Bournemouth Airport
Bournemouth International Airport | |||||||||||
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| File:Bournemouth Airport logo.png | |||||||||||
 The previous departures building in June 2007 | |||||||||||
| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Private | ||||||||||
| Owner/Operator | Manchester Airports Group | ||||||||||
| Serves | Bournemouth | ||||||||||
| Location | Hurn, Dorset | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 38 ft / 12 m | ||||||||||
| Website | www.bournemouthairport.com | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
  EGHH Location in Dorset | |||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
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| Statistics (2010) | |||||||||||
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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)[1] north-northeast of Bournemouth, in southern England. Bournemouth Airport opened as RAF Hurn in 1941 and began commercial services in the late 1950s, with Palmair commencing flights to Majorca in October 1958.[3]
Subsequently Ryanair and Thomson Airways based aircraft at the airport, with scheduled flights now frequently serving Western Europe and the Mediterranean area, with charter and seasonal services serving North Africa, North America and the Caribbean.[4] Passenger numbers peaked in 2007 when just over 1 million passed through the airport, however this fell to around 750,000 in 2010.[2]
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.[5][6]
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 September 2010, Ryanair and Thomson Airways remain the primary users of the airport.
Location
Bournemouth Airport is situated on the edge of Hurn village in the Borough of Christchurch, 4 miles (6 km) north of Bournemouth, 1 mile (1.6 km) west of the A338 and approximately 100 miles (160 km) 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.
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 airport[7] as the main operating base for British Overseas Airways Corporation until Heathrow fully opened in 1948.[8] Starting in October 1945 Hurn served as London's transatlantic airport until Heathrow opened to the airlines in mid-1946. It was the starting point of the first England-Australia landplane 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 charter from the airport, using a single 36 seat Viking aircraft destined for Palma de Mallorca.[9] 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 Cobham plc.
College of Air Traffic Control
Adjacent to the entrance to Bournemouth Airport was the College of Air Traffic Control, operated by NATS, the now privatised provider of air traffic control services in the UK. Established by the Ministry of Civil Aviation as the School of Air Traffic Control in 1949, the establishment was retitled College in 1962. Students from home and abroad were trained in all aspects of ATC operations and went on to work throughout the world. Electronic computer based ATC simulators were widely employed. Usefully situated at an operational airfield, for a considerable period training in Approach Radar Control was facilitated by the airport ATC unit. Students were able to practice live radar control exercises using temporarily detached Civil Aviation Flying Unit Dove aircraft as live targets. The building was also the home to the Air Traffic Control Evaluation Unit, responsible for developing technology used within the service. During 2011 NATS transferred ATC training to its headquarters facility at Whiteley near Southampton. The airport facility is now closed awaiting its fate.
1960s
In 1969 the airport was purchased jointly by the Bournemouth Corporation and Dorset County Council[8] 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–2000s
In 1993, the airport received its first regular passengers when Palmair wet leased its first aircraft and European Aviation Air Charter (EAC) started operations. In 1995, the airport was sold to National Express Group and then, in March 2001, was acquired by the Manchester Airports Group, 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.[citation needed]
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.[10] Also in 2005, Air Berlin and EasyJet began services by announcing routes to Paderborn and Geneva respectively. Air Berlin have now ceased operations at the airport. The airport previously had a daily service to the Channel Islands provided by the Jersey-based Blue Islands airline, which withdrew from Bournemouth in April 2009. Polish-based Wizzair also ran routes to Gdansk, Katowice and Kraków during 2006 and 2007.
Current routes
In 2007, Ryanair began to rapidly increase the number of services from the airport, initially starting routes to Marseille, Alicante, and Milan which brought the total to 8. In December, 2007, EasyJet announced a new seasonal route to Grenoble, bring the number of routes to 2. The route ceased at the end of the 2008 winter season. In 2008, Palmair introduced a new series of charter flights to Tunisia, Fuerteventura, Naples, 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.[11] During the first quarter, the airline announced routes to Málaga, Murcia, Palma de Mallorca, Wroclaw and the re-introduction of the Nantes route. An additional flight each day was added to the Glasgow Prestwick route, with the addition of a twice-daily flight to Edinburgh. In May, Bergamo and Beauvais routes were announced to commence in October plus a new weekly ski flight to Turin for the winter season.
Increasing from 14 routes, after the discontinuation of the Nantes route, to 18 - Carcassonne, Faro, Limoges and Reus were added to the route network in February 2009.
June 2009 saw the announcement of a new Thomson Airways Boeing 737-800 to be based at the airport to add extra capacity to existing routes, plus the introduction of 5 new routes. The new destinations include Antalya, Bodrum, Corfu, Monastir and the airport's first regular long-haul destination, Sharm el-Sheikh.
