East Midlands Airport
East Midlands Airport | |||||||||||
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| File:East Midlands Airport logo.png | |||||||||||
 The runway at East Midlands Airport | |||||||||||
| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
| Owner/Operator | Manchester Airports Group | ||||||||||
| Serves | East Midlands | ||||||||||
| Location | Castle Donington, Leicestershire | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 306 ft / 93 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 52°49′52″N 001°19′41″W / 52.83111°N 1.32806°W | ||||||||||
| Website | www.eastmidlandsairport.com | ||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
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| Statistics (2009) | |||||||||||
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East Midlands Airport (IATA: EMA, ICAO: EGNX) is an airport in the East Midlands of England, located at Castle Donington in North West Leicestershire. It lies between the cities of Derby (8 miles (13 km) southeast[1]), Leicester and Nottingham, all within a 20-mile (30 km) radius of the airfield. It serves primarily as an airport for the local inhabitants of the counties of Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Staffordshire and South Yorkshire. Passenger numbers peaked in 2008 at 5.6 million, but declined by 17.1% to 4.7 million in 2009 making it the 11th busiest airport in the UK by passenger traffic.[2]
The airport is owned by the Manchester Airports Group (MAG) which is controlled by the ten metropolitan boroughs of Greater Manchester and is the largest UK-owned airport group.
EMA has a CAA Public Use Aerodrome Licence (Number P520) that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction. EMA is the second largest cargo airport in the UK.
History
 |
The airport was originally a Royal Air Force station, RAF Castle Donington, which was decommissioned in 1946. The site was purchased by a consortium of local government authorities in 1964, when a major programme of building work and runway investment was begun. The airfield was renamed East Midlands Airport to reflect the area it served, and it opened for passengers in April 1965.
Effectively, EMA replaced the smaller pre-war grass airfield at Derby Burnaston, and the base's light aircraft later moved to a new site at Derby Egginton Airfield near Hilton. The original Derby Airport site at Burnaston has since been redeveloped into a Toyota car factory.
Derby Airways, which was in the process of being renamed British Midland Airways, moved its operations to the new airport and established its headquarters in nearby Donington Hall in Castle Donington, creating a network of domestic and international scheduled and charter flights at East Midlands. The airfield was established with basic requirements of a 5850 ft runway, a 60 ft taxiway, a new hangar floor and aprons and parking for 850 cars. Financially, it was not an instant success. However the picture quickly changed with the increased volume of cargo traffic, soon demanding further development. In 1970, an agreement was reached on creating a new freight complex and both the runway and the terminal were extended.
Expansion was swift, with a further runway extension to 2283m and terminal upgrade in the late 1970s. During 1985, one million passengers utilized the airport for the first time, calling for yet another terminal extension. Following government legislation, the airport became a public limited company in 1987, distancing it from all-out control of the local authorities.
With growing passenger and cargo traffic, further expansion was proposed for East Midlands in 1992. However, despite the enthusiasm of the local authorities who owned the airport, the funds necessary were not raised, so in 1993 East Midlands became the first major regional airport in the UK to be privatised. National Express Group successfully purchased the airfield for £24.3m and began their investment into the airport facilities. A £20m, 610m extension to the runway was added to allow EMA to handle long haul flights, and a new air traffic control tower was constructed, the second tallest in the UK at the time. National Express investment would eventually total over £77m over an eight year period.
DHL Aviation opened a new £35m cargo facility on site in 2000, and in the same year a business park was constructed next to the airport. However, National Express Group announced its intention to concentrate on bus and rail provision, and sold East Midlands Airport, together with Bournemouth Airport and Humberside Airport, in March 2001 to Manchester Airports Group for £241m.
The arrival of low fares no frills carriers in 2002 resulted in a sharp jump in passenger numbers, rising 36% in that year to 3.23 million. Go Fly established a hub at East Midlands, and the operation has been strengthened since the airline's absorption by easyJet. The majority of bmi operations were ceded to a new low cost subsidiary, bmibaby, in 2002.
