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Robin Hood Airport helped more people to their holiday destinations in June 2010, than it did in the same period last year. Passenger numbers were up 16% on figures for June 2009, indicating that Doncaster finally has enough routes to coax travellers away from its larger rival, Leeds-Bradford Airport.
Flights to ‘sun and sea’ destinations were the main growth area, according to the airport’s director, Mike Morton, with routes to the city of Palma on Majorca, and Alicante in Spain, proving lucrative. Dalaman in Turkey, Faro in Portugal, and Katowice, Poland, were also popular with holidaymakers.
Robin Hood is attracting passengers from Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire, as well as from Yorkshire, suggesting that Doncaster is snatching customers away from East Midlands Airport and the neighbouring, Humberside Airport. The latest traffic figures show that almost 110,000 people passed through the South Yorkshire hub in June.
“This is great news,” Mike Morton explained. “People are realising how much easier it is to fly from their local airport, and are looking to us when planning their trips.” Mr. Morton noted that Doncaster is now searching for new routes for the winter season, with announcements expected in the coming weeks.
Resident airline, Thomson, has also made an effort to secure Robin Hood’s future, by boosting capacity by 15,000 on the airport’s summer holiday routes, including flights to Malaga, Spain, and the already popular Dalaman. The airline will add the extra seats in time for the 2011 summer season.
The airport claims that forward sales for next year's routes are already 'strong.'
An extra 15,000 people are expected to travel from Robin Hood’s terminal next year, after two holiday firms increased the number of seats available on six of the airport’s most popular ‘sun and sea’ routes.
Thomson and
First Choice, the two travel companies, have improved capacity by 9% on routes to Dalaman and Bodrum in Turkey, Mahon on Menorca, the Canary Island of Lanzarote, and Tunisia. Flights to Malaga in Spain are also expected to carry more passengers during the 2011 summer season.
Robin Hood, which is owned by Peel Airports, Ltd., was a local tabloid staple in 2009, following a spate of financial problems. The Doncaster hub has recovered admirably since then, however, attracting budget airline,
EasyJet, and finally filling the scheduling void left by the departure of
Ryanair in August last year.
The latest passenger boost is a huge vote of confidence for the Yorkshire airport, helping it contend with larger rival, Leeds-Bradford. Mike Morton, boss at Robin Hood, was ‘delighted’ with developments at the site – ‘We have been working to raise awareness of the routes we serve, and we are happy with this predicted growth looking forward.’
Robin Hood will be home to three Thomson aeroplanes next year – two Boeing 737-800s and a single 737-300, which is no longer produced anywhere in the world. Mike Morton intimated that ‘strong forward sales’ for holidays in 2010 had encouraged Thomson and First Choice to invest further in Doncaster-Sheffield Airport.
Irish carrier, Aer Lingus, has also added new routes to Robin Hood in recent months, including a daily service to Dublin, Ireland.
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Robin Hood Airport has announced two brand new routes for the 2010 holiday season, with Aer Lingus Regional flying to Dublin, and Newmarket Holidays, a major British tour operator, going to Italy.
Departing from the 5th September, the Italian route serves the ‘Seven Cities of Italy’ tour, taking in the sights around Lake Garda, the largest freshwater lake in Italy, the ancient cities of Rome, Venice and Verona and much more.
Tickets are pricy, at £759 per person, but the trip includes complimentary dinner and breakfast at two three-star hotels in the north of Italy. Airport bosses noted that the Seven Cities tour is just one of a series of holidays due to be offered by Newmarket at Robin Hood.
The Dublin route is more straightforward, representing a new partnership between Robin Hood Airport and Aer Lingus Regional, a franchise consisting of elements from Aer Lingus and Aer Arran, two popular regional airlines.
Dublin had been a popular destination for Yorkshire flyers until August 2009, when Ryanair refused to pay a €10 travel levy on all flights to Ireland. The airline then deserted Robin Hood altogether, taking an important route to Barcelona with it, and blaming escalating costs for its decision.
The route to Dublin, which will commence on the 28th March, has been hailed as a “major development for Irish aviation and the tourism industry” by Aer Arran boss, Paul Schütz. Robin Hood cited continuing hard work on the part of airlines and local airport staff as being the major factor behind the route.
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An angry Twitter user who joked about blowing up Robin Hood Airport has been arrested under anti-terrorism laws.
Paul Chambers was due to fly to Ireland from the Doncaster site, but faced a flurry of delays after cold weather brought the airport to a standstill. Angry, he logged into the Twitter website, and posted:
“The airport is closed. You've got a week and a bit to get your s**t together; otherwise I'm blowing the airport sky high!”