In July 2009 the airport's busiest route to Glasgow-Prestwick was discontinued and an announcement soon followed to discontinue the Edinburgh route which ended on 27 March 2010.
In December 2009 bmibaby announced a new summer route to Jersey. This will be the first time the airline has operated out of the airport and will provide 3 services a week from the end of March 2010, using a Boeing 737-500. Again in December, Ryanair added 4 new routes to the network, bringing the total to 17. Another Boeing 737-800 will be based at the airport and the airline projects to fly 650,000 passengers per annum at Bournemouth.[12]
Ryanair has at various time periods operated from Bournemouth to: Glasgow Prestwick, Edinburgh, Dublin, Malta, Milan Bergamo, Frankfurt Hahn, Nantes, Paris, Wroclaw, Limoges, Madrid and Barcelona Reus, none of these routes still operate.
Following the closure of European Aviation Air Charter, Palmair chartered various aircraft types from Jet2, Viking, Blue Line, Tor Air and Astraeus, before unveiling their new Astraeus-leased Boeing 737-500 (G-PJPJ) on 13 May 2009.[13]
On 11 February 2010, Flybe announced that it is to start flights from Manchester to Bournemouth, linking up two airports of the Manchester Airport Group for the first time. These flights will start from 27 May 2010 and will be in direct competition to Flybe's own Manchester to Southampton flights. This route has now been cancelled (Oct 2010 BBC News) and is currently under review.
From 1 November 2011, Blue Islands will recommence scheduled services to Guernsey & Jersey.
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 would rise from 4 to 11. 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.[14]
The development re-started in August 2008 with the runway being resurfaced, and a new Thales Cat IIIa ILS on Runway 26 with associated aerodrome ground lighting and IRVR were installed during December 2008. The main apron has been expanded to a total of 11 stands for aircraft of Boeing 737-800 size, including two stands for aircraft of Boeing 767-300 size, and construction of a car park towards the south boundary is complete.
Work on the terminal itself is now complete, where the check-in areas, security control and departure lounges have been upgraded. A new World Duty Free store has opened on the airside, as have a new WHSmith store and the UK's largest The Olive Tree eaterie. All remaining retail space has since been completed and opened.
The new arrivals hall is being constructed in preparation for Summer 2011. This will be an innovative structure, with 70% less CO2 emissions than the previous design and is, we believe, the first airport building of its type in the UK. The design of the new arrivals hall takes advantage of the building’s orientation to make maximum possible use of solar gain, solar shading, daylight and natural ventilation. These measures will reduce the need for mechanical and electrical installations which, in turn, will reduce the building’s energy requirements .[14]
Other improvements to the infrastructure around the airport include more frequent bus services to Bournemouth Interchange and traffic lights at the entrance to the airport have been constructed. Hurn village roundabout will also be revised.
Airlines and destinations
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Aer Lingus Regional operated by Aer Arann | Dublin [begins 1 May 2012] |
| EasyJet | Seasonal: Geneva |
| Blue Islands | Jersey |
| Ryanair | Seasonal: Alicante, Faro, Fuerteventura, Girona, Ibiza, Lanzarote, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Malta [begins 26 March 2012], Málaga, Murcia, Palma de Mallorca, Pisa, Tenerife-South, Wroclaw [begins 30 March 2012], Rhodes [begins 28 March] 2012], Carcassonne [begins 26 March 2012] |
| Thomson Airways | Paphos, Sharm el-Sheikh, Tenerife-South Seasonal: Antalya, Bodrum, Corfu, Dalaman, Ibiza, Lanzarote, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Palma de Mallorca, Rhodes, Turin |
Cargo
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Atlantic Airlines | Guernsey, Jersey |
| Titan Airways | East Midlands[citation needed] |
Traffic and statistics
Passenger statistics
| Number of Passengers[15] | Number of Movements[16] | Passengers Change YoY | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 460,872 | 76,177 |  17.6%
| |
| 2004 | 492,882 | 77,142 | 6.9%
| |
| 2005 | 829,108 | 79,512 | 68.2%
| |
| 2006 | 960,773 | 75,505 | 15.9%
| |
| 2007 | 1,083,379 | 71,742 | 12.8%
| |
| 2008 | 1,078,941 | 78,527 |  0.1%
| |
| 2009 | 868,445 | 82,538 | 19.5%
| |
| 2010 | 751,331 | 55,398 | 13.7%
| |
| Source: UK Civil Aviation Authority[2] | ||||
Passenger numbers peaked at over 1 million in 2007, but fell to around 750,000 by 2010.[2]