The DEMAND Campaign was formed in 2004 to campaign against night flights at the airport and against increasing levels of noise generally.[3]
By 2006, annual passengers had reached 4.72 million, twelfth highest in the UK. The five-million mark was passed during April 2007 (per official statistics issued by the United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority).
In September 2006 Plane Stupid blocked a taxiway at the airport for four hours, their spokesman Leo Murray said "The people of the past didn't know what the problem was. For the people of the future it's going to be too late. People in developing countries are powerless to do anything about it. If we don't do this, it's not going to get done."[4]
Following increasing overcrowding of the terminal building the facilities have been extended and remodelled. The arrivals hall has been extended and a new transport interchange has been created and a new pier built to reduce 'across tarmac' walking to aircraft. A major extension is being created airside[citation needed].
Identity
In a controversial move in 2004, East Midlands Airport was rebranded Nottingham East Midlands Airport, despite lying in Leicestershire, being in the Derby postal area and the nearest city being Derby. Furthermore, there was already a Nottingham Airport, which is closer to Nottingham, even though it was a small airfield catering to general aviation.
The reasoning behind the name change was that many people from outside the UK and unfamiliar with the country's geography could not identify with the term 'East Midlands' and understandably did not know exactly where in the UK it was. The argument for adding 'Nottingham' to the name was that the city had greater international recognition through its size and historical connections. This assertion was disputed in the BBC's local news programme East Midlands Today which travelled to Amsterdam. Whilst there the BBC reporters asked the Amsterdam residents to identify the location of Nottingham on a map of the UK. The vast majority failed; however, many more Dutch locals had heard of "Nottingham" than "the East Midlands".
A BBC report on 18 October 2006 suggested that the airport may change its name once again[5] and the change, to East Midlands Airport: Nottingham, Leicester, Derby came into effect on 8 December 2006.[6]
Transportation
The airport has excellent connections to the motorway network due to its proximity to the M1 and M42, bringing the airfield within easy reach of the major population centres of the Midlands.
The closest railway station is East Midlands Parkway, which is 4 miles (6.4 km) away. The initial shuttle bus service linking the station and the airport has ceased but it is possible to take a taxi at a reduced fare providing the booking is made at least 12 hours in advance.[7]
Skylink branded bus services operate to and from Leicester, Nottingham, Derby, Loughborough and Coalville.[8] Nottingham, Derby and Loughborough buses pickup at the rail stations serving the areas (but not at East Midlands Parkway).
Airlines at the airport
East Midlands Airport has established itself as a hub for low fare airlines, Bmibaby and Ryanair, and serves a range of domestic and European short haul destinations, EasyJet announced in September 2009 that it would withdraw flights from the airport on 5 January 2010.[9]. As a result of this redeployment, bmibaby announced plans to expand their operation by 40% by basing 3 more aircraft at the airport by summer 2010.
A major development towards the long haul programme came in 2005 with the introduction of holiday flights to the Dominican Republic, Orlando, and Cancún by First Choice Airways. The Indian resort of Goa has subsequently been added.
On Friday, 28 August low fares airline Jet2.com announced a move into the airport commencing with 7 routes across Europe from May 2010 and 2 new winter routes from 20 December 2010.
The airport is a major base for Thomson Airways and Thomas Cook which offer flights to Greece, Spain, Egypt, Bulgaria, and longhaul flights to Orlando, Florida and Cancún.
The airport is also the maintenance base of BMI.
Other charter airlines operating in the summer are Viking Airlines, Koral Blue Airlines, Monarch, Saga Airlines, Air Europa, Onur Air and many more.
