blue Islands
Flybe
Volotea
Aer Lingus (Stobart Air) (2016)
KLM Airlines (2016)
Germania
Aurigny
Thomson (2016)
Thomas Cook (2016)
Air France (2016)
BMI Regional (2016)






August 2015
Well, August has been great at SOU (EGHI / Southampton Airport) We have had a mixture of flights thanks to football fans! We have had anything from ER4's to 737's to BAe 146's.... yes more than just a load of 'BEE's' (Flybe's) this month It has been rather exiting! Here, is this list below!
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

1. 5th of Aug - a Boeing 737 flew in at 8am
2. 6th of Aug - a BAe 146 - 200 flew in at 2:20pm - Then at 2:35 a Boeing 737 flew in - There was also a Boeing 737-300 flew in at 9.15am
3. 7th of Aug - a 737 flew in at 11:40am and then another flew in at 2:20pm
4. 8th of Aug - a BAe 146 - 200 flew in at 3:00pm
5. 9th of Aug - a BAe 16 - 200 flew in at 6:10pm ----> Here is some photos I took on the 9th of the BAe 146 - 200 flic.kr/p/wRt5ns \ flic.kr/p/wRtbs3 \ flic.kr/p/wRAhPP
6. 14th of Aug - a ER4 flew in at 4:55pm ( BMI Regional )
7. 15th of Aug - the ER4 departs at 4:45pm
8. 18th of Aug - a French Air Force C160 flew in (Not sure what time) but I think flew out around 10:59am
9. 19th of Aug - a Sun Air / British Airways Dornier 328-300 328JET flew in around 5:10pm (I will try and update this post with more accurate times )
10. 21st of Aug - a Boeing 737 - 300 ( Titan Airways ) Should be flying in at 2:30pm and the Dornier 328-300 328JET should be flying out around 1:00pm

News Stories:
8 hour delay: http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/1413120 ... o_Lapland/
Flybe emergency lancding: http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/1417892 ... e_failure/

 

[TheLocalYokel]

http://www.itv.com/news/meridian/update/2017-05-30/southampton-airport-reveals-expansion-plans/

Southampton Airport is planning to expand its terminal so it can cater for twice the current number of passengers (exceeded 2 million in a 12-month period for the first time last month).

With its constricted site and 1723 metre runway SOU is currently punching well below a weight that could be achieved if it had a more favourable site. Then again SOU is not the only UK regional airport in that situation.

SOU has excellent rail connectivity and, as well as serving the large Southampton/Portsmouth conurbation, is well placed for the well-heeled 'stockbroker' community in the areas south-west of the capital, an important consideration given the ever more crowded LHR and LGW.

Full expansion plans will be announced later this year but currently there are no plans for another runway. Whether that also means the existing one won't be extended is not clear, although I've read (I'm not familiar with SOU) that such a move would be beset with practical problems.

 

[Jerry]

Does anyone know why TUI don't have a base at SOU. They have single aircraft bases at other airports around the UK so why not SOU? Is it the runway or Gatwick being too close or can't the airport handle a 737 800?

 

[Aviador]

Short runway at SOU so lots of operational limitations.

 

[Jerry]

CAA Stats for September 2017
191,855 passengers passed through the airport -0.2% on 2016. Rolling year was 2,070,926 up 11.3% on 2016.
Atms were 3436 -4.5% on 2016.

 

[Jerry]

CAA Stats for October 2017
176,421 passed through the airport up 1.4% on 2016. The rolling year was 2,073,334 up 9.9% on last year.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

http://www.itv.com/news/meridian/update/2017-05-30/southampton-airport-reveals-expansion-plans/

Southampton Airport is planning to expand its terminal so it can cater for twice the current number of passengers (exceeded 2 million in a 12-month period for the first time last month).

With its constricted site and 1723 metre runway SOU is currently punching well below a weight that could be achieved if it had a more favourable site. Then again SOU is not the only UK regional airport in that situation.

SOU has excellent rail connectivity and, as well as serving the large Southampton/Portsmouth conurbation, is well placed for the well-heeled 'stockbroker' community in the areas south-west of the capital, an important consideration given the ever more crowded LHR and LGW.

Full expansion plans will be announced later this year but currently there are no plans for another runway. Whether that also means the existing one won't be extended is not clear, although I've read (I'm not familiar with SOU) that such a move would be beset with practical problems.

https://www.southamptonairport.com/media/4908/southampton-airport-draft-masterplan.pdf

SOU is now consulting on the draft of its new master plan. The airport is currently just over 2 mppa and projects 4 mppa by 2027 and 5 mppa by 2037.

It plans to add a 170 metre-long starter strip to its 1723 metre-long runway, build new aircraft parking stands and extend the terminal building.

With a longer runway it could attract airlines with A320-size aircraft. To reach its projected passenger levels it would have to.

 

[Jerry]

If Southampton extends it's runway could that make them an attraction option for Easyjet to base at?

 

[TheLocalYokel]

If Southampton extends it's runway could that make them an attraction option for Easyjet to base at?

I think it has to be a strong possibility. In May I submitted a post - see below link - where I outlined the plus points at SOU.

http://www.itv.com/news/meridian/update/2017-05-30/southampton-airport-reveals-expansion-plans/

Southampton Airport is planning to expand its terminal so it can cater for twice the current number of passengers (exceeded 2 million in a 12-month period for the first time last month).

With its constricted site and 1723 metre runway SOU is currently punching well below a weight that could be achieved if it had a more favourable site. Then again SOU is not the only UK regional airport in that situation.

SOU has excellent rail connectivity and, as well as serving the large Southampton/Portsmouth conurbation, is well placed for the well-heeled 'stockbroker' community in the areas south-west of the capital, an important consideration given the ever more crowded LHR and LGW.

Full expansion plans will be announced later this year but currently there are no plans for another runway. Whether that also means the existing one won't be extended is not clear, although I've read (I'm not familiar with SOU) that such a move would be beset with practical problems.

 

[Jerry]

Southampton would be ideal for a 3 aircraft A319 base similar to what they've done at SEN.

 

[Jerry]

Flybe collapse could close Southampton and Belfast airports, says MP

Exclusive: ‘Although there would be significant and potentially ongoing disruption, Southampton airport wouldn’t close without Flybe’ – airport spokesman

www.independent.co.uk