Birmingham: Airport Master Plan 2018

[andrew.clarkson]

Hi there Brumx, there's no need to apologise, after reading your post, I thought that you were firing the issue with me, that is why I originally said what I said about bhx management, I have always felt that when I have visited the airport briefly for a couple of hours, because it is very expensive to park up there, there doesn't seem to be an atmosphere or busyness that should be there, like when I went to a football match the other week, as you walked to the ground, with everyone else going in the same direction as you, then watching hundreds and thousands of people other supporters arrive as well, you could feel the atmosphere there, even before I went into the stadium with my brother, and then just before kick off, again, the anticipation of waiting for the players to emerge from the tunnel, to a fanfare of music, where as at Birmingham airport, your not seeing a 3 80s in there bucket loads or 747s,or loads of 787s or even loads of 777-300s. No of that atmosphere was there, which is what birmingham airport is severely lacking, just imaging visiting dubai, Chicago ohare, jfk. These type of airports give you the busy and you can smell the atmosphere, where as with birmingham, you can't, and that is what birmingham airport is lacking, to be able to compete with the big boys, like the premiership and not the championship. That's your difference, and this is where Mr N Barton has got to dig real deep and pull a right be massive airline out of the hat and not anything smaller... AndyC

 

[Creguk]

Are the days of 747, A380s etc. gone? Especially with airlines opting for smaller, more efficient jets? I echo what others have said (but I hate to admit it), but BHX needs to really focus on it's core market of Europe and secure regular, solid connections to countries in Europe. Make a solid network. Then attract and build on destinations like NYC, Orlando etc. after.

 

[Coathanger16]

Are the days of 747, A380s etc. gone? Especially with airlines opting for smaller, more efficient jets? I echo what others have said (but I hate to admit it), but BHX needs to really focus on it's core market of Europe and secure regular, solid connections to countries in Europe. Make a solid network. Then attract and build on destinations like NYC, Orlando etc. after.

I would generally agree with that focus, but would also add in addition to securing routes to major cities currently unserved (Lisbon, Athens, Oslo, Stockholm, etc) an equally important focus needs to be on getting more routes to at least daily.

Until recently, although there were 8 flights a week to Madrid - 4 with Iberia Express and 4 with Ryanair, both airlines operating Mon, Wed, Fri, Sun - there were no flights on 3 days of the week. If business travellers (or even leisure travellers) looked to fly BHX to MAD say Tuesday to Saturday, they'd find no flights available and presume that MAD isn't served from BHX.

I wonder how many passengers BHX loses each year because there aren't flights every day of the week to certain destination (I appreciate now Iberia have slightly changed their flights so that now between Iberia and Ryanair there are flights every day except Saturday).

 

[BHXsupporter]

I used to travel from BHX to Frankfurt very regularly - at first in the heady days of Birmingham Executive (they were brilliant - used to have the stewardess preparing the cheesboard by cutting up celery and adding grapes and had to help with unloading suitcases stacked in the loo when there was too much luggage when someone needed to use it! Happy days) and then BA and Lufthansa. What was key was the multiple flights so that if meetings were late I could still get home.

 

[Ray Finkle]

I guess when it comes to failure it really depends on how one measures it.

If the airport is to be judged on it's range of direct destinations at appropriate frequencies then it could be said to be failing the needs of the region. If the airport is to be judged on making a profit and giving returns to the shareholders then it looks to be doing very nicely indeed.

I guess us on this forum will judge by the former but those with a financial interest may well judge by the latter.

 

[Brum X]

I guess when it comes to failure it really depends on how one measures it.

If the airport is to be judged on it's range of direct destinations at appropriate frequencies then it could be said to be failing the needs of the region. If the airport is to be judged on making a profit and giving returns to the shareholders then it looks to be doing very nicely indeed.

I guess us on this forum will judge by the former but those with a financial interest may well judge by the latter.

And what about being measured by its Customer service ?? BHX every time is far superior to LTN which is a bigger airport and i would say is also better than EDI which is a bigger airport.

 

[Ray Finkle]

And what about being measured by its Customer service ?? BHX every time is far superior to LTN which is a bigger airport and i would say is also better than EDI which is a bigger airport.

I haven't used EDI for quite some time but I remember it being okayish. I had the misfortune of using Luton once and will never do so again, I think I'd rather walk than inflict that on me for a second time.

I may be biased but whilst it isn't perfect and has issues from time to time, I definitely think Birmingham is a great airport to use 👍

 

[Ray Finkle]

I'm not sure if this has been posted but here is a fly through of the departure lounge extension.

