Newcastle International Airport
Newcastle Airport | |||||||||||
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| File:Newcastle International Airport Logo.png | |||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
| Owner | Newcastle Airport Local Authority Holding Company Ltd, Copenhagen Airports A/S | ||||||||||
| Operator | Newcastle International Airport Ltd | ||||||||||
| Serves | Newcastle upon Tyne Tyne and Wear Cumbria Northumberland | ||||||||||
| Location | Woolsington, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 266 ft / 81 m | ||||||||||
| Website | www.newcastleairport.com | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
  EGNT Location in Tyne and Wear | |||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
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| Statistics (2011) | |||||||||||
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Newcastle International Airport (IATA: NCL, ICAO: EGNT) is located in Woolsington, a village within the boundary of the City of Newcastle upon Tyne, England, 5 NM (9.3 km; 5.8 mi)[1] north-west of the city centre. In 2011 it was the 11th busiest airport in the United Kingdom.[2]
The airport is owned by seven local authorities (51%) and Copenhagen Airport (49%). The seven local authorities are: City of Sunderland, Durham County Council, Gateshead MBC, North Tyneside MBC, Northumberland County Council, City of Newcastle and South Tyneside MBC. With the highest percentage of local authority ownership being in the hands of City of Sunderland and the lowest being City of Newcastle
Newcastle Airport has a CAA Public Use Aerodrome Licence (Number P725) that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction.
History
The Airport was opened on 26 July 1935 as Woolsington Aerodrome by the Secretary of State for Air, Sir Phillip Cunliffe-Lister. Incorporating a clubhouse, hangar, workshops, fuel garage and grass runway, at the time it cost £35,000 to build.
Although during World War II the main airport in the region was located at Cramlington in Northumberland, following the war a decision was taken to concentrate development on the present airport site. Accordingly, in the early 1950s, ex-RAF fighter pilot Jim Denyer was appointed as Airport Manager and within a few years over 5,000 people were using the Airport each year to travel to destinations such as Jersey and the Isle of Wight.
The 1960s saw tremendous growth in passenger numbers at the Airport. This was mainly due to British people taking foreign holidays to places such as Spain instead of holidaying within the UK. A new runway was built, along with an apron and a new air traffic control tower. These new additions were opened by the then-Prime Minister, Harold Wilson.
In the 1970s, with passenger figures approaching one million per year, the Airport status was changed to Category B, making it a regional international airport, in the same decade it was re-branded as Newcastle Airport. The 80's saw further investment in check-in, catering and duty-free shops. In 1991, Airport Metro station opened, connecting the airport with Newcastle and later in 2002 Sunderland city centres using the Tyne and Wear Metro system. A new £27 million extension was opened in 2000 by then-Prime Minister Tony Blair and the first low-cost airline arrived at the airport, with Go inaugurating a service to London Stansted following the collapse of locally based Gill Airways. 2001 saw the acquisition of a 49% stake in the Airport by Copenhagen Airports.
In August 2004 an extended and refurbished Departure Terminal was opened. The refurbishment comprised a 3,000 square metre extension which included new shops, cafes and 1,200 new waiting seats.[3]
Newcastle was the first regional airport in the UK to install common-use self-service kiosks in the terminal, allowing passengers to check-in themselves without the need to queue at a conventional desk [citation needed]. In 2006 a record 5.4 million passengers used the Airport, according to Civil Aviation Authority figures. Passenger figures were expected to approach seven million by 2009 [citation needed], although due to the financial crisis of 2007–2010 and subsequent recession, the actual figure fell short of that number by around 2.5 million.
Rapid expansion in passenger traffic has led to increasing commercial utilisation of the south-side of the airport, which was previously used for general aviation, and is now used for freight, mail and corporate flights. This is partially due to difficulties obtaining departure and arrival slots for light aircraft traffic, which need to be separated from larger aircraft to protect against wake turbulence. As part of the Airport Master Plan, the south-side area is to be expanded with maintenance facilities including new hangar and apron areas. The Newcastle Aviation Academy is also located within this area.
Plans
The Airport recently published a Master Plan that sets out development proposals for the airport until 2016. In the near term, these include building a multi-storey car park to replace the current short-stay parking, a new 187-bedroom on-site hotel and the expansion of the freight facilities on the south side of the airport. Feasibility studies are being carried out to evaluate the longer-term proposals that include:
- extending the runway at its eastmost end;
- converting the junction with the A696 into a grade-separated junction to cater for the expected increase in traffic levels; and
- the building of a heavy rail link to connect the airport with the National Rail network.
