[

northstardc4m wrote:

BA could lease them to Comair or the RAF or Air Tanker or whatever... but 2 planes seems a bit much for just one destination that will probably need what... 3 flights to Cape Town a week at most?

Indeed, but there's really not much else to do with A318s that go out of service other than scrapping them. These are being mentioned because they have the short field kit installed. However the BA accountants are going to do whatever the numbers tell them to do if/when they decide to stop using them at LCY.

[/quote]

I for one would love to see the BA A318 come to HLE, but in all honesty I doubt it. As you quite rightly point out, BA's bean counters will only do (with, or without involving the A318) what makes economic sense for them. And I don't even see a market case for three weekly flights to CPT in all honesty...
I am sad at the prospect that the A318 might leave the BA fleet. It would be the perfect technical fit for HLE and it would be great to see BA "waving the flag" on this proud little remnant of Empire!..but I doubt we will see it happening... I am actually more inclined to think that using a BA Cityflyer 190 would be more likely, if we finally assess the technical viability of said aircraft... it would certainly be easier and cheaper, and BA could pretty easily spare [a portion of] one aircraft for some trialling and route proving... Heck, with a fuel stop in Brazil they could even connect HLE with Mount Pleasant, not to mention fly to Ascension to meet the Air Tanker 330..
Regardless of all of above, I still think that the UK Govt should take the bold decision to subsidize the route(s) in/out of HLE -at least initially- if they really want to kick-start operations any time soon, and wish to instill some change into an otherwise pretty stagnant scenario... After all building the airport has been a hugely expensive project...

AirlineCritic wrote:

Pardon my lack of knowledge.

But what are the rules and expectations regarding alternates. If I fly to HLE but can't land, and ASI is my alternate, am I required to have a second alternate, in case ASI is not workable either?

As a general rule, no. There are specific requirements an alternate has to meet to minimise the chances of the alternate also being unusable. If the weather forecast for the alternate is below alternate minima, then you can't use it as an alternate for the plan (unless there are intermittent or temporary deteriorations below the minima only, in which case you can have it as an alternate provided you also carry the required holding fuel for it). If you're looking at a night time arrival, there are requirements around lighting etc. If you need an instrument approach, there are requirements around the equipment in the aircraft and on the ground.

V/F

Thanks, VirginFlyer. I am now more anxious about flying to remote island destinations than I was before

AirlineCritic wrote:

Thanks, VirginFlyer. I am now more anxious about flying to remote island destinations than I was before

You shouldn't be. If there isn't a suitable alternate the flight won't be departing. There are some places of course where an alternate is a long way away, and special procedures are required - Ascension and Easter Islamd were discussed earlier in this thread:

MalevTU134 wrote:

Quite, which is why I suggested that a protocol such as the one being used for operations to IPC and LYR, could also be used for HLE. As far as I understand (and pilots or others in the know, please feel free to correct me), the alternate for SCL-IPC flights is SCL, and for TOS (Tromsø)-LYR flights it's TOS, meaning that there is a point during the flight at which, unless there is a 100% chance of the destination field being suitable for landing, the flight returns to the alternate (i.e. its origin, for lack of alternate airports due to the geographical isolation of IPC and LYR). However, once the decision to continue to destination is communicated to ATC, that airport cannot be used for departures nor arrivals by other aircraft, not to jeopardise the serviceability of the runway. I don't see why HLE would be any different...

Natflyer wrote:

You are correct. I have been to both IPC and ASI. Inbound to IPC, once an aircraft is beyond the "point of no return", all movements at the airport are banned until it is on the ground at IPC. Likewise, outbound no movements until the aircraft has passed the ETP to destination (or closest alternate on shore). Easter Island is an interesting place. For one visit.

I used ASI as a fuel stop CPT-GIG on a commercial pax charter. We got that approved quickly, although the fuel price was on a par with whiskey. Service was quick and we were on our way. Ascencion is a pretty barren volcanic island, not much to see.

V/F

Remote islands with airports tend to be in temperate oceans where the weather is good most of the time. The aircraft that fly there are generally more capable, there is less air traffic and hardly any delays. Don't worry about a flight to one. They frequently have nice beaches.
I don't think the ERJ 190 can fly from CPT to HLE and back to CPT. I think there was a little language problem during the interview. I think it could probably fly back to an airport in Angola or Namibia. ASI will be available as an alternate. It was already going to be a once a month destination for the suspended Comair B-737-800 JNB-HLE route.

so for closest airports:

The closest mainland airport to St Helena should be Namibe, Angola (MSZ), 1031nm straight line... thats just 30% further than ASI... and safely within a 2800nm range for the E190, though that seems a bit tight to me? Luanda is 1186nm, then Walvis Bay (WVB) is the next closest, 1223nm.

