Blackpool Airport: Difference between revisions
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* [[Tram]] Blackpool Transport tram services are available from [[Starr Gate]] terminus on the [[Blackpool tramway]], running along the promenade, along the [[Golden Mile (Blackpool)|Golden Mile]] northward to [[Bispham, Blackpool|Bispham]], [[Cleveleys]] and Fleetwood. |
* [[Tram]] Blackpool Transport tram services are available from [[Starr Gate]] terminus on the [[Blackpool tramway]], running along the promenade, along the [[Golden Mile (Blackpool)|Golden Mile]] northward to [[Bispham, Blackpool|Bispham]], [[Cleveleys]] and Fleetwood. |
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* [[Taxicab|Taxi]]s - free telephone located inside the terminal building. |
* [[Taxicab|Taxi]]s - free telephone located inside the terminal building. |
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==References== |
==References== |
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Revision as of 01:53, 26 January 2009
Blackpool International Airport | |||||||||||||||||||
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| File:Blackpool Airport logo.png | |||||||||||||||||||
| Summary | |||||||||||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||||||||||
| Operator | Blackpool Airport Ltd | ||||||||||||||||||
| Serves | Blackpool | ||||||||||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 34 ft / 10 m | ||||||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 53°46′17″N 003°01′42″W / 53.77139°N 3.02833°W | ||||||||||||||||||
| Website | www.blackpoolinternational.com | ||||||||||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Statistics (2007) | |||||||||||||||||||
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Blackpool International Airport (IATA: BLK, ICAO: EGNH) is a small international airport, in Blackpool on the Fylde coast, Lancashire in North West England. It was formerly known as Squires Gate airport.
The airport was owned and operated by City Hopper Airports Limited, which also owns Wolverhampton Airport and Biella Airport in Italy, before, in January 2007, being placed under new management after one of its two major shareholders bought out its partner. MAR Properties Ltd agreed terms to take over full control of Blackpool and Wolverhampton Airports.[3] In May 2008, it was announced that Balfour Beatty had purchased MAR Property's 95% stake in the airport.[4] The remaining 5% stake is held by Blackpool Council.[5]
Blackpool Airport Limited has a Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Public Use Aerodrome Licence (Number P724) that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction.
Several scheduled airlines operate from the airport, as well as charter holiday flights in the summer months. Helicopter operations serve north west England’s Irish Sea offshore gas facilities.
Passenger numbers increased from 377,035 during 2005[citation needed] to 558,278 (532,617 scheduled and 25,661 chartered passengers) in 2007.[6] Much of the rise was due to low-cost airlines such as Ryanair and Jet2.com attracting increasing passenger numbers at the airport. During the twelve months to December 2008, 439,000 passengers used the airport, a reduction of 21.36% on the previous year. The average reduction in the UK was 1.8%.[7][need quotation to verify]
History
The airport site's first aviation use was in October 1909, when the UK's first official public Flying Meeting was held on a specially laid out site at Squires Gate, followed by another in 1910. By 1911 the site had become a racecourse and it was used as a military hospital during World War I and until 1924. Flights from the site resumed in the early 1930s. Small UK airlines used the airfield during the mid 1930s. Railway Air Services commenced schedules to Blackpool from 15 April 1935, linking the airport with the Isle of Man, Manchester and Liverpool. Connections could be made at the two cities to London and the south and west of England.[8] In June 1937, airline operations were transferred to Stanley Park Aerodrome. [9]
Work on enlarging and improving the airfield and facilities began in late 1937, but the aerodrome was requistioned by the Air Ministry in 1938.[10] During World War II, Vickers operated an aircraft production facility, producing several thousand Wellington bombers.
Scheduled flights were resumed by Isle of Man Air Services in summer 1946. By 1949, the airfield was controlled by the Ministry of Civil Aviation and renamed Blackpool Airport. In the mid 1950s, Hawker Hunter jet fighters were produced in the WW2 factory at the north-east edge of the airfield.
Until January 2006 an Avro Vulcan bomber (Registration: XL391) was on static display outside the entrance to the airport, it was originaly put up for sale in October 2004 on ebay and purchased by pub landlord Chris Ollerenshaw for £15,102.03 who had intentions to transport it to his pub and disply it in his beer garden. However after finding out that the condition of the aircraft was so poor that moving it would be extremely chalenging and that it would cost over £20,000 in addition to the reported £1000 a week storage charge, Mr Ollernshaw pulled out of the deal and demanded his money back and later relinquished ownershp of the plane back to the airport. The Vulcan was then sold on for scrap for £4000 and was scrapped and completely removed from the site on 12th January 2006.[citation needed]
Current operations
In recent years the airport has been steadily expanding, accommodating helicopter operations for British Gas, and attracting scheduled flights from budget airlines, Jet2.com and Ryanair and also scheduled services by smaller operators to the Isle of Man. Since World War II, the airport has also been a thriving centre for private, club and general aviation.
