Sheffield Airport - sign the Petion to stop the redevelopment of the site

[BSMan 10]

Olive, very well said.

 

Tinfoilhat. For your information, when KLM served the Sheffield to Amsterdam route the loads were high, with yields reported to be strong.

 

International connectivity is a key consideration when a business is looking to invest in an area. If you're going to drive to Doncaster you might as well train it to Manchester or drive to East Midlands. Explains why when any destination that may appeal to the business community is opened from Doncaster it doesnt last long.

[Olive 10]

I used Sheffield City a few times to link with Amsterdam flights to faraway places that bucket and spade airports like Robin Hood don’t serve and it was very painless. I am sat here in the USA having flown in from Manchester last Friday on a Delta/KLM code share using the hub at Atlanta for my onward flight, just like the days when I could fly from Sheffield City.

 

I notice that this subject has been taken up on “The Professional Pilots Rumour Network” http://www.pprune.org/airlines-airports-routes/501409-sheffield-city-airport-petition.html

 

There is more to air travel than the annual trip to the sun with the kids.

 

BTW, if you want to see just how busy Robin Hood is and where their flights go to take a look at http://www.robinhoodairport.com/flight-information/arrivals.html

 

Thanks for that info. We're all stabbing in the dark really. We need a proper investigation on what went wrong and how it could be put right.

Edited December 5, 2012 by Olive

[Steve7 10]

I don't want an airport, I want Zeppelin mooring facilities and a maglev monorail. Airports are so 2nd millenium.[/Here here!!

[WalkleyIan 10]

just received this email from the FSB

 

Airport saga takes a new twist

 

The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has been supporting a campaign to defer the development of the former Sheffield City Airport site. The FSB has suggested that an embargo be placed on the development until an independent public enquiry is held to look into the future of commercial aviation in the Region.

 

A petition has been initiated aimed at the local small business community which has attracted over 1,300 signatories, which was met with a deluge of misleading statements in the media reflecting a notion that the airport was closed due to it being commercially unviable – an argument which the FSB has consistently contested.

 

A new twist in the airport saga has now occurred with the news that a potential bidder has made himself known to the FSB, who wishes to buy the airport from its existing owners and reopen it as a regional aviation facility. As well as contracting with airlines to operate scheduled flights to other UK and European cities, the bidder plans to offer flight training, air taxi and business charter services, and intends to include a restaurant and other leisure facilities in a redeveloped terminal.

 

The bid would be subject to the full support of the Sheffield City Council, including provision of all the necessary planning consents, to turn the property back into an airport and a realistic price being agreed between the present owners of the airport site and terminal building, with all existing infrastructure intact.

 

The bidder is locally-based but has other aviation interests within the UK.

[six45ive 10]

just received this email from the FSB

 

Airport saga takes a new twist

 

The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has been supporting a campaign to defer the development of the former Sheffield City Airport site. The FSB has suggested that an embargo be placed on the development until an independent public enquiry is held to look into the future of commercial aviation in the Region.

 

A petition has been initiated aimed at the local small business community which has attracted over 1,300 signatories, which was met with a deluge of misleading statements in the media reflecting a notion that the airport was closed due to it being commercially unviable – an argument which the FSB has consistently contested.

 

A new twist in the airport saga has now occurred with the news that a potential bidder has made himself known to the FSB, who wishes to buy the airport from its existing owners and reopen it as a regional aviation facility. As well as contracting with airlines to operate scheduled flights to other UK and European cities, the bidder plans to offer flight training, air taxi and business charter services, and intends to include a restaurant and other leisure facilities in a redeveloped terminal.

 

The bid would be subject to the full support of the Sheffield City Council, including provision of all the necessary planning consents, to turn the property back into an airport and a realistic price being agreed between the present owners of the airport site and terminal building, with all existing infrastructure intact.

 

The bidder is locally-based but has other aviation interests within the UK.

 

Just received the same email myself. At last it seems like somebody might be taking notice of how important and unique it would be to have a HS2 station right next to a short haul/business airport as I highlighted here.

http://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1089877

If this were to happen it would probably be the most important development to happen in South Yorkshire for 100 years and could potentially bring us out of the dark ages that we've been in since the 1970's.

[Unisol 12]

just received this email from the FSB

 

Airport saga takes a new twist

 

The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has been supporting a campaign to defer the development of the former Sheffield City Airport site. The FSB has suggested that an embargo be placed on the development until an independent public enquiry is held to look into the future of commercial aviation in the Region.