Airlines and destinations
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Air Europa | Tenerife-South [seasonal] |
| Aurigny Air Services | Guernsey |
| Austrian Airlines operated by Tyrolean Airways | Innsbruck [seasonal] |
| BH Air | Sofia [begins 19 December] |
| BMI operated by BMI Regional | Brussels |
| Bmibaby | Alghero [seasonal], Alicante, Almería [seasonal], Amsterdam, Barcelona [seasonal], Belfast-International, Cologne/Bonn [begins 31 October], Dubrovnik [seasonal], Edinburgh, Faro, Geneva, Glasgow-International, Jersey, Málaga, Malta, Minorca [seasonal], Munich, Newquay [seasonal], Nice [seasonal], Palma de Mallorca, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Prague, Venice-Marco Polo |
| Eastern Airways | Aberdeen |
| Eurocypria Airlines | Larnaca [seasonal] |
| Flybe | Belfast-City |
| Freebird Airlines | Dalaman [seasonal] |
| Hamburg International | Banjul |
| Jet2.com | Alicante [begins 12 May], Bodrum [begins 23 June], Chambery [begins 20 December; seasonal], Corfu [seasonal], Dalaman [seasonal], Faro [begins 12 May], Geneva [begins 20 December; seasonal], Heraklion [seasonal], Lanzarote [seasonal], Palma de Mallorca [begins 8 May], Paphos, Rhodes [begins 18 May], Sharm el-Sheikh [seasonal], Tenerife-South |
| Koral Blue Airlines | Sharm el Sheikh |
| Onur Air | Bodrum, Dalaman |
| Ryanair | Alicante, Belfast-City, Bergamo-Orio al Serio [seasonal], Bergerac [seasonal], Berlin-Schönefeld, Budapest [ends 28 October], Carcassonne [seasonal], Dinard, Dublin, Faro, Fuerteventura, Girona, Gran Canaria, Ibiza [seasonal], Knock, Kraków [seasonal], Lanzarote, Limoges, Lódz, Malaga, Marrakech, Murcia [seasonal], Nantes, Palma de Mallorca [seasonal], Pisa [seasonal], Reus [seasonal], Riga, Rimini [seasonal], Rome-Ciampino [seasonal], Rzeszów [ends 29 October], Tenerife-South, Treviso, Valencia [seasonal], Wroclaw |
| Saga Airlines | Dalaman [seasonal] |
| Travel Service (Czech Republic) | Corfu [seasonal], Fuerteventura [seasonal], Ibiza [seasonal], Lanzarote [seasonal], Las Palmas De Gran Canaria [seasonal], Palma de Mallorca [seasonal], Rhodes [seasonal], Tenerife-South [seasonal] |
| Thomas Cook Airlines | Alicante [seasonal], Antalya [seasonal], Bodrum [seasonal], Bourgas [2011], Corfu [seasonal], Dalaman [seasonal], Faro [seasonal], Fuerteventura, Funchal [begins 1 November], Las Palmas De Gran Canaria, Heraklion [seasonal], Hurghada, Ibiza [seasonal], Izmir [begins 4 May 2011], Kos [seasonal], Lanzarote, Larnaca [seasonal], Malta [seasonal], Minorca [seasonal], Monastir, Palma de Mallorca [seasonal], Paphos, Reus [seasonal], Rhodes [seasonal], Rovaniemi [seasonal], Sharm el-Sheikh, Skiathos [seasonal], Tenerife-South, Zakynthos [seasonal] |
| Thomson Airways | Acapulco [seasonal], Alicante, Antalya [seasonal], Bodrum [seasonal], Barbados [seasonal], Burgas [seasonal], Cancún [seasonal], Corfu [seasonal], Dalaman [seasonal], Faro [seasonal], Fuerteventura, Funchal [begins 1 November], Las Palmas De Gran Canaria, Heraklion [seasonal], Ibiza [seasonal], Lanzarote, Larnaca [seasonal], Málaga, Minorca [seasonal], Monastir [seasonal], Naples [seasonal], Orlando-Sanford [seasonal], Palma de Mallorca, Paphos [seasonal], Puerto Plata [begins 10 May 2011][10], Punta Cana [begins 3 May 2011][11], Reus [seasonal], Rhodes [seasonal], Tenerife-South, Thessaloniki [seasonal], Sharm el-Sheikh, Skiathos [seasonal], Zakynthos [seasonal] |
| Viking Airlines | Heraklion, Kos, Rhodes, Sharm el-Sheikh, Tenerife-South , Zakynthos [all seasonal] |
Cargo
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Aerologic | Leipzig/Halle, Frankfurt, Bahrain |
| DHL Air UK | Belfast-International, Brussels, Dublin, Edinburgh, Frankfurt, Leipzig/Halle, London-Heathrow, Madrid-Barajas, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Rome-Fiumicino, Shannon |
| DHL Air UK operated by Atlantic Airlines | Aberdeen, Brussels, Cork, Isle of Man, Jersey |
