Bournemouth Airport
Bournemouth Airport | |||||||||||
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| File:Bournemouth Airport logo.gif | |||||||||||
| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
| Owner/Operator | Manchester Airports Group | ||||||||||
| Serves | Bournemouth | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 38 ft / 12 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 50°46′48″N 01°50′33″W / 50.78000°N 1.84250°W | ||||||||||
| Website | www.bournemouthairport.com | ||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
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- For the World War II use of this facility, see RAF Hurn
Bournemouth Airport (IATA: BOH, ICAO: EGHH) (previously known as Hurn Airport) is an airport about 5 miles (8km) north east of Bournemouth, England. The airport is in the borough of Christchurch. Until recently charter services made up the bulk of the airport's commercial airliner movements, however scheduled services now dominate. Flights from the airport serve Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Tunisia, Turkey as well as other countries. Passengers handled in 2007 rose by 13% to 1,083,379 which was the first time passenger numbers passed the million mark (source CAA stats). Bournemouth Airport has a CAA Public Use Aerodrome Licence (Number P736) that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction.
History
1940s
Bournemouth Airport began 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, 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[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).
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.
Bournemouth Airport
In 1969 the airport was purchased jointly by the Bournemouth Corporation and Dorset County Council[2] 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.
In 1993, the airport received its first flow of 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 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.
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, airberlin and easyJet, along with the already established Ryanair, began services; airberlin services have since, ceased. The airport also has daily services to the Channel Islands, provided by the Jersey-based Blue Islands airline. During the latter part of 2005, a Boeing 747SP was based at the airport for occasional VIP flights from the Middle East, sometimes via Zurich. The aircraft is one of 15 still in operation, of which carries the Qatar flag.
In 2007 Wizz Air introduced a route to Katowice, Poland. Ryanair also announced the introduction of services to Marseille in France; Alicante in Spain and Milan in Italy. In the summer of 2007 Ryanair operated eight routes from Bournemouth. EasyJet announced the introduction of an annual route to Krakow, Poland and a seasonal service to Grenoble, France; bringing the number of easyJet routes to three. On 20 September 2007 Wizz Air announced their second route to Gdansk which commenced in March 2008.
In 2008 Palmair will introduce a new series of charter flights to Tunisia, Fuerteventura, Sorrento & the Amalfi Coast and Rhodes. Olympic Holidays will also launch 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, Wrocław, 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 to Milan and Paris, resulting in 14 destinations with the airline.
Future 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 unanimously granted to the scheme by Christchurch Council Planning Committee, despite several 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 current arrivals terminal and upgrade the check-in and departure lounge areas. The number of aircraft stands is also set to rise from 4 to 6. 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 next phase of development is set to start in August 2008, which includes upgrades to the Apron and runway and taxiway lighting. Once completed, work then immediately 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 and from Bournemouth Interchange as well as a new set of traffic lights at the entrance to the airport. Hurn village roundabout is also set to be revised. Upgrades to the airport are expected to be completed by Spring 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
- Blue Islands (Alderney, Guernsey, Jersey)
- easyJet (Geneva[seasonal], Grenoble [seasonal])
- Ryanair (Alicante, Dublin, Edinburgh [begins 23 September], Girona, Glasgow-Prestwick, Malaga, Marseille [seasonal], Milan-Orio Al Serio [begins 28 October], Murcia, Nantes [seasonal], Palma de Mallorca [seasonal], Paris-Beauvais [begins 28 October], Pisa [seasonal], Wrocław)
- Thomsonfly (Dalaman [seasonal], Dominican Republic-La Romana [begins 15th November, seasonal], Faro, Fuerteventura [seasonal], Grenoble [seasonal], Heraklion [seasonal], Ibiza [seasonal], Las Palmas [seasonal], Madeira, Málaga, Naples [seasonal], Palma de Mallorca, Paphos [seasonal], Reus [seasonal], Rhodes [seasonal], Salzburg [seasonal], Tenerife-South [seasonal])
- Wizz Air (Katowice)
Charter Services
- Austrian Airlines (Innsbruck)
- Eurocypria (Heraklion, Larnaca)
- First Choice (Bodrum, Dalaman, Faro, Malaga, Palma, Paphos)
- Olympic Holidays (Corfu, Heraklion, Larnaca, Zakynthos)
- Onur Air (Bodrum, Dalaman)
- Palmair (Alicante, Arrecife, Bilbao, Brescia, Corfu, Faro, Fuerteventura, Funchal, Isle of Man, Keflavik, Kiev, Mahon, Malta, Monastir, Naples, Palma, Prague, Rhodes, Tenerife-South, Venice, Verona Brescia)
- Thomas Cook Holidays (Heraklion, Larnaca, Palma, Tenerife-South)
Charter Operators
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