AirlineCritic wrote:

Pardon my lack of knowledge.

But what are the rules and expectations regarding alternates. If I fly to HLE but can't land, and ASI is my alternate, am I required to have a second alternate, in case ASI is not workable either?

For the airlines I have handled,

Even if your destination is clear, If your alternate is below limits you must change your alternate reissue the flight plan, and uplift as much fuel as you require for that alternate (or origin) even if you have to offload passengers and cargo to make the maths work. The other option is to delay until weather forecast for the airport shows the weather iis clear enough to operate with your desired alternate. With most remote airports they will delay or cancel as first option, because if you offload all your passngers and cargo you actually remove the reason for operating a lifeline flight at all.

It happens a lot in the pacific island nations as well - especially during Cyclone/hurricane season.

St, Helena just issued a RFP for tender offers: http://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/wp-con...l-document.pdf

lolder wrote:

St, Helena just issued a RFP for tender offers: http://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/wp-con...l-document.pdf

For some reason the link you gave was missing the middle - here's the full link: http://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/wp-conten ... 2016-F.pdf

Looks like they're talking about using 02 regardless of wind direction for the time being.

V/F

http://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/wp-conten ... 2016-F.pdf

I took the time to read the RFP from Saint Helena Government.
And frankly, after reading it, I cannot see how such an operation can be deemed commercially/economically viable... They are "asking" for a lot in the document, with clearly no guarantee of success given the [very] small numbers of travelers involved (and forecasted). Yet the DO demand a lot of guarantees from the bidders!
Even more so now, I see this only happening if the UK Govt decides to subsidize the routes in question [maybe DFID could step in and help kick-start operations??]. They ask for the provision of a connection to ASI to meet the MOD air-bridge but if you take a look at the numbers involved it's easy to see what I am talking about...

oldannyboy wrote:

http://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/wp-conten ... 2016-F.pdf

I took the time to read the RFP from Saint Helena Government.
And frankly, after reading it, I cannot see how such an operation can be deemed commercially/economically viable... They are "asking" for a lot in the document, with clearly no guarantee of success given the [very] small numbers of travelers involved (and forecasted). Yet the DO demand a lot of guarantees from the bidders!
Even more so now, I see this only happening if the UK Govt decides to subsidize the routes in question [maybe DFID could step in and help kick-start operations??]. They ask for the provision of a connection to ASI to meet the MOD air-bridge but if you take a look at the numbers involved it's easy to see what I am talking about...

Yes, they are asking for a lot. I presume this is the first step. If they don't get what they want, they can go back and offer less stringent terms, and if that doesn't work, then they can ask for subsidies.

I wonder what happened to the Comair offering? AFAIK they had already announced pricing etc. Yet as we know their trial flight with the 737-800 did not go very well. However I never saw them formally withdraw their offering. All we saw was that the official opening of the airport was postponed and the wind gust situation was under study. I guess we'll get more clarity as time passes on.

Revelation wrote:

lolder wrote:

Here's an interview with the Embraer Co. Pilot about their St. Helena tests. Very positive: https://whatthesaintsdidnext.com/2016/1 ... re-normal/

Excellent interview by Darrin Henry. We have some definitive statements from Captain Joel Faermann, Embraer test pilot and flight instructor.

[color=#FFFF40][i]So you could come here from Cape Town and get back?

…and get back. So we don’t depend on Ascension Island. Ascension is a nice alternate because it is so close, the closest one, 700 miles and we have Africa 1,100 miles. This aeroplane is capable to do that.