Route statistics
| Rank | Airport | Passengers handled | % Change 2008 / 09 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Spain - Málaga |
74,422 | 8
|
| 2 | Spain - Palma de Mallorca |
69,488 | 12
|
| 3 | Spain - Tenerife South |
62,910 | 56
|
| 4 | Spain - Alicante |
56,417 | 5
|
| 5 | Spain - Girona Airport |
50,395 | 41
|
| 6 | Spain - Murcia |
46,576 | 15
|
| 7 |  Ireland - Dublin Airport |
43,304 | 32
|
| 8 |  Switzerland - Geneva |
26,621 | 5
|
| 9 |  Portugal - Faro |
25,656 | 31
|
| 10 | Spain - Lanzarote |
24,294 | 119
|
| 11 | Spain - Ibiza Airport |
23,960 | 168
|
| 12 | Spain - Fuerteventura Airport |
19,902 | 304
|
| 13 | Spain - Gran Canaria Airport |
18,913 | 143
|
| 14 |  Malta - Malta Airport |
18,213 | 6523
|
| 15 |  Italy - Pisa Airport |
17,306 | 1
|
| 16 | Spain - Valencia Airport |
14,822 |
|
| 17 |  Cyprus - Paphos Airport |
13,951 | 73
|
| 18 |  Egypt - Sharm el-Sheikh Airport |
11,731 |
|
| 19 |  Tunisia - Monastir Airport |
10,265 | 43
|
| 20 |  Greece - Rhodes Airport |
9,402 | 37
|
Accidents and incidents
On 28 January 1972, Vickers Viscount D-ANEF of Airwork Services was damaged beyond repair when the undercarriage collapsed after a heavy landing.[18]
Shortly after 17:00 on 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 25,766 miles (41,466 km) in 76 hours and 43 minutes.[19] Fossett had planned to end his flight 144 miles (232 km) 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.
Between 15 April and 21 April 2010, Bournemouth Airport was closed to IFR Traffic as a result of the volcanic eruptions by Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland. The eruptions caused severe disruptions to services as the UK government deemed it necessary to close air space until ash ejected into the stratosphere had subsided. It was originally feared that disruptions could continue as the last eruption lasted around 16 months. Services resumed on 22 April. Despite this VFR Traffic continued and Bournemouth Airport became the busiest airport during this period as it has a large general aviation clientele.
Other facilities
The airport has a 200-acre (0.81 km2) industrial park, including offices and hangars. In early March 2009, Manchester Airport Developments Ltd completed the construction of Cirrus Court, a development of 14 industrial units which is the first part of a number of phases to redevelop the northern aviation sector.[20]
When Channel Express operated, its head office was in Building 470 at the airport.[21]
See also
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Media related to Bournemouth Airport at Wikimedia Commons
References
- ^ a b NATS Aeronautical Information Service: Bournemouth - EGHH
- ^ a b c d CAA: UK Annual Airport Statistics
- ^ "Our History". Bournemouth Airport. 2011. Retrieved 19 March 2011.
- ^ "Facts and Figures". Bournemouth Airport. 2008. Retrieved 14 April 2009.
- ^ "Telegraph Travel Awards 2008: Best Airport". London: The Daily Telegraph. 26 November 2008. Retrieved 5 December 2008.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)[dead link] - ^ "Telegraph Travel Awards 2008". London: The Daily Telegraph. 2008. Retrieved 25 February 2011.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) [dead link] - ^ British Airline History - London Metropolitan University
- ^ a b History of Bournemouth Airport - Airport Guides Network
- ^ Palmair History
- ^ "Bournemouth confirmed as new base for low fares airline". Thomson. 2004. Retrieved 4 December 2009. [dead link]
- ^ "Bournemouth wins Ryanair's 24th European Base". Ryanair. 2008. Retrieved 4 December 2009.
- ^ "Ryanair announce new routes and add another aircraft at Bournemouth Airport (From Bournemouth Echo)". Bournemouthecho.co.uk. 18 December 2009. Retrieved 28 March 2010.
- ^ "Peter Bath's plane unveiled with flying colours at Bournemouth Airport". Bournemouth Daily Echo. 2009. Retrieved 13 May 2009.
- ^ a b "£45 million redevelopment programme". Bournemouth Airport. 2008. Retrieved 4 December 2009.
- ^ Number of Passengers including both domestic and international.
- ^ Number of Movements represents total aircraft takeoffs and landings during that year.
- ^ "Table 10 1 EU and Other Intl Terminal Pax Traffic 2008". Civil Aviation Authority. 2009. Retrieved 4 December 2009.
- ^ "Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 8 October 2009.
- ^ Steve Fossett Challenges
- ^ "Airport development is now complete". Daily Echo. 2009. Retrieved 14 April 2009.
- ^ "Contact Information." Channel Express. Retrieved on 31 December 2011. "Channel Express (Air Services) Limited Building 470 Bournemouth International Airport Christchurch Dorset. BH23 6SE."