Blackpool Airport May Close

[Garry Russell]

Sad to see another local regional on the point of failure

http://www.airportsinternational.com/20 ... ober/16072

[FlyTexas]

Very sad. You'd think they'd have plenty of business with all of the visitors coming to see their famous beach.

Brian

[Garry Russell]

Most visitors drive or go by coach....maybe even still go by train.

It's never been a very busy commecial airport with mainly Isle of Man connections and more ;latterly holday charters. Sadly not enough to keep a modern airport open

in the old days there was not the equipment level and security to pay for as now and I guess the bottom line is unattainable.

[Filonian]

Oh Dear


Graham

[DaveB]

Oh dear indeed. It has a long history and you kinda think that as it's made it this far.. it will go on forever. Can't remember now if Eagle or LAC used it as a maint base but it was one of the two and that's going back a few years. Sad if it does close but difficult to see where trade comes from these days.

ATB
DaveB

[Tomliner]

Very sad.I presume that it's earlier name was Squires Gate.Presumably the land is needed in order to accommodate the UK's burgeoning population! EricT

[Garry Russell]

Dave...don't know about those two but it was a maintenance base for BIA/Air UK. They painted some of the heralds there so it was a serious set up.

That goes back to the Silver City days when they had Manx division (Northern Division of Silver City) which became BUA Manx. Britstol Freighter 21 from Silver City operated with Manx logo and titles on the SCA livery.

They had a Dakota there for many years (G-AKNB) that did the IoM and was not seen anywhere else normally. It was the only Dakota to be painted in the later BUA sandstone and blue livery.

All the other had gone to Morton Air Services.

They did also have a Herald bsed there on rotation. It used to do the Jersey Blackpool on I think Saturdays and operate from the Blackpool for the week with the exisitng and the one that had been there all week would go to Jersey. Jersey Airlines has joined the BUA group but kept its own identity as Morton and Air Ferry did. However the Manx people objected the Jersey Herald on the route as they were holiday rivals and so BUCIA was born.

Later, BU(CI)A, BUA (Manx) and Morton were merged to form Brtitsh United Island Airways, Air Ferry was closed down. Air ferry was nothing to do with the BUAF car ferry operation, but a seperate company operating from Manston

The late Manx Airlines was a direct decendant as that was created two third BMA and one third Air UK who still owned the name. That was based in IoM but Blackpool was a major factor in the operations.

There was a military history attached to squires Gate, but that's something I wouldn't know about.

[DaveB]

A little more thought on this and not only was it LAC's maint base.. it was LAC's base! I knew there was a reason I'd left at least one of the VA Halifax's there

ATB
DaveB

[Garry Russell]

[Motormouse]

Bump! Word on the street is Blackpool to reopen 1st December, Blackpool Airfield Ltd recruiting airport staff for a non commercial ie no airlines.. type airfield.

Ttfn

Pete