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Bournemouth International Airport (IATA: BOH, ICAO: EGHH) (commonly known as Hurn Airport) is an airport about 5 miles (8km) north east of Bournemouth, England. The airport is officially in the town of Christchurch. The airport is mostly used by charter airlines and sometimes serves as a diversion alternative to London's major airports. Flights from the airport serve Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Holland, Italy, Poland, Spain, Turkey the United States as well as other countries. Passengers handled in 2006 rose by 16% to 960,000, placing the airport at 22nd in the UK.

Bournemouth International Airport has a CAA Public Use Aerodrome Licence (Number P736) that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction.

History

Bournemouth Airport was originally opened as RAF Hurn on 1st August 1941, during World War II. It was used for paratroop training and as a glider base before the North African Landings in 1943. Prior to D-Day, it was the base of 570 Squadron, who landed agents and dropped supplies to the French Resistance. The hardened runways of the airfield saw extensive use by United States Army Air Forces in the preparations for D-Day and the subsequent Battle of Normandy. It was also the home base of 84 Group 2TAF, nine squadrons of Typhoons, who flew daily to France supporting ground forces.

From November 1944 the airfield took over from Bristol's Whitchurch aerodrome^[1] as the main operating base for British Overseas Airways Corporation until Heathrow fully opened in 1948.^[2] It was the starting point of the first England-Australia service, which took three days in Avro Lancastrians (modified Lancaster bombers).

Vickers Armstrong took over some ex-BOAC hangars at Hurn in 1951 and started production of Varsities, then Viscounts and eventually, as the British Aircraft Corporation, the BAC One-Eleven.

Nearly all Vickers Viscounts & BAC 1-11s were built at this site. Some of the development of the ill-fated TSR-2 was also done here, (but assembly and testing was at Warton, Lancs); as well as the production of a number of parts for Concorde. The closure of the BAC site in the 1980s saw an end to Bournemouth's role as a significant player in the aircraft construction industry. The site of the BAC works now forms one of Dorset's largest industrial sites, including a base for Flight Refuelling Limited.

The local authority decided to redevelop the facility as a commercial airport and, by 1980, the airport became used by charter airlines, as European Aviation began services.

In 1993, the airport received its first flow of regular passengers, when European Aviation changed its name to European Aviation Air Charter (EAC), and Palmair also started operations.

In 2003 EAC acquired six Boeing 747-200's from British Airways, with the intention of operating long haul holidays from the airport. Due to financial difficulties, these aircraft were scrapped in 2005.

Bath Travel's Palmair remained the prime user of the airport

In 2005, Thomsonfly became the first major low cost airline to establish a hub at Bournemouth; allocating two 737-300 aircraft offering low-cost scheduled services to European destinations.

Also in 2005 Air Berlin and easyJet, along with the already established Ryanair, began services. The airport also has daily services to the Channel Islands, provided by the Jersey-based Blue Islands airline.

In 2006 Ryanair opened new routes from their bases in Madrid, Pisa and Shannon.

Manchester Airports Group, owners of the airport, are to invest £32 million in the redevelopment of the airport starting in 2007 which focusses mainly on creating new car parking spaces in two separate car parks and building a new 'International Arrivals' terminal with plans to screen off the current arrivals terminal with a three metre screen, with plans to ultimately phase out use of the building. On Thursday 21st June 2007, planning permission was unanimous granted to the scheme by Christchurch Council Planning Commitee, despite seveal public objections and protests.

In 2007 Wizz Air will introduce a route to Katowice, Poland and Thomsonfly will re-introduce its Valencia, Spain route. Ryanair also announced the introduction of Marseille and Nantes, however the airline also announced that it would be ceasing it's Shannon route. Ryanair now operate 8 routes from Bournemouth.

In 2008 Palmair will introduce charter flights to Tunisia and Fuerteventura.

Steve Fosset

Shortly after 17:00 on Saturday 11 February 2006, millionaire adventurer Steve Fosset made an emergency landing at Bournemouth International Airport, after completing the longest non-stop flight in history, having covered 26,389.3 miles in 76 hours and 45 minutes. Fosset had planned to end his flight 144 miles further away at Kent International Airport, but the failure of an electrical generator on board the Virgin Atlantic Global Flyer forced him to issue a Mayday call and land in limited visibility, bursting two tires as he touched down.

Scheduled airlines and destinations

Air Berlin (Paderborn)
Blue Islands (Alderney, Guernsey, Jersey)
easyJet (Geneva [Seasonal])
Ryanair (Dublin, Girona, Glasgow-Prestwick, Madrid, Marseille, Nantes, Pisa, Shannon[Terminating October 27th, 2007])
Thomsonfly (Alicante, Amsterdam, Faro, Málaga, Palma, Pisa [Seasonal], Salzburg [Seasonal], Tenerife Sur, Gran Canaria [Seasonal], Grenoble [Seasonal], Prague, Valencia [Seasonal])
Wizz Air (Katowice [Begins July 7, 2007])

The airport is capable of handling lightly loaded Boeing 747 aircraft; although smaller Boeing 737s and Airbus A320s are much more common.

Charter Destinations

Spain (Costa Blanca, Costa del Sol, Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza, Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Fuerteventura)
Italy (Tuscany, Lake Garda, Sorrento)
Greece (Corfu, Crete)
Cyprus (Paphos, Larnaca)
Turkey (Bodrum, Dalaman)
Austria (Austrian Tyrol)
Portugal (Algarve, Madeira)
Malta
Tunisia

Charter airlines

Industrial Park

The airport has a 200 acre industrial park, including offices and hangars. Companies at the airport include:-

FRAviation - Meggitt - Target Express - European Air Charter - VAI - Hobbycraft - Channel Express - HoneywellLester - ldridge - Cryovac - Corporation - Ocean Yachts - Basepoint

References

External links

[1] British Airline History - London Metropolitan University

[2] History of Bournemouth Airport - Airport Guides Network

[1]

[2]

@@ Line 52: / Line 52: @@
 In 2006 Ryanair opened new routes from their bases in [[Madrid]], [[Pisa]] and [[Shannon]].
-Manchester Airports Group, owners of the airport, are to invest £32 million in the redevelopment of the airport starting in 2007 creating new car parking spaces, expanding the apron, improving taxiways and redeveloping the terminal.
+Manchester Airports Group, owners of the airport, are to invest £32 million in the redevelopment of the airport starting in 2007 which focusses mainly on creating new car parking spaces in two separate car parks and building a new 'International Arrivals' terminal with plans to screen off the current arrivals terminal with a three metre screen, with plans to ultimately phase out use of the building. On Thursday 21st June 2007, planning permission was unanimous granted to the scheme by Christchurch Council Planning Commitee, despite seveal public objections and protests.
 In 2007 [[Wizz Air]] will introduce a route to [[Katowice]], [[Poland]] and Thomsonfly will re-introduce its [[Valencia, Spain]] route. Ryanair also announced the introduction of Marseille and Nantes, however the airline also announced that it would be ceasing it's Shannon route. Ryanair now operate 8 routes from Bournemouth.