Police were unimpressed, and Mr. Chambers was later arrested for conspiring to create a bomb hoax. He was questioned for seven hours, and forced to explain the Twitter concept to officers who had “never heard of it.”
Mr. Chambers has since been released on bail, but he could still be found guilty of transmitting a bomb threat when the case goes to court in February. The ‘bomber’ has also had his iPhone, laptop, and desktop computer confiscated.
Airport security operates on a hair trigger, and all threats are taken very seriously, however preposterous or unlikely they may seem. On the 9th January, three men were also arrested at Heathrow for shouting bomb threats at attendants.
Mr. Chambers has not been banned from Robin Hood Airport, despite the murmurings of the popular press, but bosses were keen to express their continued support of anti-terrorism laws, and of recent police action.
Just this morning, a police inspector helped subdue two men on a flight from Bulgaria to Robin Hood Airport, after their drunken tirades became frightening to other passengers.
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On Tuesday, Robin Hood joined a jumble of British airports that had been closed, or otherwise thwarted by heavy snow.
Despite offering to rescue stranded aircraft from the skies above Manchester and Leeds, Robin Hood was soon overwhelmed by the elements itself, and by mid-morning, airport bosses had no choice but to close the runway.
It hasn’t stopped snowing since, and Doncaster lies entombed beneath a good few inches of snow. Of course, with transport links down, and the M18 motorway link still festering on the drawing board, Robin Hood Airport might as well be on the moon, as far as accessibility is concerned.
The main terminal building has remained open throughout the week’s snowstorm, but the runway was kept closed until Wednesday morning, when the worst of the weather appeared to have passed. Stranded passengers from Manchester have since been relocated north by the local bus service.
Robin Hood’s story is otherwise the same as those told by other UK airports. Bosses have yet to reveal the true extent of the delays, but passengers have been warned to expect disruption, and to contact their airline for more information.
In happier news, Flybe commemorated the reopening of Robin Hood with a new flight from Doncaster to Jersey, announced this morning. Both parties are said to be delighted with the addition, which takes off in April.
After a disastrous start to 2009, Robin Hood appears to be rising above its shortcomings. Flybe is the second large airline to be tempted to the Doncaster site in recent weeks, following the arrival of EasyJet at the end of last year.
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EasyJet has announced that it will soon be launching a number of new flights from Robin Hood Airport. The move is expected to prove hugely popular for travellers in the region, and will provide a real boost to the small airport as well as increasing tourism to the region.
The new flights will commence in April 2010 and will operate to five destinations each week: Amsterdam, Barcelona, Faro, Prague and Palma. These are some of the most popular destinations in Europe and airport bosses are hoping that lots of people will take advantage of the new routes.
Robin Hood Airport only started operating in April 2005, making it the newest airport in the UK. The announcement of these new flights will be a huge boost as it will help the airport to grow and develop.
The five new EasyJet flights could see the airline carry an extra 300,000 passengers in its first year alone, which would see passenger numbers at the airport increase by a third. The flights are certain to be popular due to the tempting price tags attached to them, with many of them costing just £24.99 for a one-way flight.
Mark Whitworth, the chief executive of Peel Airports, which owns Robin Hood Airport, said that EasyJet had shown confidence in the airport by the size of its commitment. He also said that the announcement confirms that the airport will be “experiencing double-digit growth in 2010”.
It is especially welcome news due to the recent decision by Ryanair to stop running its flights to Dublin from the airport, which were used by 60,000 people each year.
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From March 2010, intrepid flyers will be able to leave the grey streets of Doncaster behind and go in search of the Northern Lights, a spectacular phenomenon rarely seen outside the Arctic Circle.
Despite their unusual quality, the Northern Lights (otherwise known as the Aurora Borealis) are a common occurrence, created when charged particles in the Earth’s magnetic field encounter solar winds, forcing them to crash into gas atoms.
The resultant collision produces patterns of light, in a range of shapes and bright colours – green, yellow and red. Auroras occur often in the Polar Regions, where the Earth’s atmosphere is thinner, and less resistant to cosmic rays.
Created by tour operator, Omega Holidays, the Northern Lights route is designed to coincide with the March Equinox, a point in time when the aurora appears with increasing intensity, helping passengers get the most for their money.
The plane will depart from Robin Hood Airport at 9PM, travelling over Scotland to the bleak North Atlantic. Omega has made no promises about the aurora’s punctuality, however; a good twenty percent of customers may not see anything at all.
Armchair astronomers might recognise Omega’s expert of choice, the famous Pete Lawrence, a regular on the BBC’s, The Sky at Night, who will be on hand to answer any questions that customers may have.
