[Anonymous]

[IanDoyle]

http://www.routes-news.com/news/1216-broad-support-to-liberalise-uk-aviation-market

“There was also support for liberalizing
the UK’s bilateral regime, to allow foreign carriers to operate to regional
airports without reciprocal access for UK-based carriers”.

There has been anecdotal evidence that Manchester Airport (UK )more than most
has suffered due to bilaterals.

UK airlines have no interest in operating from Manchester except through
codeshares, foreign airlines do, but many are afraid that by coming onto say
the Beijing – Manchester route, or Tokyo – Manchester where there is clear
demand, a UK airline will demand reciprocal rights but not from Manchester, but
their home base of LHR or LGW, as a consequence this then scares off the
airline concerned and the status quo which is polarising services into the
South East continues.

A foreign airline would not want to end up with what they perceive as a
“regional” service (terrible term) when the UK airline ends up with a
route from the capital city.

Manchester needs to be excluded from Bilaterals !

[AMcWhirter]

Too true.

I remember the time when CX tried and failed to secure Hong Kong-Moscow-Manchester traffic rights because of objections from BD (who at that time was operating London-Moscow).

CX claimed that a non-stop Manchester-Hong Kong route would be commercially unviable so that is why it wished to spread its risks by routing over Moscow.

[IanDoyle]

indeed, a crasy sitiuation !

That airline has now gone AND crucially so has the opportunity ….for a while !

[JohnHarper]

This could be great news for the UK regions and it will help take pressure of LHR at least for westbound services.

I wonder how many people from MAN and northwards still commute through LHR for travel eastbound when they have the choice of KL, AF, LH EK, EY and QR from their local airports. I bet it’s a relatively small number.

This could also cut the volume of connecting traffic on UK domestic services and in turn free up LHR slots.

It could be a very good thing all round.

[ViajeroUK]

I live some distance south of MAN and use KL/AF for vast majority of my east & westbound l/haul flights, starting from my local ‘regional’ airport, BHX. I avoid road/rail trek to, and passage thru, LHR at all costs unless there is absolutely no alternative.

[Author]

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