Flyglobespan rules out Liverpool-New York flight comeback

Mar 25 2008

LIVERPOOL John Lennon airport’s axed transatlantic routes will not be brought back this summer.

Last year Scottish airline Flyglobespan said it would renew its New York and Toronto services in May.

They were scrapped last October due to operational problems.

But the Edinburgh-based business said soaring fuel costs and the poor reliability of leased aircraft meant they were unable to return to Liverpool.

Although they say they could re-establish services in more favourable economic conditions.

A Flyglobespan spokesman said: “Two key factors have driven this decision – the price of fuel and aircraft availability.

“With the price of airline fuel at a record high we have had to look long and hard at the economic viability of all our long- haul routes.

“Also, after unsatisfactory performances from third- party operators in our programme last season, we are flying only our own aircraft this year, and are concentrating these aircraft on the most popular routes.

“Unfortunately that means that we will not be resuming Liverpool’s transatlantic service this summer.

“But we hope that we could return in the future under more favourable economic conditions.”

Liverpool JLA spokesman Robin Tudor said: “We continue to talk to them to see if we could get them back, but it is March now and clearly this year isn’t going to be an option.

“We are still talking to them and hope they can come back next year.

“Reliability of aircraft was a massive factor but we think there is still potential for both routes to work.

“New York is the glamour route and interest was there for Toronto, and we feel they can do as well as any routes.”

Liverpool’s first daily link with New York was launched with a high-profile fanfare on May 25 last year by John Lennon’s widow Yoko Ono.

But within a month it was cut to four flights a week due to technical problems with leased aircraft that left hundreds of passengers stranded in New York for days.

Monthly passenger figures on the New York route slumped from 3,500 last June to 325 in October as customers deserted the troubled service.

Last week budget airline easyJet, which operates a key hub from Liverpool, warned its second half profit figures could be hit by an extra £45m in fuel costs.