NOS radio news (3FM) just reported that additional funding has been secured. Amongst others this means the JSS will not be sold. On top of that the Johan Willem Friso barracks will stay open, the marines detachment in Aruba will stay and there will be 1.400 fewer redundancies then earlier announced.

http://nos.nl/artikel/566915-defensie-schrapt-minder-banen.html

Seems like the folks in The Hague are trying to find some budget to keep the ship. Unfortunately I can’t find a better source then the Telegraaf (link):

THE HAGUE – Coalition parties VVD and PvdA are looking at ways to avoid having to put the Karel Doorman up for sale. One possible solution would be to use the vessel to guard the European outer borders against illegal immigration and human trafficking.

For what it’s worth, an article from the Algemeen Dagblad (link) mentions that political party D66 would also like to keep the ship, but does not mention anything from the VVD nor the PvdA. The D66 proposal is a bit in the air (but then again, it is D66) saying that in cooperation with other European countries it should be possible to retain the ship. They say that: “scrapping (selling) is the simple solution and would not deliver the required results”.

If the Karel Doorman were to be sold it would mean a write-off of 250 million euros. The expected annual saving is 20 million. However, a (presumably smaller and cheaper) replacement vessel will still be required.

Nice shots! For the me Il-96 is the best. Did you also take a look at the technical university? When I was there last year only four planes where left (1x il-76, 2x il-86, 1x Tu-154), the rest had been scrapped. I wonder if they have anything left. Sheremetyevo’s gate guard il-18 was being moved (scrapped?) while I was there.

NO Tupelovs these days?

There’s a Vladivostok Tu-204 there. But the ‘154s are getting very rare at Sheremetyevo.

Very nice! Except for three of the planes they are all also on my wish list! I need to get back there some day. Did you arrange for a spotter permit or is that no longer required?

Dutch NOS radio news reported earlier today that the RNLN Karel Doorman will be put up for sale. The ship has even finished construction yet.

I fail to see what’s wrong with it, other then having a “industrial look” instead of a “shiney terminal look”. And looks are very subjective anyway.

Considering that T5 has been in use now for several years, surely whatever issue you try to point out can’t be that bad?

That ABC 747 is brilliant! Was there a sandstorm when you shot that? If you had said you shot it at a desert airport I’d believed you!

Where did you park your car for the China Southern and the Norwegian? I can never find a place there, except for private property (nearby companies).

2 high-level solutions:

– Mandate bigger aircraft
– Increase number of slots available

High level solution three: stimulate people / airlines to use other airports or modes of transport. Most likely through taxation and surcharges.

The rest of your post is spot on if you ask me. It takes political courage to push through something controversial. Of course political courage is one of the larger oxymorons.

Maybe the best bet of all would be to establish a second major hub somewhere further north like Birmingham or Manchester, so that fewer people have to travel down to LHR/GAT to catch a wide selection of long hauls…?

Neither BA nor BMI / British Midland where able to run a MAN hub the way you describe.

If anything running a hub is now more difficult then back in “ye good olde days” of BritMid and BA in their prime. The advent of the low cost carriers has given people a lot of choises. This makes it harder for an airline to develop the critical mass needed for a hub.

The critical mass is always the most important factor for an hub. That’s why a split hub operation like LHR/LGW hardly ever works*. For that reason any expansion plans would have to be either at LHR or at a green field. Unless of course the UK is willing to sacrifice their role as major transfer hub. Bare in mind that this will cost destinations and probably frequency as well. Again a route needs critical mass to be sustainable and that means having a hub. London is in a very fortunate situation that it is one of the world’s largest O&D destinations. Except for London, New York, Beijing and Moscow I don’t think there are cities that are able to run a large and profitable network on O&D alone.

* there are examples of successful hubs operating within somewhat close proximity. For instance FRA/MUC. But usually dual hubs end up with one hub being the big one, and the other being used for regional/domestic/charter operations. For instance Paris’s CDG/ORY or Tokyo’s NRT/HND.