Does anyone else think that the people who opend Sheffield Airport pointed it in the wrong direction?
I can now count the number of flights out of there in a week on one hand, and feel it’s a great waste of a potentialy great little airport. Although Sheffields runway is limited I’m sure that aircraft such as the BAE 146/RJ 85 could use it. May be if holiday flights were started by a charter company it would see more traffic, after all I’m sure most people would like to go to places like spain via a small local airport like Sheffield rather then doing the usual one hour and twenty trek to Manchester!
Finningley is a good idea in the long term with expected airline growth,especially long haul, but I’m sure getting there would become just as harrowing as going to the other airports in the area. plus it’s still many years away from being anything like an airport. Sheffield is here now, with great links to not only the city (10 mins away) but also to the motorways.
I fly out of nearby Netherthorpe and look down at the empty apron at Sheffield and think it’s such a waste to see Englands newest airport without what it was built for!
Will my dreams of seeing three 146’s lined up at Sheffield on a Friday night waiting to take another load of travelers off on holiday stay dreams? I think so if current managers are left to let our airport fall silent.
By: jetstream - 22nd June 2002 at 16:13
RE: Sheffield Airport.
We have similar problems here in germany as well!
I live near Mannheim City Airport (MHG) some 50mi south of Frankfurt that has also a short runway (TORA 1120m). The basic problem is that most airlines are not willing to invest on a new destination these days even when everybody knows there is a substantial market. It´s crazy. We have a single operator here (Cirrus Airlines) flying to Berlin-THF and Hamburg with average loadfactors around 75%!!! And they´re making a lot of money as 85% are business-travellers that are paying full fare…
Mannheim has the highest frequency to Berlin of all german regional airports (up to 5 flights a day – mo-fr) They are not willing to operate Dash 7 on that route as it is considered as too expensive to operate although the morning and evening flights would even then soon be sold out! So they continue to fly with Dornier 328 and partly Dash 8-100
By: Saab 2000 - 17th June 2002 at 15:50
RE: Sheffield Airport.
I really appreciate all your help….but I have bad and good news.The bad news is that i’m not going to SZD or LBA now because of someones stupidity!We stand to loose half our money we payed for the flights on bmi.However,the good news is that we are now going to LGW on British European and then on to London so all is not lost!
By: EGNM - 16th June 2002 at 17:36
RE: Sheffield Airport.
Soz m8 – must have missed me on friday – will speek on msn
By: Saab 2000 - 14th June 2002 at 15:52
RE: Sheffield Airport.
Thanks again both of you,I would appreciate,EGNM,some info on spotting sites.Thanks again.
By: EGNM - 13th June 2002 at 21:00
RE: Sheffield Airport.
Saab i’m going away tomoz nite but if u want any info (spotting sites etc) give us a shout tonight n i’ll pass sum stuff on
By: SMF_333 - 13th June 2002 at 19:45
RE: Sheffield Airport.
You might find these useful.
Attachments:
By: SMF_333 - 13th June 2002 at 19:20
RE: Sheffield Airport.
Hi Saab,
LBA is about 40 miles to the north of Sheffield, and is 6 miles northwest of Leeds. Once you come out from the airport at Leeds just follow the signs for ‘M1 south’.
Travel down the M1 until you get to Junction 33 Sheffield center. (In England we put the junction numbers to the bottom right of the motorway signs)then just follow my directions in the earlier post.
Don’t come off the motorway at Junction 34 or 34a as this is the exit for Meadowhall and will take you no where near the airport, just stay on untill you see Junction 33.
Hope you like our city.
SMF_333
By: Saab 2000 - 13th June 2002 at 15:53
RE: Sheffield Airport.
Thanks very much SMF_333 and EGNM,that information is going to be very useful as I have my flights booked now and so I will definatly be visting Sheffield airport,although not for that long!But still it will be interesting.
I will be coming in from LBA,how far is that from Sheffield?
By: EGNM - 13th June 2002 at 12:49
RE: Sheffield Airport.
i’m having a mare of a day so far!!! – the post b4 (cleggy was me too) – i tried to add a + to your rating under a diff username as i couldn’t rate u agen! – i o u 2 points!
By: Cleggy - 13th June 2002 at 12:46
RE: Sheffield Airport.
[updated:LAST EDITED ON 13-06-02 AT 12:46 PM (GMT)]
By: SMF_333 - 12th June 2002 at 21:22
RE: Sheffield Airport.
By the way, thank’s mongu for giving me the star, all this sort of stuff’s new to me but I guess I must be doing ok:)
SMF_333
By: SMF_333 - 12th June 2002 at 21:19
RE: Sheffield Airport.