| DHL Air UK operated by Swiftair | Madrid-Barajas, Vitoria |
| Europe Airpost (Royal Mail) | Edinburgh |
| Loganair (Royal Mail) | Aberdeen |
| Icelandair Cargo | Keflavík, Liege |
| Jet2.com (Royal Mail) | Belfast-International, Edinburgh, Exeter, Newcastle upon Tyne |
| DHL Air UK | New York-JFK, Cincinnati |
| Titan Airways (Royal Mail) | Bournemouth |
| TNT Airways | Belfast-International, Liège |
| UPS Airlines | Philadelphia |
| UPS Airlines operated by Star Air (Maersk Air) | Cologne/Bonn, Belfast, Edinburgh |
Busiest routes
| Rank | Airport | Passengers handled | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Málaga Airport |
307,773 |  15
|
| 2 | Alicante Airport |
268,880 |  14
|
| 3 | Palma de Mallorca Airport |
258,995 | 10
|
| 4 |  Dublin Airport |
215,755 | 22
|
| 5 |  Faro Airport |
183,145 | 11
|
| 6 | .svg){kind=small} Belfast City Airport |
162,271 | 26
|
| 7 | Tenerife South Airport |
138,195 | 18
|
| 8 | Edinburgh Airport |
130,205 | 20
|
| 9 | Glasgow International Airport |
115,002 | 23
|
| 10 |  Geneva Airport |
109,028 | 8
|
| 11 | Murcia San Javier Airport |
107,519 | 8
|
| 12 |  Amsterdam Airport |
104,411 | 18
|
| 13 |  Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport |
102,401 | 15
|
| 14 | Barcelona Airport |
96,096 | 16
|
| 15 | Belfast International Airport |
94,151 | 22
|
| 16 | Girona Airport |
93,178 | 17
|
| 17 |  Venice Marco Polo Airport |
87,827 | 1
|
| 18 |  Prague Airport |
86,967 | 34
|
| 19 |  Berlin Schönefeld Airport |
80,408 | 17
|
| 20 | Ibiza Airport |
78,900 | 25
|
Air cargo
East Midlands Airport is the second largest cargo airport in the United Kingdom after London Heathrow. In 2009 Heathrow handled 1.35 million tonnes of freight and mail and EMA handled 286,628 tonnes. In terms of cargo transported in dedicated aircraft, EMA with 286,572 tons was ahead of Heathrow, but over 1.2 million tons of freight are carried in passenger aircraft holds to/from Heathrow (per official statistics issued by the United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority). DHL Aviation have a large purpose built facility at EMA, and courier companies United Parcel Service (UPS) and TNT also use the airport as a base. Aerologic is also a regular visitor to East Midlands flying for DHL with 777-200 Freighters, and the airport is a primary UK air hub for Royal Mail. EMA is also one of the busiest UK airport for ad-hoc cargo charters.
Accidents and incidents
- On 20 February 1969, Vickers Viscount G-AODG of British Midland Airways was damaged beyond economic repair when it landed short of the runway. There were no casualties.[12]
- On 31 January 1986, A Aer Lingus Fight 328, Short 360 registration EI-BEM on a flight from Dublin. Struck power lines and crashed short of the runway. None of the 36 passengers and crew died but two passengers were injured in the accident.[13]
- On 18 January 1987, Fokker F-27 G-BMAU of British Midland Airways crashed on approach to the airport on a training flight with three crew. None was killed or injured.[14]
- On 8 January 1989, British Midland Flight BD092 crashed on approach to East Midlands Airport, killing 47 people. The Boeing 737 aircraft had developed a fan blade failure in one of the two engines while en route from London Heathrow to Belfast and a decision was made to divert to East Midlands. The crew mistakenly shut down the functioning engine, causing the aircraft to lose power and crash on the embankment of the M1 Motorway just short of the runway. No one on the ground was injured despite the aircraft crashing on the embankment of one of the busiest sections of motorway in the UK. The investigation into the Kegworth air disaster, as the incident became known, led to considerable improvements in aircraft safety and emergency instructions for passengers. The official report into the disaster made 31 safety recommendations.
