Many years after pushing out GA, we have this
This is from FB. Can’t find anything on their website.
30 quid for a TB20 is ok for a trip somewhere in the area.
Well, it’s 55 quid because you also have to pay another £25 for the slot. (Why?)
alioth wrote:
Well, it’s 55 quid because you also have to pay another £25 for the slot. (Why?)
Isn’t this for practice approach only (no landing)?
From the airport:
I asked about how much parking there is and received this
I had a vague recollection there were 5 GA spaces.
It is not much, but still a good news. When do we fly-in to Southampton ? (Just kidding 
).
Jujupilote wrote:
When do we fly-in to Southampton ? (Just kidding ).
Why not? A fly-in in England would be nice, and easily reachable for lots of Euro-GA pilots.
Of course the current travel restrictions make it impossible, for now.
Within the UK we can fly anywhere that’s open and that includes EGHI. From France or Germany, etc, you would be stuck here for 2 weeks now. Unless you are delivering PPE
One could view this new approach in two ways…
1. Cynically. Southampton chased out GA before and are only interested now as they are desperate for the income given Flybe’s collapse. Why should GA now help them get through this just to be used and kicked out again once CAT traffic returns.
2. Positively. Southampton have realised the error of their ways and here is an opportunity to show them that being open to GA on fair terms will benefit them from the extra revenue, most of which should go to the bottom line. If GA can show that they can fit in well then perhaps it can herald a new relationship once CAT traffic returns.
I’d love to go with option 2 but can’t help thinking cynically. Is there any realistic chance that Southampton will remain GA friendly when (if) CAT returns to pre-Covid levels? The numbers involved in GA are tiny compared to the revenue from CAT. From the airport management’s point of view GA, at least at the level below biz jets, presents much higher risk.
This will only work long-term if there is a real willingness to embrace GA.
Their fees are not unreasonable for a purposeful visit, but very few will want to pay that just to grab a coffee.
Even significant GA movements will have no impact on their finances in real terms.
The only long term solution would be a model similar to the old RAF Manston, where a flight school was conveniently hiding in a corner with a mutual responsibility to ‘manage’ GA, and provide a sensible entry/egress from public to airside.
The only downside of that is when the school wants to close early and effectively closes a 24hr airfield to GA.
Until (it will never happen) the UK begins to see GA as a viable part of infrastructure and the economy rather than just a hobby for the rich, we will not gain any new sensible sustainable inroads to regional airports.
They obviously need more than four parking places, because the last one could be gone during your inbound flight and then they will refuse a landing clearance, and then what will you do? They need a proper GA apron. I think the four places are where the bizjets are parked here
but you could park loads more light GA at the upper end.