Correction in the article:

Correction from original statement: The Embraer E190 has long range capability – it could carry 96 passengers up to St Helena from Cape Town and should weather conditions prevent a landing, it has the capability to fly to Ascension Island. In order to return to the African mainland it would need to fly from an airport in Angola. It does not have the range from Cape Town to St Helena and back as orginally stated – (updated info from Captain Faermann)"

inflightVideo wrote:

Correction in the article:

Correction from original statement: The Embraer E190 has long range capability – it could carry 96 passengers up to St Helena from Cape Town and should weather conditions prevent a landing, it has the capability to fly to Ascension Island. In order to return to the African mainland it would need to fly from an airport in Angola. It does not have the range from Cape Town to St Helena and back as orginally stated – (updated info from Captain Faermann)"

Thanks for the update. That is what I would have expected the situation to be after looking at the info I gathered earlier in this thread. I don't think the Angola airports are interesting commercially. I think CPT and JNB are the most interesting airports commercially. It'd be interesting to get detailed info about flights from CPT and/or JNB to HLE using E-190 and E2-190. As above, I presume they would work if ASI weather allows it to be used as an alternate, and if weather is below minimums at either you'd just not do the flight.

It was interesting that the RFP included requests for ASI-HLE flights.

Revelation wrote:

oldannyboy wrote:

http://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/wp-conten ... 2016-F.pdf

I took the time to read the RFP from Saint Helena Government.
And frankly, after reading it, I cannot see how such an operation can be deemed commercially/economically viable... They are "asking" for a lot in the document, with clearly no guarantee of success given the [very] small numbers of travelers involved (and forecasted). Yet the DO demand a lot of guarantees from the bidders!
Even more so now, I see this only happening if the UK Govt decides to subsidize the routes in question [maybe DFID could step in and help kick-start operations??]. They ask for the provision of a connection to ASI to meet the MOD air-bridge but if you take a look at the numbers involved it's easy to see what I am talking about...

Yes, they are asking for a lot. I presume this is the first step. If they don't get what they want, they can go back and offer less stringent terms, and if that doesn't work, then they can ask for subsidies.

I wonder what happened to the Comair offering? AFAIK they had already announced pricing etc. Yet as we know their trial flight with the 737-800 did not go very well. However I never saw them formally withdraw their offering. All we saw was that the official opening of the airport was postponed and the wind gust situation was under study. I guess we'll get more clarity as time passes on.

Well, I suppose that if they really did want to fly the route, they would simply have to source a cheap enough, second hand 735/736 or 73G, which might be a much better option for the HLE flights. Given, it would need to be a mini sub-fleet for dedicated flying, but at the same time -again: if they really feel they want to go far that market... - getting a cheap leased 737 of a different (smaller) variant would not be the end of the world... The aircraft would probably need to be kitted out with steep approach and a 'light' config, but still doable IMHO....

I personally can't see very many operators queuing up for that RPF.... It's very bonding and the Government is very demanding, and I feel there's not much money to be made in it.

Airlink is considering offering St Helena service -- http://www.tam.co.za/article/117245/St- ... ir-service

Also, the UK press is going wild today because a parliamentary report has come out about the problems with the airport. Personally I think it's a feeding frenzy and a witch hunt, which the media loves because it gets clicks. Sadly some are calling the airport 'useless' which is far from the truth. It will always be a challenge to operate there, but someone will step up and offer a service sooner rather than later, IMHO.

Revelation wrote:

Airlink is considering offering St Helena service -- http://www.tam.co.za/article/117245/St- ... ir-service

Also, the UK press is going wild today because a parliamentary report has come out about the problems with the airport. Personally I think it's a feeding frenzy and a witch hunt, which the media loves because it gets clicks. Sadly some are calling the airport 'useless' which is far from the truth. It will always be a challenge to operate there, but someone will step up and offer a service sooner rather than later, IMHO.

I agree that sadly this is precisely the sort of thing the UK media thrives on.... Although, for once, there's food for thought in the argument. Including a long overdue discussion as to why precisely the Island needs to be rendered "autonomous"? And if the DFID aid should have gone into projects benefitting less affluent Countries (yes, Saint Helena is a Crown Dependency after all, so it is UK territory...). And also why the flights should not be subsidized by the UK Govt. Lots of questions need to be answered.

I am somewhat not surprised that Airlink is considering the SHG Tender. They are "close enough", have the expertise, and have the right equipment. It's interesting to read though that Comair still thinks they have the contract in their hands.. does that mean they are trying to find a creative solution runway-wise, or that will they actually source more suitable equipment?.

Revelation wrote:

Personally I think it's a feeding frenzy and a witch hunt, which the media loves because it gets clicks. Sadly some are calling the airport 'useless' which is far from the truth. It will always be a challenge to operate there, but someone will step up and offer a service sooner rather than later, IMHO.

People may be raked over the coals for the fiasco but it will blow over.....

http://www.cips.org/en/supply-managemen ... e-airport/

Quote:
"A £285m airport built with public money cannot be used for commercial flights because of dangerous wind conditions.

