Can anyone provide any information regarding this…I found this article on another website, and it was dated July 24th 2006, so must be recent.
Isle of Wight to London service to start:
A new commercial service between London and the Isle of Wight is due to begin on August 1.
The new route is being run by Wight Air for a trial period of three months, with flights being operated by a Piper Chieftain aircraft that can carry up to six passengers.
The twice daily route, between London City Airport and Isle of Wight Airport at Sandown, will cost £75 one-way, excluding airport taxes. A weekly flight will also be started between Guernsey and Alderney to London City, the first from these locations to the centre of the capital.
It is expected that bigger aircraft will operate on the route if demand is sufficient, once a new concrete runway has been completed at the Isle of Wight airport.
A further route between Jersey and London City will also go ahead, pending a route license.
The airport at Sandown is one of two airports on the Isle of Wight.
1. Did it actually begin trials on August 1st?
2. Does anyone know when the concrete runway is going to be built?
3. Is there a market for flights to/from the Isle of Wight?
I think it could be quite popular with residents and visitors alike as at present you can only get to the Isle of Wight by ferry. A direct link to LCY would be especially good for commuters who have to travel all that way to London by ferry/train or even car!
I wonder if they will look to operate a shuttle service to SOU at all, to provide a bit of competition against the ferry services.
The only thing I have found so far is a website (http://www.wightairlines.com/), but all that contains is the schedule and costs involved, no info about the airline itself or the aircraft they use.
Any info would be greatly appreciated, thanks in advance.
By: PaulR - 28th August 2006 at 14:05
In the story linked to by pg05 is the following;
Behind the venture is a new company, Wight Air, formed by airport owner Dick Steele and Fairway Holiday Park owner Chris Williams, who also runs Specialist Flying School from the site.
By: cloud_9 - 28th August 2006 at 13:46
I got no response to my enquiries btw.
Ok, well thanks for trying anyway.
Does anyone think that there is a market/demand for flights to the Isle of Wight at all?
The ferry services take approx 20 mins (pax only), and 50 mins (car + pax) mins from Southampton, yet a flight in say a Trislander from Bembridge to Eastleigh would take about 10 minutes…would it work and would you use it instead of the ferry services?
By: Bmused55 - 28th August 2006 at 13:39
I got no response to my enquiries btw.
I still have my suspicions about who are behind this.
But unlike some… I prefer not to blast away and discredit people purely on speculation. (You know who you are..)
By: cloud_9 - 28th August 2006 at 13:36
Oh dear, doesn’t look good…
http://www.solent.tv/pageviewer.aspx?page=S632921163672395000
There is no reason to say why it has been withdrawn, but perhaps the level of demand was less than first thought, like the Oxford to Cambridge route that was started and soon stopped for the same reason?
By: cloud_9 - 17th August 2006 at 10:26
I do believe I know the folks behind this….
Need to do some checking
Ok, thanks for that.
Please let me know if you find anything out.
PM me if necessary.
By: philgatwick05 - 17th August 2006 at 10:20
http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/showthread.php?t=60609
Little bit about it here, from a few weeks back 😉
By: Bmused55 - 17th August 2006 at 00:53
I do believe I know the folks behind this….
Need to do some checking
Sign In
August 16, 2006 at 9:49 pm