Worcester

There are some A380s up for a cheap wet lease

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/ne...-nobody-wants/

vectismanpaul

The BA brand at Gatwick is strong particularly the Holidays division. I expect BA will use a lot of the slots. BA have a few airbus deliveries next year. Easy enough to keep older ones longer than expected. Don't forget there are also 30 or so ex monarch aircraft seeking new homes. Perhaps a couple more 777s too. Level have two aircraft at the moment with another 3 due but also proposed new bases in mainland Europe. Other airlines in the group may use some of them. However for the time being I think BA at Gatwick will use most of them.

T8191

Leasing a few airframes (he said glibly) creates opportunities. ... Options might also include launching new routes earlier than previously intended, and/or increasing frequency on some that have ben cut back.

I suspect there are some very complex planning charts in use at Waterside.

FlyerTalker688786

Well, technically, Qatar, BA and Vueling could come together and make a company called Vueling UK overnight. Then Qatar can make a holding company with the aim of supplying pilots on lease contract to that company (similar to what Norwegian is doing), then lease few spare A320 to that company in a very favourable terms. Thus with Qatar technically supply aircraft and Pilots, BA/Vueling provides brand, aircraft service, management and cabin crew, IAG could set up flying in a very short period of time.

pauldb

That's not quite the ruling. There is no dispute that an airline in administration can sell its slots (or rather exchange them, though the EU did consider rule changes that would have prevented sales dressed-up as nonsense exchanges).

The ruling is here: https://www.judiciary.gov.uk/wp-cont...t-20171122.pdf

In summary, Monarch went into administration and ceased operations on 2 October, and the CAA then initally suspended its licence. ACL handed out slots for S18 on 26 October and deemed Monarch to no longer be an air carrier, so it dismissed Monarch grandfathered rights. The first court ruling agreed with ACL's position, but the Court of Appeal listened to a long argument about the definition of "air carrier" and decided that despite being presently unable to operate, Monarch remained an air carrier and was therefore wrongly denied its S18 slots. IAG can now apply for some dummy slots and make an incentivised swap with Monarch.

[We talk about slot leases, but it does seem clear that the owner of a slot must operate it in order to retain the grandfathered rights. However, with some imagination, IAG could no doubt exchange/sell the slots to a temporary slot-sitter with a buy-back provision for S19.]

I'm less clear what happens about Monarch's winter slots. Somebody is going to have to operate them for 80% of W17 in order to grandfather them for W18. If that doesn't happen then IAG would only be able to plan a summer expansion.

Kestrel86

Really hope the economics have changed enough to make the reintroduction of MAN viable from LGW with some of these slots.

LupineChemist

I can't see Level starting at LGW until there is a bit more clarity on Brexit. Unless only has a placeholder for some eventual move of 777s from LHR for more long haul operations.

I just can't imagine they want a brand operating under a whole mess of AOCs like that and it seems obvious that getting an eventual EU AOC is more valuable. There honestly has to be a fair amount of progress on the aviation front within the next few months or airlines won't be able to load their schedules properly and things will start looking very real, very fast. In the end, I just don't see a realistic alternative apart from UK staying in ECAA which would make it fine to operate under the EU AOC, but that's far from certain.

Tiger_lily

What’s happened to the Monarch airframes? BA could surely get their hands on a few of these if they need to start up routes?

Not sure if the respective flight deck crews are still around to crew them though. You’d hope that they would have been snapped up by now.

James Halliwell

This also crossed my mind. Didn't Monarch have 25 odd pretty much brand new A321s all fitted with IAE engines, exact same as BAs all needing new homes? And didn't BA want more A321s to deal with the slot problems at LHR? Surely a quick fix would be to take on these frames so they could send more A319/A320 down to LGW to use the slots effectively/quickly?


James

corporate-wage-slave

Welcome to Flyertalk and welcome to the BA forum James Halliwell, it's good to see you here and I hope that you continue to participate in this forum. Welcome on board.

I don't actually know, but I have a feeling that towards the end of Monarch's life as a company almost all its frames were leased, and I presume they are now back with their underlying owners. Who may indeed be looking for new operators, and BA may well be looking at these and other options.

James Halliwell

Thank you. I have actually been nosing around here for a while but felt like a bit of input was required... ish.


Yes they were all leased, but makes sense to me!

Kestrel86

A lot of Monarch crews went to Virgin. The market is buoyant and I think a lot will have been snapped up by now.

Sparky_

4 of them sitting at Newquay

cornishsimon

not sure when that was taken but my last visit through NQY had 3 remaining. One couldnof been inside the Apple hangar I suppose.

My take on this would be IAG snaps up 2 nd hand A321/320/388s. The 320/321 gonto gatters with uk domestic and short haul euro having a temporary increase to use the slots short term.

Some 2nd hand 388s go to LHR to displace mothership based 772s to crawley international for new long haul.


cs

McG

319s that are due to be disposed of next year as the A320 NEOs are delivered could potentially be redeployed to LGW - assuming if they are leased that leases can be renegotiated.