More rumours

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Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 11,159

I'm hearing that FlyGlobespan are to pull out of Prestwick to concentrate on Glasgow services.

Also hearing that ahead of tomorrow's 5th anniversary of the daily Continental EWR-GLA service that Edinburgh airport, aided (and abetted) by some Scottish Executive grant cash is going to try and poach the service from GLA.

Also hearing of a plan to buy and base several BA Concordes at PIK as part of an anglo-american research project into future SST transports.

More as I find out the details...

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Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 3,672

FlyGlobespan i can believe if they've struck a deal with BAA - they bring in XX number of flights with a year on year growth for a reduced fee.

The latter BA Conc romour seems very interesting, but somehow i cannot see it happening...

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 3,279

Plans I heard suggested that FlyGlobespan wanted to link up with a transatlantic partner to increase flights between North America and Scotland. Considering these carriers want to fly from Glasgow rather than Prestwick and also that the parent company operates charter flights across the Atlantic, it would come at no real surprise that they have moved operations.

Ren Frew, could you tell me more about these Scottish Executives? This summer with the aid of this group, bmi set up an EDI-JER route to encourage business. My question is what is their actual purpose?

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 11,159

The Scottish Executive=The Scottish Parliament.

Basically they have set up an incentive fund to lure more airlines to Scottish Airports, something like £6.8 million over three years to market and intice new routes to Europe and beyond, hence all the recent talk of US Airways, Emirates and PIA opening up routes to Scotland. There's a row going on though as it would appear Edinburgh Airport is receiving most of the cash at the expense of other main Scottish airports.

FlyGlobespan have indeed stated their intention to tie in their low cost service with incoming North American flights to GLA. Apparently they can't "sell" Prestwick as an attractive port of entry for American tourists and airlines operating into Scotland. They plan to use GLA as a feeder airport, taking tourists visiting Scotland onwards to holiday spots on the continent.

As for the Concorde rumour earlier on, here is the Evening Times's version of events...

CONCORDE OFFERED A HOME IN SCOTLAND

Concorde could find a new home at Prestwick Airport if a bid by a group of scientists and engineers is successful. The move could see up to five of the BA fleet of seven supersonic jets being based in Ayrshire.

The consortium would use the luxury planes to carry out experiments on hypersonic flight as part of a 20 year programme. They aim to create aircraft that can fly at 5000 mph and at heights of 250,000 ft.

Dr Arthur Hodgkin who is leading the bid for the planes, said Prestwick was the best site for test-flying purposes because it had a long runway and because the planes could fly over the Firth of Clyde rarther than densely populated areas.

A spokesman for British Airways said they had received a large number of offers for the Concordes in the run-up to the final supersonic flight on October 27. He added: "We haven't decided where the final resting places for the seven planes will be."