Bournemouth Airport

Bournemouth Airport
File:Bournemouth Airport logo.png
IATA: BOH ICAO: EGHH
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner/Operator	Manchester Airports Group
Serves	Bournemouth
Location	160
Elevation AMSL	38 ft / 12 m
Coordinates	50°46′48″N 001°50′33″W
Website	www.bournemouthairport.com
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 08/26 2,271 7,451 Asphalt
Statistics (2007)
Movements 71,742 Passengers 1,086,900
Sources: UK AIP at NATS Statistics from the UK Civil Aviation Authority

For the World War II use of this facility, see RAF Hurn

Bournemouth Airport (IATA: BOH, ICAO: EGHH) (previously known as Hurn Airport and Bournemouth International Airport) is an airport located 3.5 NM (6.5 km; 4.0 mi) north northeast of Bournemouth, in southern England. Before low cost carriers Buzz and Ryanair began scheduled services, charter services were dominated primarily by locally based Palmair which made up the majority of commercial movements. Now, scheduled flights from the airport frequently serve Cyprus, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Tunisia and Turkey; charter and seasonal flights serve long-haul destinations such as Barbados, New York and the Dominican Republic. Passengers handled in 2007 rose by 13% to 1,083,379 which was the first time passenger numbers passed the 1 million mark.

On 25 November 2008, Bournemouth Airport was ranked best airport in the United Kingdom and 3rd best in the world, after Singapore Changi Airport and Hong Kong International Airport, by the Daily Telegraph Travel Awards.

Bournemouth Airport has a CAA Public Use Aerodrome Licence (number P736) that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction. As of February 2009, Ryanair and Thomson Airways remain the primary users of the airport.

Location

Bournemouth Airport is situated in the borough of Christchurch, Dorset, five miles north of Bournemouth, one mile west of the A338 and around 100 miles south west of London. The airport is accessible via the A31 from the M27 and M3 motorway to the east, and via the A35 to the west.

Every hour, seven days a week, the Bournemouth Airport Shuttle bus serves the airport, linking the town centre to the airport. Operational between 7am and 7pm, the shuttle also provides transportation for employees. The nearest other airports serving the area are Exeter International Airport and Southampton Airport.

History

1940s

Bournemouth Airport began as RAF Hurn on 1 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, RAF Second Tactical Air Force, comprising nine squadrons of Typhoons, who flew daily to France supporting ground forces.

From November 1944 the airfield took over from Bristol's Whitchurch aerodrome as the main operating base for British Overseas Airways Corporation until Heathrow fully opened in 1948. It was the starting point of the first England-Australia service, which took three days in Avro Lancastrians (modified Lancaster bombers). The airport served Accra, Cairo, Calcutta, Johannesburg, New York, Sydney and Washington D.C.

1950s

1958 saw the first Palmair flight from the airport, using a single 36 seat BEA viking aircraft destined for Palma de Mallorca. The service was one of the first charter flights in the United Kingdom.

Aircraft manufacture

Vickers-Armstrongs 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.

1960s

In 1969 the airport was purchased jointly by the Bournemouth Corporation and Dorset County Council and renamed as "Bournemouth Airport" (later to become Bournemouth International Airport). The new owners decided to redevelop the facility as a commercial airport and, by 1980, the airport became used by charter airlines, when European Aviation began services.

1990s - Present

In 1993, the airport received its first regular passengers, when European Aviation Air Charter, EAC, (formerly known as European Aviation) and Palmair started operations. In 1995, the airport was sold to National Express Group and then, in March 2001, was acquired by the Manchester Airports Group, now the largest UK-owned airport group.

In 1996, a new extension to the main runway was officially opened by the arrival of Concorde. Bath Travel chartered Concorde for supersonic champagne lunches across the Bay of Biscay. Ryanair also began services from Bournemouth to Dublin with one of its Boeing 737-200.

Since 2001, a Boeing 747SP has been based at the airport which is used by the Royal Family of Qatar and other VIP government staff from the Middle East. The aircraft is often stored in the former BASCO building (Hangar 12) and is a regular visitor to Zürich Airport and London Heathrow Airport.

In 2003, EAC acquired six Boeing 747-200s 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, with a 737-200 permanently based there. In 2005 Thomsonfly became the first major low cost airline to establish a hub at Bournemouth; allocating two Boeing 737-300 aircraft for low-cost scheduled services to Europe and in 2008 to the Caribbean. Also in 2005, Air Berlin and easyJet, along with the already established Ryanair, began services. Newly established airlines Air Berlin and easyJet announced routes to Paderborn and Geneva respectively. Air Berlin have now ceased operations at the airport. The airport also has daily services to the Channel Islands, provided by the Jersey-based Blue Islands airline.

