Friday, January 23, 2009

Illness Forces Manston Boss To Step Down

Lloyd Morrison, the founder and chief executive of Infratil, the Kiwi company that owns Chas 'n' Dave International Airport, has taken a period of medical leave following a diagnosis of leukaemia. The move was announced in Infratil's latest update to shareholders.

The update also reveals that C'n'DIA handled 2,554 tonnes of freight in December – down 37% on the same month in 2007. The company adds:

Cargolux tonnage substantially increased against the prior year and EgyptAir performance was also up. However, this was offset by MK Airlines which was down by more than 50% against December 2007.

At 15,289 tonnes, the year-to-date freight performance is 28% down on the same period in 2007.


I'll leave it to the SMEGheads out there to comment on what that might mean for the 10,000 jobs promised back in the late 90s!

24 comments:

Head, SMEG said...

To everyone who loves to use Manston once a year to fly to Malta or Aberdeen, please note the lack of detail around passengers in December. This is probably because there wasn't any.

Support expansion of this airport and you will get freight and nothing else.

Cue the Pete and Don airport appreciation society telling us how much they love nothing more than a 747 at 500ft at 3am.

Peter C said...

If the few passenger flights are supported then more will come later...hopefully! : )

Head, SMEG said...

I thank you

Anonymous said...

Of more worry to the kerosene-heads shnould be the fact that b*gg*r all has been announced for next Summer. Airports announce their Summer schedules in the Winter so that they can get advance bookings. They don't roll out a new service the week before they start it because they wouldn't fill the plane. If you haven't heard anything about new routes for Manston in 2009, it's because there aren't any. So, that's another year of massive losses on the airport for Infratil. How much longer will they swallow these losses? My recollection was that they originally planned to be in profit after three years. Three years later and they don't look as if they're any nearer to that goal.

Anonymous said...

Presumably SMEG never goes abroad, never drives a car and only usese locally grown food, uses no electricity or gas, never farts, and never breathes. oops, sorry, they are perfect. so perfect they can tell us plebs how to live our lives. Oh of course they are luddits. So we will ignore the silly little toe rags

Head, SMEG said...

In fairness, they have announced 8 charter flights and 20 jersey flights, 28 returns, 56 flights in total.

They did indeed, when purchasing the airport, say 3 years until profit. But who knew what would happen today back in 2005?

No excuse for Oct of last year though, when they predicted 500,000 passengers by 2010.

Someone had been at the duty free methinks......

Peter C said...

Apparantly SMEG thinks that people should use their individual cars to drive to Aberdeen instead of all getting on one plane. Hardly "green"...

Anonymous said...

Actually Peter if you had four people in the car, and it was a relatively modest diesel, you would be far more green than anything you could fly in. And it would only cost you about £20 each.

Or if you really are worried about your green credentials go by train.

I suspect you are more concerned with convenience than the environment however.

Peter C said...

Damn right I'm more concerned with convenience (as well as the price, & as well as the fact I don't drive), but I'M not the one harping on about how we shouldn't support Manston because of the environement.

I'd consider the train if it was cheaper, but even if I get a train to Luton & fly from there, it's still about half the fare (& half the time).

How much of modern technology should we abandon to be "green"? I was going to suggest we use horse & carts, but the SMEG-heads would probably campaign about the noise of the hoofs...

Don Wood said...

Just a brief note to wish Lloyd Morrison all the best and hope he soon recovers enough to ensure Manston endures this period of econonic downturn.

Anonymous said...

Fortunately Don, given modern medical advances, he'll probably be around a lot longer than Manston.

Head, SMEG said...

5pm, drive a car, fly etc. I do buy locally grown salads etc as I think flying a lettuce from Spain is ridiculous. The main reason for opposing the airport is it's too close to ramsgate.
We don't oppose innovation and invention, but what is futuristic about an airstrip put in the wrong place for the 21st century in 1918?

Why do we get regular 747 freight flights from northern Europe? Something is seriously wrong if it's cheaper to fly anything from that close rather than take a lorry and boat.

Peter- if 100 other people from Thanet wanted to go to Aberdeen on a regular basis, there would be a flight. There ain't, so there isn't.

Head, SMEG said...

And peter, just learn to drive. You'll save yourself a fortune in time and money.

Peter C said...

How would driving save me money when I can cycle or walk around Thanet? Try it yourself, you may feel much better & no longer feel the need to keep whining on about nothing.

Anonymous said...

I love it. Peter Checksfield is trying to make out that he's environmentally aware, yet he's promoting the idea of expanding an airport. Truly, we do live on planet Thanet. Sorry Pete, but airports and air-travel are both bad for the environment. The less we have the better. If you can't give up your cheap flights to the Spanish equivalent of Margate, you are part of the problem, not the solution.

Peter C said...

I'm not trying to make out I'm environmentally aware at all. I don't drive simply because I don't want to, not because I'm trying to be "green".

I also happen to enjoy walking & cycling.

Peter C said...

P.S. I haven't been to Spain since 1976!

Anonymous said...

So where do you fly to from Luton?

Peter C said...

Aberdeen.

I've only made 4 return journeys ANYWHERE by flight in my 46 years, so I'm not exactly a frequent flyer, though I probably would fly more often if the airport a couple of miles from me offered budget flights to places I want to go...

Anonymous said...

So you're happy as long as it's not in your back yard.

Peter C said...

If that last comment was addressed to me, I'd be perfectly happy living under the flight path.

Anonymous said...

I'll do you a house swap then!

Head, SMEG said...

Peter would happily live under the flightpath but he has no idea what Ramsgate is actually like when a plane goes overhead.

Peter C said...

I'll gladly swap my attic flat in Westbrook for something similarly priced & with a similar panoramic view in Ramsgate (I've been considering moving to Ramsgate for quite a while now):

peterchecksfield@gmail.com

...And Mr Smeg, I do visit Ramsgate occasionally & I'm more than aware what it's like when a plane flys over.