Hi Saab,
Yep you want to come off the M1 at junction 33. From the south turn first left onto the Sheffield parkway, or from the north it’s the third exit on the roundabout. As soon as you get on the parkway you want to come off at the first exit 1/2 a mile on. Take the third exit at the roundabout, that will take you under the parkway to the next roundabout, then take the second turn on the roundabout that is called ‘Europa link’. As you go up this road you will see a gate type thing on the right, it’s a good place to watch the aircraft coming in cos their low on final! Anyway, follow Europa Link to the next roundabout and turn first left, that’ll take you straight to the airfield.
The only aircraft that will be there this weekend is the British Regional Dash-8 going to Jersey on Saturdays only, it get’s in around 11:30am and goes back out at 12:40. Radio feq 128.52 ATIS 121.70
Don’t expect to see much, I was flying over there yesterday afternoon and the only aircraft on the apron were a King Air, a Gazelle, and the police’s Twin Squirel. Best place to get photos is like I said on the approach to runway 28. The approach to 10 is over some factories so pray the wind is out of the west!!! You can get good close pictures of the apron but you’ll have to pay to get into the carpark and get your lens through the fence. The police chopper sits down at the western end of the field and is out of sight most of the time when it’s not flying.
Oh yeah, and if you hear any aircraft with the call sign ‘Sheff Air’ don’t worry it’s not a new airline (I WISH!) it’s our training aircraft from Netherthorpe, Cessna 152’s
Hope you enjoy your stay in our great city:)
SMF_333
P.S The police call sign’s ‘Police 33’ not 53.
By: EGNM - 12th June 2002 at 16:38
RE: Sheffield Airport.
If your coming from the south it’s the junction before Meadowhall on the M1 – it’s well signposted – there’s hardly anything there – just Police 53 the South Yorks Copper Chopper and a local flying school – the only “based” airline – LEA Executive has moved to leeds in the last few months
By: Saab 2000 - 12th June 2002 at 15:28
RE: Sheffield Airport.
[updated:LAST EDITED ON 12-06-02 AT 03:29 PM (GMT)]Could anyone tell me here is Sheffield Airport in relation to the city?Is it easy to find?Just that as I said earlier i’m hopefully going to be up there next weekend with my Dad on some buisness,not this weekend like I said earlier.I would love to see around the airport,though I know its not likely to be that busy it would be interesting to just have a look.Help would be welcomed.Thanks!
By: GZYL - 11th June 2002 at 19:31
RE: Sheffield Airport.
Come to think of it… in my A-level geography exam last year, I included Sheffield too!!!
By: EGNM - 11th June 2002 at 18:52
RE: Sheffield Airport.
Funny have my A-Level geography exam included Sheffield Yesterday!!!
By: carl727 - 11th June 2002 at 16:53
RE: Sheffield Airport.
Its not Palma, its Faro (Algarve) during the park summer season and it operated by Transun using a SATA International 737. Its the first direct holiday flight from Inverness Airport, so maybe there is a chance for Sheffield.
By: EGNM - 11th June 2002 at 11:48
RE: Sheffield Airport.
dunno about that – Leeds/Bradford is Transun’s biggest departure point in the UK!!!!
By: carl727 - 10th June 2002 at 17:54
RE: Sheffield Airport.
Maybe if their are any Sheffield based travel firms who has some foresight they may charter a 146 for say a Palma or Alicante service ?? Inverness have a route to the Med now, I understand Transun (Who are Oxford based) maybe running it ??
By: SMF_333 - 9th June 2002 at 12:38
RE: Sheffield Airport.
Thank’s to all of you who replied to my moan about our under used airport. I think many of the coments are valid especially about the length of the runway, a STOLport is a good idea IF your a major city such as London. But I do feel that although there are airports in the one to one and a half hour radius of Sheffield people would rather go to an airport that is within ten miles of them, and is easy to check in to.
I have a friend that has been using the Jersey (Sat only,May-Sept) service from Sheffield for the last 2 years, and he says that it’s just like catching the train! What a better way to go on holiday!?!
I’m by no means an expert on airport management or airfield building, but I feel someone needs to get something done to get more of the holiday type trafic out of Sheffield. It’s ok saying “Oh but the markets not there” it’s not there because the powres that be are not making it there! With the right attitude and of course money I think Sheffield could do really well.
Anyway thanks for reading and responding to my mindless dribble.
SMF_333.
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June 2, 2002 at 10:19 pm