 

[Ray Finkle]

Last chance!


Online at:

www.bhxmasterplan.co.uk

E-mail us at:

[email protected]

Write to us at:

BHX Master Plan Team
Birmingham Airport
Diamond House
Birmingham B26 3QJ

 

[Coathanger16]

Anyone know when work on the terminal infill/extension starts and when completion will be?

 

[Ray Finkle]

The final master plan has now been released.

Birmingham Airport Master Plan 2018 - Birmingham Airport Website

Find out more about Birmingham Airport's vision for the future and download the Master Plan 2018.

www.birminghamairport.co.uk

Here is a direct link.

https://www.birminghamairport.co.uk/media/5538/birmingham-airport-master-plan-2018-webres.pdf

As far as I can see there isn't a huge change but I only had a quick look. There appears to be a small extension to T2 which I'm not sure was in the original proposal?

 

[juliet-fox-9]

Where is the satellite pier and integrated people mover that I ordered back in November? 🙁

 

[Brum X]

I just cant believe that they haven't at least extended the international pier to the end of the apron to where what looks like an A380 without an airbridge, is that where the BHX of the future really is. Boarding an A380 up some stairs ??

An extra 11 aircraft stands between now and 2033.

Any airport can "spruce" up its departure lounge and create a few extra check in desks, that's just doing what any airport does over time.

Not impressed at all I'm afraid and in fact I'm going to give it a rating of POOR 👎

 

[davecleaver777]

The most un inspiring plan ever. I remember as a teenager visiting the viewing gallery at BHX looking at the master plan several years ago and thinking what a great satellite pier that will be looking like CDG...... whatever happened to that. Although reading through the artical he did mention about the growth plans of Ryanair and Easyjet, not that it means BHX but i hope he's having the conversation with them.

 

[Ray Finkle]

Where is the satellite pier and integrated people mover that I ordered back in November? 🙁

That was from a different generation that seemed to have some ambition 🙁

I see the usual suspects of Mumbai, Hong Kong, Riga, Lisbon and Helsinki are mentioned yet again. At least this time they are mentioned in the context of the next 15 years which may be more realistic.

I'd like to know to what extent the airspace constraints in the south east are affecting growth at BHX (if at all).

Secondly, steps must be taken to resolve airspace constraints in the south east that currently limit the number of aircraft departing from Birmingham bound for key European destinations.

 

[Ray Finkle]

-One new baggage belt to be built by 2028.

-The terminal extension being built now will be the only increase to the footprint of the buildings for the next 15 years, the rest is just a reconfiguration and spruce up.

-Aircraft stands to be reconfigured in the next 5 years to allow more aircraft without having to pay for more concrete. There will then be further stand reconfiguration to take it up to 2028 with no new apron planned. Taking us up to 2033 there may be further need for even more stand development, this could be in the form of even more reconfiguration or potentially new stands adjacent to Taxiway Tango.

-There may be a need to join up the parallel taxiway to accommodate the potential extra stands.

One thing that did make me smile is describing the future aviation strategy to build a bigger route network as proactive and expansionary.

 

[IanFarquharson]

The final master plan has now been released.

Birmingham Airport Master Plan 2018 - Birmingham Airport Website

Find out more about Birmingham Airport's vision for the future and download the Master Plan 2018.

www.birminghamairport.co.uk

Here is a direct link.

https://www.birminghamairport.co.uk/media/5538/birmingham-airport-master-plan-2018-webres.pdf

As far as I can see there isn't a huge change but I only had a quick look. There appears to be a small extension to T2 which I'm not sure was in the original proposal?

Only the bussing lounge on T2

 

[Ianbutty]

No comment. If I prepared a master plan that promoted a paint job and some techy customer service facilities I would be fired.

Than again, maybe improving the customer experience is the right route. Have BHX foreseen the inevitable: peak air travel. Maybe grandiose airport plans are the future white elephants, and this is spot on? What if they spent a billion and went bust? Time will tell.

 

[JENNYJET]

I cannot help feeling that the Elmdon area of the airfield has been overlooked. Cannot the retro terminal building and ex Monarch space be utilised for shorthaul and/or low cost operations? ..... and I just checked, it is not April 1st!

 

[Ray Finkle]

Cannot the retro terminal building and ex Monarch space be utilised for shorthaul and/or low cost operations?

I'd still like to see the old MAEL site be taken over and kept for MRO use, possibly with the much talked about third hangar built in due course.

The Elmdon site can then be used for a dedicated Jet2 Terminal with enough parking for 20 based aircraft 🙂