The facility was built on the South Atlantic island of St Helena by the Department for International Development (DFID). However, only after it was complete did test flights reveal a dangerous level of wind shear.

In a report, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) said it was 'staggering' the problem was only identified after construction had been completed.

It said wind shear, a change in wind speed or direction over a short distance, was dangerous for low flying planes and well-known in airport construction. It said the problem should have been identified at an early stage."



https://www.cips.org/PageFiles/109869/F ... _(1160x430).jpg.ashx?width=1140&quality=80


However, it would certainly be a shame if a facility as nice as above should go to waste.

Devilfish wrote:

"A £285m airport built with public money cannot be used for commercial flights because of dangerous wind conditions.

The facility was built on the South Atlantic island of St Helena by the Department for International Development (DFID). However, only after it was complete did test flights reveal a dangerous level of wind shear.

In a report, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) said it was 'staggering' the problem was only identified after construction had been completed.

It said wind shear, a change in wind speed or direction over a short distance, was dangerous for low flying planes and well-known in airport construction. It said the problem should have been identified at an early stage."

I understand that there are issues with wind shear however I don't understand why such a conclusion (cannot be used for commercial flights) is being reached. I would think the recent trip to HLE by the EMB190 shows that we cannot reach such a conclusion. Personally, I fully expect there to be a commercial operation sooner rather than later, in months rather than years. The Daily Mail called the airport 'useless' yet it's already been used for med-evac flights. As above, this all reeks of lazy click bait reporters not doing any research and having themselves a feeding frenzy.

So the deal with Comair has been cancelled?

http://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/airportne ... ed-1684434

Revelation wrote:

I don't think the Angola airports are interesting commercially. I think CPT and JNB are the most interesting airports commercially.

The whole point is that nothing makes commercial sense. It is all about providing connectivity to a community which does not have it and the taxpayer will pay for it. So it does not matter if Angola makes commercial sense. It is which option makes flight a safe realistic option. It is still better to take a flight with a fuel stop in Angola than being seasick on a boat for 7 days.

A Royal Air Force C 130J will fly from Ascension to ST. Helena Sun. Dec 18th for testing.
The original contract was for 120 seats a week to ST. Helena. There are about 150 tourism beds available now on ST. Helena. This was not an unreasonable approach to tourism. There was a small amount of tourism from the RMS St. Helena ship and occasional cruise ship arrivals. There was a three year subsidy for Comair that seemed to be about 20% of the cost of the 737-800 operation. Anything above that would depend upon expanding the St. Helena tourism infrastructure.

SA Airlink confirmed it would take delivery in the first half of 2017 of an ERJ 190 ETOPS that could service St. Helena: http://www.ch-aviation.com/portal/news/ ... e170s-190s

northstardc4m wrote:

I did some math based on the runway length at HLE and the E190-E2 should be able to do 1880nm (it splits slightly above halfway 1800 and 1950nm on the chart) legally with 92 pax... which puts both CPT and REC in range, along with the major cities on the bite of Africa.


REC might not have a legal alternate though...

Now the E175-E2 should have better performance but nothing is posted for it in detail performance wise?

But assuming a 2000nm range, that puts JNB and SSA in the marginally viable range



Now obviously these numbers are rough based on posted information online... so don't blame me when they aren't 100% correct.

Multiply route by .133 to get ETOPs range against headwinds. Note JNB-HLE would be headwinds & hot/high T-O that cuts range so I doubt eastbound can make it without a stop in WDH for fuel.

Would this be the longest EMB190 route? (JNB-HLE)

lolder wrote:

ERJ 190 ETOPS

*E190

sorry for being picky.

I would assume that one result is that the 737-800 is not the ideal frame to get in and out of a small, windy, difficult airport.
If it needed to be a Boeing, they should have tried the 737-700.

Otherwise there are quite a few frames, that should be able to do this.

Regarding freight, the airplane is supposed to replace the mailboat, coming every two weeks bringing some freight, but mainly mail and passengers.
It does not exclude a freighter coming a few times a year, bringing fuel or other heavy stuff.

HLE should be served by a B757 or B767, something with a good performance on a 2000m runway, and a decent amount of range to be able to return to Africa/S.America in case of bad weather at HLE. With the added bonus that a 757 or a widebody can carry a decent amount of cargo as well, to serve the island.