With the festive season just around the corner, Robin Hood officials are keen to get their new toy under your Christmas tree. The three-hour flight costs in the region of £169.95, a pricey but unique stocking filler.
For more information, please visit the official Omega Holidays website.
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The owners of Robin Hood Airport, Peel Airport Holdings, have confirmed that up to 49% of the South Yorkshire facility could face the saleroom, in an effort to fund a number of important construction projects.
Peel is one of the largest aviation companies in the UK, claiming assets of over £4.5bn, and the keys to four major international airports – Manchester, Liverpool, Durham Tees, and Doncaster-Sheffield. Whilst a sale may help Peel construct a new terminal at Liverpool Airport, it will do nothing for Doncaster-Sheffield, forcing many investors to question the group’s commitment to the beleaguered airport.
Peel has refuted claims that the sale is in response to flagging customer numbers at Robin Hood, but unless Doncaster council can improve transport links around the facility, the airport’s future remains uncertain.
Delays to the Finningley and Rossington Regeneration Route Scheme (FARRRS), a road that would provide a much-needed link to the M18 motorway, have exacerbated the airport’s plight, with many investors choosing to take their money elsewhere. Robin Hood Airport is simply too far away from major roads and population centres.
Following the closure of Sheffield Airport in 2008, aviation enthusiasts have come to question the financial viability of a South Yorkshire airport:
“Who is going to buy into Robin Hood Airport in the state it is in now?” Mike Moss, a Sheffield City campaigner, said, “Doncaster is losing more money than Sheffield Airport ever did. We could be left with no airport in South Yorkshire.”
On the bright side, the return of Polish airline, WizzAir, has been welcomed by airport staff. From July 2010, the carrier will begin offering two flights a week from Robin Hood to Wroclaw, Poland.
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A road linking Robin Hood Airport to the M18 motorway hit another snag last week, after officials revealed an £11.3m shortfall in funding.
The Finningley and Rossington Regeneration Route Scheme – or FARRRS for short – is one of Robin Hood’s more ambitious construction projects, designed to boost airport revenue by more than £1bn a year.
Planning disputes have kept construction crews in limbo since August 2009, and many investors are concerned about the financial viability of the scheme. Yet more planning papers will be handed to the UK Cabinet Office in the coming weeks.
Councillors are desperate to push the FARRRS project through to completion, believing it to be a cure-all panacea, a strong hand to haul Doncaster out of the recession. The road could create over 14,000 jobs in the local area.
The UK government has earmarked £1.25bn for transport schemes throughout the Yorkshire area, but there is no guarantee that the prime minister will sympathise with Robin Hood’s plight. FARRRS could remain on the drawing board until 2013.
Since its opening in 2005, Robin Hood has become a staple of local newspapers, filling column inches with sad stories and depressing tales. The airport recently announced its worst year on record, losing 30% of its passengers in just a few months.
Robin Hood needs to secure the signatures of local executives to ensure the survival of the FARRRS project.
“Dialogue with developers has taken place to secure contributions,” explained Stephen King, planner for Doncaster Council. “The certainty of contributions needs to be resolved before the business case can be submitted."
The UK Cabinet will not comment on the future of the FARRRS road until spring 2010.
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An expansion of Ryanair services at Leeds Airport could have greater implications for Robin Hood Airport than expected, after the budget airline announced plans to axe all flights from the Doncaster site.
Earlier in the month, Peel Airports, the owner of the Doncaster facility, claimed to be unconcerned by the expansion, believing that just four percent of local residents would choose Leeds Airport over Robin Hood.
Ryanair boss, Michael O’Leary, blamed escalating travel costs for the cull, which saw Robin Hood lose a lucrative St. Patrick’s Day flight to Dublin, and summer routes to Barcelona.
The airline has declined to reinstate winter flights to Dublin unless the government takes steps to remove a €10 travel levy affecting all flights to Ireland. Other routes, including those to Barcelona and Alicante, are expected to return in summer 2010.
O’Leary, famed for his foul-mouthed rants, might have a difficult time convincing Peel Airports of his tight pockets, after his company added fourteen new flights to Edinburgh, and expanded operations at Leeds, Düsseldorf, and Madrid.
The news could devastate Robin Hood’s survival attempts – with a major M18 link road still incomplete, the airport stands to lose a good chunk of its customer base. Dublin was similarly affected, losing ten percent of its foreign traffic in just one month.
Nick Smillie, sales director for Robin Hood Airport, expressed his disappointment at Ryanair’s decision, but remained optimistic, drawing attention to three new TUI routes to Lanzarote, and a popular WizzAir flight to Poland.
Peel Airports has begun prospecting for a replacement flight to Dublin. As of the 25th August, the holding company has yet to find a suitor.
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