In October 2007 a new Air Traffic Control Tower was completed at a cost of £8.2 million, situated on the north side of the airfield.[4] The now christened ' Emirates Tower ' was designed by REID architects, and bears resemblance to the control tower they designed for Edinburgh Airport. In the process the Newcastle VHF omnidirectional range beacon was permanently withdrawn from service, since the new tower would have interfered with its operation.
Plans were recently announced for a new office development south of the main airport runway. The 3 story scheme should create around 170 new jobs. The airport hopes to expand annual passenger capacity to 10 million (double current capacity) by 2016 and to 15 million by 2030 [citation needed].
It is expected that £70 million will be invested in the airport during the current Master Plan period, which runs from 2006 to 2016. The airport also recently finished extending its remote parking for aircraft, resulting in an extra 5 parking stands that can accommodate 5 medium-sized aircraft (Boeing 737 or Airbus A320 size), or 4 large aircraft (Boeing 767 or Airbus A330 size) plus 2 smaller aircraft (such as the BAe Jetstream 41).
Area served
The airport mainly serves Northumberland, Tyneside and Wearside. The airport competes with the smaller Durham Tees Valley Airport for passengers travelling from and to County Durham and Teesside. Passengers from Cumbria, North Yorkshire and southern Scotland also use the airport, the nearest similar sized airport being Leeds Bradford Airport to the south and the larger Edinburgh and Glasgow International airports to the north. In terms of passenger numbers, Newcastle is the third largest airport in the North of England, Manchester Airport being the largest and Liverpool Airport following.
Airlines and destinations
Cargo
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| FedEx Express operated by Swiftair | Glasgow, Paris-Charles de Gaulle |
| Royal Mail operated by Jet2.com | East Midlands, London-Stansted |
Other facilities
When Gill Airways existed, its head office was in the New Aviation House, on the airport property.[5]
Surface access
Light rail
Airport station on the Tyne and Wear Metro is directly connected to the terminal through an indoor walkway. The station is the northern terminus of the green line with frequent, direct services to Newcastle upon Tyne (22 mins) and Sunderland (55 mins) city centres.
Road transport
The Airport is connected to the A1 trunk road by the A696 dual carriageway. A regular bus service (3) also runs from the airport to Newcastle (Kingston Park) and South East Northumberland. A half-hourly service (X77 / X78 / X79) links the Airport to the nearby villages of Ponteland and Darras Hall, as well as Newcastle City Centre. Services X77/X78/X79 are Monday to Saturday daytime services only, with the last journeys being made at around 18:00 hours. Service 74A operates a limited service to the City Centre at other times.
Ancillary services
The main handling agents at the Airport are Swissport UK (previously Groundstar) who provide services for eighteen of the above 26 airlines and Servisair, their cargo division has a significant operation at Newcastle. Servisair have recently brought a new operation to Newcastle (14 February 2011); SmartHandling by Servisair, which is limited to providing services to Easyjet.
There is one hotel on the Airport site and two immediately adjacent. The hotel on the airport grounds was completed in 2011 and is operated by the Doubletree by Hilton brand, with 179 bedrooms and a 4 star rating.[6]
Next to the airport are the Britannia Airport Hotel and a Premier Inn, with another Premier Inn located at Callerton, near the general aviation terminal.