In 2007, Ryanair announced the introduction of services to Marseille, Alicante, and Milan which brought the total to 8. In December, easyJet announced a new seasonal route to Grenoble, bringing the number of routes to 2. In 2008, Palmair introduced a new series of charter flights to Tunisia, Fuerteventura, Sorrento & the Amalfi Coast and Rhodes. Olympic Holidays also launched new charter flights to Corfu and Zakynthos in Greece and Larnaca in Cyprus. On 9 January 2008, Ryanair announced that they would base one of their Boeing 737-800s at Bournemouth from April 2008. This would see the number of routes increase to 12 (with the introduction of routes to Málaga, Murcia, Palma de Mallorca, Wroclaw, the re-introduction of the Nantes route and a second daily flight to Glasgow Prestwick). In February 2008 Ryanair announced it would start two daily flights to Edinburgh and in May announced flights to Milan and Paris starting in October, plus a new weekly ski flight to Turin for the winter season, resulting in 15 destinations with the airline.

Expansion

In 2007, the airport's owners, Manchester Airports Group, announced a £32 million investment in the redevelopment of the airport which mainly focuses on creating new car parking spaces in two separate car parks and building a new International Arrivals terminal. Part of these plans include screening off the current arrivals terminal with a three metre screen, with plans to ultimately phase out use of the building. On 21 June 2007, planning permission was granted to the scheme by Christchurch Council Planning Committee, despite public objections and protests. This was conditional, however, on a maximum of three million air passengers per annum, and required contributions to road systems, bus routes, and to use quieter aircraft.

With the budget increased to £45 million in July 2008, the upgrade will replace the arrivals terminal and upgrade the check-in and departure lounge areas. The number of aircraft stands will rise from 4 to 13. Christchurch Council and central government backed plans for the re-building of the airport terminal, increasing its size by 62%; work started in August 2007.

The development re-started in August 2008, a new Instrument Landing System, to CAT III standard, and increased aerodrome ground lighting will be installed before Christmas 2008. Concurrent with this is the expansion of the apron and once completed, work then begins on the terminal itself where the check-in areas, security control and departure lounges will be upgraded. Improvements to the infrastructure around the airport include more frequent bus services to Bournemouth Interchange as well as traffic lights at the entrance to the airport. Hurn village roundabout will also be revised. The first major upgrade to the airport is expected to be completed by Summer 2010.

Steve Fossett

Shortly after 17:00 on Saturday 11 February 2006, millionaire adventurer Steve Fossett 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. Fossett 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 tyres as he touched down.

Airlines and destinations

Scheduled services

Airlines	Destinations
Blue Islands	Alderney, Guernsey, Jersey
easyJet	Geneva [seasonal]
Ryanair	Alicante, Dublin, Edinburgh, Faro [begins 31 March], Girona, Glasgow-Prestwick, Limoges [begins 2 April], Malaga, Marseille, Milan-Bergamo, Murcia, Nantes, Palma de Mallorca, Paris-Beauvais, Pisa, Reus [begins 31 March], Turin [seasonal], Wroclaw
Thomson Airways	Arrecife, Dalaman [seasonal], Faro, Grenoble [seasonal], Heraklion [seasonal], Ibiza [seasonal], La Romana [seasonal], Las Palmas [seasonal], Madeira, Málaga, Palma de Mallorca, Paphos [seasonal], Reus [seasonal], Rhodes [seasonal], Salzburg [seasonal], Tenerife-South [seasonal], Turin [seasonal]

Charter services

Airlines	Destinations
Air Malta	Valleta [seasonal]
Austrian Airlines	Innsbruck [seasonal]
Eurocypria	Heraklion, Larnaca [seasonal]
Monarch Airlines	Calgary, New York-JFK [seasonal]
Onur Air	Bodrum, Dalaman [seasonal]
Palmair	Alicante [seasonal], Arrecife, Brescia [seasonal], Corfu [seasonal], Enontekio [seasonal] Faro, Fuerteventura [seasonal], Funchal, Mahon [seasonal], Malta, Monastir [seasonal], Naples [seasonal], Palma de Mallorca [seasonal], Rhodes [seasonal], Tenerife-South
Thomson Airways	Acapulco, Bridgetown, Rovaniemi [seasonal]
Titan Airways	Barcelona, Venice

Cargo services

Airlines	Destinations
Atlantic Airlines	Guernsey, Jersey
Aurigny Air Services	Edinburgh [seasonal]
Titan Airways	East Midlands

Charter operators

• Argo Holidays
• Bath Travel
• Crystal Holidays
• Eclipse Direct
• First Choice
• Libra Holidays
• NewMarket Air Holidays
• Olympic Holidays
• Thomas Cook
• Thomson

Industrial park

The airport has a 200-acre (0.81 km²) industrial park, including offices and hangars. Companies at the airport include:-

Airtime Aviation - AOG Sameday - AOG Tank Devils - AV8Jet.com - Basepoint - B & H Worldwide - CEGA Aviation Services - Channel Express - Cryovac - CSE Citation Centre - De Havilland Aviation - European Aviation Air Charter - Flight Refuelling Ltd - Hobbycraft - HoneywellLester - Idridge - Jetworks Ltd - Meggitt - Ocean Yachts - Pilatus Centre UK - Siemens VAI - Signature Flight Support - Target Express - Triton Motor Services

External links

• Official website
• Photos of Bournemouth Airport