The Saints should just start their own airline and buy a few B757s

The B 767 is too big and the B 757 has currently too much payload and higher operating costs. Smaller aircraft like the E 190 with 5.5º approach slope and 15 kt. tailwind capability are the best choice for a reliable once a week service.

Thenoflyzone

According Wikipedia lives in Saint Helena island just 4,3 thousand people. Maybe the 757/67 airliner would be an overkill.

Thenoflyzone wrote:

The Saints should just start their own airline and buy a few B757s

Hmm, how much fish does St. Helena harvest per year?

the reason why this made it to the news is because no medium sized aircraft can make it to st Helena. So forget the 737 or 320 or anything like that. The avrò maybe, too bad it's out of production.
It would be great if the embraer could make regular flights which they are testing now.
Obviously whatever will be decided, there is no way the flight will operate at a profit so it will have to be supbsidized in one way or another. So why not fly Cape Town - wondhoek - st Helena?

AngMoh wrote:

The whole point is that nothing makes commercial sense. It is all about providing connectivity to a community which does not have it and the taxpayer will pay for it.

mjoelnir wrote:

If it needed to be a Boeing, they should have tried the 737-700.

Revelation wrote:

Hmm, how much fish does St. Helena harvest per year?

VCEflyboy wrote:

Obviously whatever will be decided, there is no way the flight will operate at a profit so it will have to be supbsidized in one way or another.

Maybe they should just buy a couple of depreciated 736s from Westjet?... ...

https://www.airliners.net/photo/WestJet/ ... QxBQ%3D%3D


Perhaps then the Saints would be singing this on their flights... ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEVYB10bsjo

Darrin's latest blog entry, Flights To St Helena: 8 Things We Know About The Air Service Tender, tells us that Atlantic Star and SA Airlink are submitting new bids, and Comair is saying their existing contract is still in place. I'm not sure what the later means. Perhaps they like the commercial terms in place and don't want to re-bid, but clearly the existing contract is not being utilized so something is strange about that comment.

Airlink have officially made an application to South African CAA for rights to 3 weekly service to St.Helena from either JNB or CPT

Not sure if Comair means they're sticking to that bid or perhaps have other plans...however they have said before that the new applications should only be until a solution can be found to make it viable to land from boths sides on the runway.

There are definitely more bids...

How many people cared (or had even heard about) St Helena before this whole thing blew up. Maybe it was all a big ruse to get people talking about it

Fred

flipdewaf wrote:

How many people cared (or had even heard about) St Helena before this whole thing blew up. Maybe it was all a big ruse to get people talking about it

Fred

Err, anybody who has ever heard about Napoleon?

VSMUT wrote:

flipdewaf wrote:

How many people cared (or had even heard about) St Helena before this whole thing blew up. Maybe it was all a big ruse to get people talking about it

Fred

Err, anybody who has ever heard about Napoleon?

And how often is that on the news?

Fred

flipdewaf wrote:

How many people cared (or had even heard about) St Helena before this whole thing blew up. Maybe it was all a big ruse to get people talking about it

Fred

You are correct in that the general public hadn't been watching this till the windshear issue reared its ugly head, but we here at a.net had been following the saga before that point.

In my case I found a thread here just a day after I randomly watched a travel show where they took the RMS over to St Helena and then when I saw the thread about the airport I got very interested in how it was going.

And of course the windshear thing was given the fake news treatment and over-sensationlized. One source said the airport was "useless" when clearly it is and was not. There have already been successful medivac flights so it's already a valuable asset, IMHO.

finnishway wrote:

So the deal with Comair has been cancelled?

http://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/airportne ... ed-1684434

What he above link yo the St Helena Government document says is that the contract referred to is for an interim period. It reads that the tender is:

'. . . to appoint an operator . . . using an aircraft type capable of landing on the southern approach (Runway 02) which involves a tail wind component. This will be for a period of time while we continue to explore the potential for scheduled services into the northern approach (Runway 20).'

I interpret this to mean that whoever is appointed to operate under this new tender has no guarantee of operating the service long term. Indeed, depending on the wording of its existing contract, Comair might still have the rights to operate the service once the wind sheer problem is somehow addressed. As far as I know as yet Comair has only flown the northern approach on to Runway 02.

vv701 wrote:

What he above link yo the St Helena Government document says is that the contract referred to is for an interim period. It reads that the tender is:

'. . . to appoint an operator . . . using an aircraft type capable of landing on the southern approach (Runway 02) which involves a tail wind component. This will be for a period of time while we continue to explore the potential for scheduled services into the northern approach (Runway 20).'