 

A petition has been initiated aimed at the local small business community which has attracted over 1,300 signatories, which was met with a deluge of misleading statements in the media reflecting a notion that the airport was closed due to it being commercially unviable – an argument which the FSB has consistently contested.

 

A new twist in the airport saga has now occurred with the news that a potential bidder has made himself known to the FSB, who wishes to buy the airport from its existing owners and reopen it as a regional aviation facility. As well as contracting with airlines to operate scheduled flights to other UK and European cities, the bidder plans to offer flight training, air taxi and business charter services, and intends to include a restaurant and other leisure facilities in a redeveloped terminal.

 

The bid would be subject to the full support of the Sheffield City Council, including provision of all the necessary planning consents, to turn the property back into an airport and a realistic price being agreed between the present owners of the airport site and terminal building, with all existing infrastructure intact.

 

The bidder is locally-based but has other aviation interests within the UK.

 

All this is REALLY good news. If it does end up gone forever, at least we'll be reasonably satisfied some serious efforts were made to save it.

[pb1977 10]

Sheffield doesn't need a commercial airport within its city boundary. There is a perfectly good airport in Robin Hood, all Robin Hood needs is for a railway station to be built and a link road to the M18.

 

Airlines arnt exactly flocking to Robin Hood, so what makes people think they will come flooding into a reopened Sheffield.

 

During its heyday how many airlines flew from Sheffield and what routes where available, if I remember right it was a handful of airlines with a select few routes, most of which where short lived. Amsterdam was most likely sustainable due to KLM having a large presence in the Uk regions to connect to their hub at Schiphol. A bit like why Emirates are able to fill 3 wide body aircraft a day to Dubai from Manchester including the A380. A huge chunk of them passengers will be connecting in Dubai to other destinations within the Emirates network.

 

At it's peak Sheffield only had around 200 passengers a day departing from it.

 

Saying all that, I think if a Sheffield Airport was to ever happen again it would be more suited as a general aviation airport, handling aircraft like Cessna 172 / 182's than it been a commercial passenger airport.

Edited December 10, 2012 by pb1977

[six45ive 10]

Saying all that, I think if a Sheffield Airport was to ever happen again it would be more suited as a general aviation airport, handling aircraft like Cessna 172 / 182's than it been a commercial passenger airport.

 

Which is precisely what we're talking about on this thread which makes the rest of your post (copied and pasted from the other thread about HS2/Sheffield Airport) irrelavent.

 

Please read and understand what's being said on a thread before posting or you just end up looking an idiot!

[pb1977 10]

Which is precisely what we're talking about on this thread which makes the rest of your post (copied and pasted from the other thread about HS2/Sheffield Airport) irrelavent.

 

Please read and understand what's being said on a thread before posting or you just end up looking an idiot!

 

But reading the petition it is saying things like............

 

One of the features that unites these target growth sectors is that they all rely on international links with the major European centres of commerce and technology in order to reach customers, suppliers and partners. In the past Sheffield City Airport facilitated daily shuttle services to European capitals: services which were demonstrably viable in commercial terms.

 

 

That comes across as sounding like wanting commercial flights linking Sheffield to major European cities and not just the odd 3 seater private Cessna useing the place.

 

Bucket n spade flights stick to Robin Hood and flights to major European cities operating from Sheffield City.

Edited December 10, 2012 by pb1977

[Dan_Ashcroft 10]

just received this email from the FSB

 

Airport saga takes a new twist

 

The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has been supporting a campaign to defer the development of the former Sheffield City Airport site. The FSB has suggested that an embargo be placed on the development until an independent public enquiry is held to look into the future of commercial aviation in the Region.

 

A petition has been initiated aimed at the local small business community which has attracted over 1,300 signatories, which was met with a deluge of misleading statements in the media reflecting a notion that the airport was closed due to it being commercially unviable – an argument which the FSB has consistently contested.

 

A new twist in the airport saga has now occurred with the news that a potential bidder has made himself known to the FSB, who wishes to buy the airport from its existing owners and reopen it as a regional aviation facility. As well as contracting with airlines to operate scheduled flights to other UK and European cities, the bidder plans to offer flight training, air taxi and business charter services, and intends to include a restaurant and other leisure facilities in a redeveloped terminal.

 

The bid would be subject to the full support of the Sheffield City Council, including provision of all the necessary planning consents, to turn the property back into an airport and a realistic price being agreed between the present owners of the airport site and terminal building, with all existing infrastructure intact.

 

The bidder is locally-based but has other aviation interests within the UK.

 

Sounds really promising.

 

Something to drag Sheffield into the twenty-first century.