- On 29 October 2010, the police said they were called to East Midlands Airport at 3:28 A.M. United Kingdom time to examine a parcel containing an ink cartridge with protruding wires, a circuit board and partly covered in a white powder. A distribution centre used by several companies, including the American cargo shippers UPS and DHL, and the Royal Mail, in one of the country's biggest cargo handling terminals was evacuated. The MI6 notified the Americans. At 10:35 P.M. Washington, D.C. time on Thursday, Dr. John Brennan, the President's Executive Assistant for Homeland Security and Counter-Terrorism, told President Barack Obama of the find. President Obama, in an address, said the packages, found in the UK and Dubai on two overnight cargo planes from Yemen, were destined for Jewish places of worship in Chicago and contained the powerful high explosive PETN; the devices had more explosive power than the explosives carried by the would-be Christmas Day Bomber, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab. The plot also involved a package discovered in the United Arab Emirates.
East Midlands Aeropark
The East Midlands Aeropark to the north west corner of the airport has a number of static aircraft on display. The museum and its exhibits are managed and maintained by the Aeropark Volunteers Association. It also offers two excellent viewing mounds for watching aircraft arriving and departing from the main runway. Members are allowed free access to the Aeropark. Exhibits include:
- Armstrong Whitworth Argosy 101 G-BEOZ
- Avro Vulcan B.2A XM575
- Hawker Siddeley Buccaneer S.2B XV350
- Britten Sheriff SA.1 G-FRJB
- de Havilland Chipmunk T.10 WP784
- de Havilland Dove 6 G-ANUW
- de Havilland Vampire T.11 XD447, T.11 XD534
- de Havilland Sea Venom FAW.22 XG737
- English Electric Canberra T.17 WH740, PR.7 WH779 (nose)
- English Electric Lightning F.53 ZF588
- Gloster Meteor TT.20 WM224, NF.14 WS760, NF.13 WM367 (nose)
- Hawker Hunter T.7 XL569, GA.11 WV382, FR.10 XJ714
- Hunting Jet Provost T.4 XP568
- Supermarine Spitfire Mk IV PL256 (replica)
- Vickers Vanguard V953C G-APES (nose)
- Vickers Varsity T.1 WL626
- Vickers Viscount 807 G-CSZB (nose)
- Westland Gazelle AH.1 XX457
- Westland Sikorsky Whirlwind Srs.3 XG588
- Westland Wessex HAS.1 XS876, HC.2 XT604, HU.5 XT480
References
- ^ a b East Midlands - EGNX
- ^ a b c UK Airport Statistics: 2009 - annual Cite error: The named reference "stats" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ "Campaign News". DEMAND Campaign. Retrieved 7 October 2008.
- ^ Alice O'Keeffe (6 November 2006). "Planet saved?: Why the green movement is taking to the streets". New Statesman. Retrieved 14 January 2008.
- ^ BBC News - "Airport to consider name change"
- ^ BBC News - "Airport announces change to name"
- ^ "Train services to and from East Midlands Parkway - East Midlands Trains". East Midlands Trains. Retrieved 18 April 2010.
- ^ Skylink
- ^ easyJet announces network redeployments
- ^ http://flights.firstchoice.co.uk/firstchoice/en-GB/timetable/findbyroute?departure=EMA&destination=POP
- ^ http://flights.firstchoice.co.uk/firstchoice/en-GB/timetable/findbyroute?departure=EMA&destination=PUJ
- ^ "Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 7 October 2009.
- ^ http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19860131-1
- ^ http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19870118-0
External links
- East Midlands Airport - Official website
- East Midlands Aeropark - official museum website