I interpret this to mean that whoever is appointed to operate under this new tender has no guarantee of operating the service long term. Indeed, depending on the wording of its existing contract, Comair might still have the rights to operate the service once the wind sheer problem is somehow addressed. As far as I know as yet Comair has only flown the northern approach on to Runway 02.

That's an interesting point. Perhaps it's a way to get another contract enacted with a smaller and perhaps more cost effective aircraft whilst keeping the Comair one on 'standby'.

A B 757-200 operated by TAG Aviation will make a test flight into St. Helena from Walvis Bay Monday March 6 at 14:00. The registration number is G-TCSX.

Has anyone seen this movie? It's a must see! Most people would probably be curious to see the island.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByJPKGvEvpY

Nean1 wrote:

Has anyone seen this movie? It's a must see! Most people would probably be curious to see the island.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByJPKGvEvpY

Great video, thank you for sharing. I have now gone from very curious to ready to book a flight, if I could!

If the Lineage could be flown in a passenger configuration as opposed to a VIP, might that be also a good model? (The Lineage is an Embraer 190AR with extra tanks.) Diversions wouldn't be much of a problem.

aemoreira1981 wrote:

If the Lineage could be flown in a passenger configuration as opposed to a VIP, might that be also a good model? (The Lineage is an Embraer 190AR with extra tanks.) Diversions wouldn't be much of a problem.

I can not see an aircraft as specialized as Lineage in this function. The costs per seat would be prohibitive. Anyway, the E 190 (E1) seems to take care of the task. The E190 E2 will have a longer range (2450 -> 2800 nm), and probably in the coming months it will be announced that the performance of PW engines will allow a slight increase in autonomy to something close to 3000 nm.

I'm wondering, why isnt Arik Air starting flights to HEL. They can offer connections to London and Johannesburg afaik. They would seem like a good choice.


Also couldn't BA South Africa a.k.a. Comair just route their aircraft via Luanda and perhaps obtain traffic rights on the JNB - Luanda and Luanda - HEL route? If yes, they could even offer a codeshare route in connection with BA (BA to from London to Luanda, connecting to Comair to HEL, would spare many people the long detour via JNB).

CARST wrote:

I'm wondering, why isnt Arik Air starting flights to HEL. They can offer connections to London and Johannesburg afaik. They would seem like a good choice.


Also couldn't BA South Africa a.k.a. Comair just route their aircraft via Luanda and perhaps obtain traffic rights on the JNB - Luanda and Luanda - HEL route? If yes, they could even offer a codeshare route in connection with BA (BA to from London to Luanda, connecting to Comair to HEL, would spare many people the long detour via JNB).

HEL is Helsinki, Finland.
Saint Helena is HLE.
And you do know that Arik is basically going bankrupt as we speak?

lolder wrote:

A B 757-200 operated by TAG Aviation will make a test flight into St. Helena from Walvis Bay Monday March 6 at 14:00. The registration number is G-TCSX.

To load some fish?
Sorry, couldn't resist...

MalevTU134 wrote:

Saint Helena is HLE.
And you do know that Arik is basically going bankrupt as we speak?

My bad. Of course I wanted to type HLE.


Yeah, but so far Arik is alive and kicking, despite being in decline. And opening up some regional route with one of their narrowbodys should always be possible if the market is there. Also TAG Angola could get into play.


But my second idea about Comair accquiring traffic rights via Luanda seem more logical to me, especially because BA serves Luanda, too afaik. I have to say, I don't know the terminal at Luanda and if it would be possible to offer connections there.

CARST wrote:

MalevTU134 wrote:

Saint Helena is HLE.
And you do know that Arik is basically going bankrupt as we speak?

My bad. Of course I wanted to type HLE.


Yeah, but so far Arik is alive and kicking, despite being in decline. And opening up some regional route with one of their narrowbodys should always be possible if the market is there. Also TAG Angola could get into play.


But my second idea about Comair accquiring traffic rights via Luanda seem more logical to me, especially because BA serves Luanda, too afaik. I have to say, I don't know the terminal at Luanda and if it would be possible to offer connections there.

4 de Fevreiro? Last time I was there (admittedly some 15 years ago) it had way more cockroaches than passengers. I don't mean to offend any Angolans here, just stating the facts. I have no idea if that same terminal is still in use today or not, though.