[BSMan 10]

Airlines arnt exactly flocking to Robin Hood, so what makes people think they will come flooding into a reopened Sheffield

 

The population of Doncaster isn't exactly large and diverse enough to support international business routes. Humberside not too far away offers KLM flights. The loyalty of Sheffield passengers towards Robin Hood fails to extend beyond cheap tickets, understandable when Manchester, East Midlands and Birmingham aren't exactly difficult to get to.

 

Sheffield City should be given a proper chance, under an owner who has experience of running aviation business. Small extensions are possible which would make some near continent hubs possible again, but mainly an expanded GA facility which can handle business charters, only minutes from the centre of Sheffield, would offer far more than Doncaster Spaceport could ever hope to.

[six45ive 10]

But reading the petition it is saying things like............

 

One of the features that unites these target growth sectors is that they all rely on international links with the major European centres of commerce and technology in order to reach customers, suppliers and partners. In the past Sheffield City Airport facilitated daily shuttle services to European capitals: services which were demonstrably viable in commercial terms.

 

 

That comes across as sounding like wanting commercial flights linking Sheffield to major European cities and not just the odd 3 seater private Cessna useing the place.

 

Bucket n spade flights stick to Robin Hood and flights to major European cities operating from Sheffield City.

 

Then please don't quote mine or you'll either;

 

1/ Get hold of the wrong end of the stick

 

or;

 

2/ Give the impression that you're either a bit thick or just trolling.

 

So here is the piece in full;

 

"In light of the fast-developing Advanced Manufacturing Park, the associated high-tech businesses along the Sheffield / Rotherham border and the newly-announced Local Enterprise Zone, the FSB believes that further urgent consideration be given to the potential for the future of commercial aviation in the city.

 

The former Sheffield City Airport was built to emulate the highly successful London City Airport which is presently handling nearly three million passengers a year. Sheffield City Airport was located only four miles from the centre of Sheffield and three miles from Rotherham. These two communities have a combined population of nearly one million and within a sixty minute drive the population exceeds nine million.

 

When it first opened, an independent report into the operation of Sheffield City Airport concluded that it would assist in achieving the vision of a step change in the performance of the sub-region economy, help attract and nurture companies in a number of high technology, high skills and high value-added target growth areas and assist the area in attracting inward investment.

 

We continue to believe that a revived Sheffield City Airport could and would assist the attraction of high technology manufacturing, advanced producer services, environmental services, bio-sciences, business and financial services, cultural and creative industries. One of the features that unites these target growth sectors is that they all rely on international links with the major European centres of commerce and technology in order to reach customers, suppliers and partners. In the past Sheffield City Airport facilitated daily shuttle services to European capitals: services which were demonstrably viable in commercial terms.

 

Since then, commercial aviation in the region has switched to the Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield. This has established a growing and successful programme of leisure and tourism flights to holiday destinations and deserves the full support of the city region. However, it is not suitably placed to provide the fast-turnaround easy-access short-haul flights to serve the business travel requirements of the Advanced Manufacturing Park, the M1 Strategic Economic Zone and the Sheffield / Rotherham conurbation. The City Region is therefore in great need of a business aviation facility to supplement the Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield, to which we remain committed as a provider of international leisure tourism-based flights to holiday destinations around the world.

 

The FSB remains convinced that the need for a city airport in Sheffield is greater now than when the Sheffield City Airport first opened. Its closure has removed an air travel facility which has an increasingly vital role to play in the development of the high-tech business community. We perceive that two airports within the Sheffield City Region, each with its own commercial and operational focus, can jointly meet the economic and social needs of the travelling public.

 

The former Sheffield City Airport is about to be ‘redeveloped’ and its runway destroyed. Once this happens, all hope of a facility in Sheffield for reaching the major European centres, giving access to the key customers, suppliers and partners of western Europe, will be lost. We, the undersigned, therefore call upon Sheffield City Council to urgently ensure that any redevelopment of the site of the former Sheffield City Airport (including further destruction of its infrastructure) is proscribed until an independent public enquiry is held to look into the potential for its future use as a facility for commercial aviation."

 

I've highlighted your cherry picking in bold. It's quite telling how you decided not to quote the piece that I've underlined which puts your bit in an entirely different context.

Nor did you bother to quote the paragraph in red which makes it clear that;

"Since then, commercial aviation in the region has switched to the Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield."

meaning that Sheffield is not meant to be a 'commercial airport' but one specifically targeted at business and short haul flights to other business centres as opposed to holiday resorts.

Edited December 10, 2012 by six45ive