RE: Yet another Scotland Low Cost airline and many new scheduled airlines
With regards to the proposed new airlines, GCI Airlink and Island Air Jersey.
GCI Airlink; Nice to see a new operator over here but with Aurigny’s influence i’m not sure about it’s success. But let me explain the operation. It was revealed in November that a new regional airline would be set up in Guernsey.A bmi captain thought up the idea and is one of the main backers of the consortium. The funding would come from Guernsey based businesses interested to protect regional flights to the island. The destinations would be in the UK with expansion to Europe. Now I like this operation because it is based in Guernsey, my home, and would have the regional market of Guernsey at it’s forfront unlike BA. It is not trying to be a loco but a regional operator, which is what we need. I reallt hope it comes about but I still have a few doubts about it’s viability.
Islandair Jersey; I am sceptical about this operation. I am in doubts about their proposed routes, schedules and aircraft operations.
The idea and enthusiasm of Jersey having it’s own airline came about in August when the island was wallowing in declining passenger numbers, loss of operators and the excedingly high landing fees. News of a new operator planning to make Jersey a hub and spoke operation were meet with much optimism as one can imagine-people are yearning for low prices so Islandair seemed like a brilliant idea.
What the public does not realise is the groups plans are inevitably going to leave the airline with a considerable amount of problems of which I have noted below:
Landing fees: Jersey have some of highest in the UK and Europe. It does not take a genius to work out that those and a low cost carrier don’t mix, Ryanair even told the Jersey Authorities that to their faces. Bmibaby are threatening to pull out because they cannot sustain a low prices on their EMA and CWL routes at the current rate of landing fees. Jersey Airport have said they will do something about them, they put £1 million down infront of the current airlines operating to JER, in subsidys (like a million goes anywhere these days) I know the idiot who ran the JTA was ousted out in the latest elections but even the people who have taken over have little interest in lowering taxes. This to me is a big problem for any Loco wanting to operate into JER.
Hub And Spoke: Nearly every major UK airport has a low cost operation these days that has already been a major floor in their plans. Do you think people who live near STN or wherever Islandair will fly from, will want to go via Jersey to get to Spain or Portugal?No. If you can’t get the people from the UK on the Islandair flights then Jersey’s population alone can’t support a low cost operation, not even the combined population of Guernsey,Alderney,Herm and Sark can. Therefore I doubt there will be the demand.
737-200: What is going to happen if that one 737-200 goes tech? Are Islandair going to be able to get another 732 quick enough or are they going to be paying out refunds because they can’t get their aircraft up in the sky? Also fog would be another problem.
Maintance/Usuage: They will need to use the aircraft pretty intensively so will the 732 is up to the utilisation required of it? And then their is the maintenance costs. You will also need to extend the airport’s business day at either end to fit in four daily returns.
Should be up by April but I somehow doubt it. They were supposed to be up in November but we never saw anything happen there. All Jersey needs is a GCI Airlink, someone who can serve the regional and smaller European market.
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