Traffic statistics
The airport saw significant growth in the ten years to 2007, when passenger numbers peaked at 5.65 million, more than double the number handled ten years earlier. Passenger numbers declined in the subsequent four years due to the financial crisis of 2007–2010, with 4.35 million passengers passing through the airport in 2011 (below the 2004 total), although cargo volumes have broadly increased to record levels in 2010 / 11.[2]
 |
| Updated: 11 April 2012.[2] |
| Number of passengers[2] |
Number of movements[7] |
Freight (tonnes)[2] |
Mail (tonnes)[2] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 2,642,591 | 81,279 | 1,219 | 3,489 |
| 1998 | 2,984,724 | 81,299 | 678 | 3,631 |
| 1999 | 2,994,051 | 79,291 | 776 | 3,409 |
| 2000 | 3,208,734 | 82,940 | 526 | 3,720 |
| 2001 | 3,431,393 | 82,524 | 783 | 2,859 |
| 2002 | 3,426,952 | 79,173 | 1,438 | 2,368 |
| 2003 | 3,920,204 | 75,113 | 924 | 2,576 |
| 2004 | 4,724,263 | 77,721 | 799 | 7,756 |
| 2005 | 5,200,806 | 77,882 | 199 | 7,820 |
| 2006 | 5,431,976 | 81,655 | 306 | 7,884 |
| 2007 | 5,650,716 | 79,200 | 785 | 8,483 |
| 2008 | 5,039,993 | 72,904 | 1,938 | 10,901 |
| 2009 | 4,587,883 | 69,254 | 2,597 | 9,758 |
| 2010 | 4,356,130 | 66,677 | 3,650 | 9,062 |
| 2011 | 4,346,270 | 64,521 | 3,059 | 8,532 |
| Rank | Airport | Passengers handled | % Change 2008 / 09 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | London Heathrow | 424,251 |  11
|
| 2 | Belfast International | 172,655 | 10
|
| 3 | Bristol | 165,729 | 11
|
| 4 | London Stansted | 121,134 | 14
|
| 5 | Southampton | 103,261 | 6
|
| 6 | London Gatwick | 97,385 | 12
|
| 7 | Belfast City | 44,985 |  7
|
| 8 | Exeter | 27,072 | 31
|
| 9 | Aberdeen | 26,446 | 43
|
| 10 | Cardiff | 21,339 | 30
|
| Rank | Airport | Passengers handled | % Change 2009 / 10 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Amsterdam | 243,886 | 3
|
| 2 | Palma de Mallorca | 238,252 | 7
|
| 3 | Alicante | 179,342 | 18
|
| 4 | Paris Charles de Gaulle | 166,989 | 7
|
| 5 | Málaga | 164,114 | 13
|
| 6 | Dubai | 163,064 | 12
|
| 7 | Dalaman | 145,898 | 51
|
| 8 | Tenerife South | 144,085 | 14
|
| 9 | Dublin | 126,035 | 18
|
| 10 | Faro | 94,251 | 18
|
| 11 | Sharm el-Sheikh | 89,976 | 74
|
| 12 | Barcelona | 85,991 | 12
|
| 13 | Murcia | 81,959 | 1
|
| 14 | Lanzarote | 70,585 | 7
|
| 15 | Paphos | 61,498 | 21
|
| 16 | Ibiza | 54,573 | 25
|
| 17 | Las Palmas | 54,366 | 28
|
| 18 | Bodrum | 50,990 | 11
|
| 19 | Larnaca | 47,287 | 22
|
| 20 | Corfu | 46,730 | 17
|
Accidents and incidents
- 30 November 2000 - A Piper Aerostar registered N64719 en route to Iceland crashed close to Fearnoch, on the north side of Loch Tay in Perthshire, killing the single crewmember. The aircraft had departed from Newcastle Airport. The accident report concluded that the aircraft gradually lost airspeed during an icing encounter, before stalling and the pilot losing control.[8]
- 11 February 2004 - A Robinson R22 Beta lost height while in a hover taxi and impacted the ground causing major damage to the aircraft and minor injuries to the pilot and passenger.[9]
- 5 August 2008 - A Royal Air Force Tornado GR4A overran the runway making an emergency landing after suffering a bird strike. The crew were uninjured although the aircraft suffered damage.[10]
- 25 May 2009 - A Rockwell Commander 112 registered G-FLPI veered off the runway while landing. The nosewheel collapsed, the propeller and fuselage suffered damage, but the pilot was uninjured.[11]
Notes
- ^ a b Newcastle - EGNT
- ^ a b c d e f g h i CAA: UK Annual Airport Statistics Cite error: The named reference "stats" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ *"Newcastle International Airport extension opened" (Press release). Copenhagen Airports. 13 August 2004. Retrieved 2007-02-12.
- ^
"Work on new £8.2m Air Traffic Control Tower takes-off" (Press release). Newcastle International Airport. 23 May 2006. Retrieved 2007-02-12.
Work has started today on Newcastle International Airport's multi-million pound construction to build a new state-of-the-art air traffic control tower.
- ^ "Contact Us." Gill Airways. 23 April 2000. Retrieved on 22 September 2010.
- ^ Newcastle Airport Hotel
- ^ Number of movements represents total aircraft takeoffs and landings during the year.
- ^ Report on the accident to Piper PA60-602P, N64719 on 30 November 2000, UK AAIB
- ^ Robinson R22 Beta, G-BSXN on 11 February 2004, UK AAIB
- ^ Tornado GR4A, ZA 371 on 5 August 2008, UK AAIB
- ^ Report on the accident to Rockwell Commander 112, G-FLPI on 25 May 2009, UK AAIB
External links
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