In 2005, Jet2.com became the first major low cost airline to base an aircraft at Blackpool Airport. This created around 50 new jobs and boosted passenger numbers. It now serves seven destinations from the airport - five in Spain and the Canaries (Palma de Mallorca, Alicante, Murcia, Tenerife, Málaga), one in Portugal (Faro). Jet2 also offers a domestic service to Belfast
Also in 2005, Monarch Airlines set up a new route to Malaga, three times a week. After a year though the airline ceased services, blaming low passenger numbers as the reason. However, Jet2.com had earlier announced that it would be operating flights to Malaga.
In February 2006, the airport completed an investment of £2 million in refurbishing the airport terminal and car parks. The improvements included more check-in desks, new eating facilities, a new information desk, an open-plan departure lounge, more gates, new shopping facilities, an executive lounge, a new flight information system, an additional baggage reclaim belt and a new interior colour scheme and logo. [citation needed]
A new long stay car park was created while the existing area was extended. Later in 2006 the aircraft parking area was extended.[citation needed]
British North West Airlines, the smallest airline based at Blackpool has now, according to its website, stopped trading for both charter and scheduled flights. The website links all viewers to Manx2, which is now flying the route up to four times a day. Manx2 has brought low fares to the Isle of Man route, and passenger numbers on this route doubled in January 2007.[citation needed]
With the growth of the airport, a new carrier, the ACMI company, Jetstream Executive, operating under the name, Jetstream Express, introduced flights in 2007 from the airport to Belfast City Airport from (May), Aberdeen Airport (from June) and Southampton Airport (from July). The Belfast route was in competition with Jet2.com, who operate twice daily between Blackpool and Belfast International Airport. Two Jetstream 31s were based at the airport. However, in June 2007 a notice appeared on the Jetsteam Express website stating - "With immediate effect, Jetstream Express have ceased operating the routes to Blackpool, Aberdeen, Southampton and Belfast", adding that all flights were withdrawn as the routes have not proved viable.
In 2007 Jet2.com cancelled its Prague and Amsterdam services. Ryanair also cancelled its twice daily flights to London Stansted stating that it fell into the bottom three routes across its network.
On 6 May 2008, Balfour Beatty bought a 95% stake in the airport for a£14million.[4] The construction company also owns [[Exeter International Airport|Exeter Airport]. The company stated that one of their top priorities is to re-establish a link to London,[11] which Blackpool lost in 2007 when Ryanair discontinued its Stansted route.
On 18 July 2008, the Blackpool Gazette announced that Jet2.com planned to suspend its daily service from Blackpool to Belfast International for the winter. A dip in passenger numbers and the rising price of oil has taken its toll on the service. According to the newspaper, Jet2.com will restart the daily Belfast service from March 2009.[12]
Blackpool_airport_Logo-1-.jpg
In the summer of 2008 Ryanair announced a large cut in capacity at a number of airports,including Stansted, from October 2008 to March 2009, although Blackpool was not affected by these cuts.[12] However, on 25 November 2008 Ryanair announced the intention to withdraw all flights from 5 January 2009 following the airport's introduction of a £10 per person airport development fee.[13]
Airlines and destinations
- Aer Arann (Dublin)
- Jet2.com (Alicante, Belfast-International, Faro [seasonal], Geneva [seasonal], Ibiza [seasonal], Mahon [seasonal], Malaga [seasonal], Murcia [seasonal], Palma de Mallorca [seasonal], Tenerife-South [seasonal])
- Manx2 (Belfast-City, Belfast-International, Isle of Man)
- newmarket hoildays offer charter hoildays to italy vencie and lake garda, sorrento, rome, sardinia , maderia
- freedom travel offer flights to alicante
Transport
- Rail - Squires Gate railway station. Direct Northern Rail Pacer and Sprinter trains to Blackpool South, Preston and Colne (East Lancashire).
- Bus - Blackpool Transport bus services 1, 7, 11, 16 and Stagecoach services 68 and X61 stop near the airport with routes to Blackpool and as far as Fleetwood (northbound) and Lytham St Annes, Preston and Manchester (southbound).
- Tram Blackpool Transport tram services are available from Starr Gate terminus on the Blackpool tramway, running along the promenade, along the Golden Mile northward to Bispham, Cleveleys and Fleetwood.
- Taxis - free telephone located inside the terminal building.
References
- ^ "Blackpool - EGNH". National Air Traffic Services. Retrieved 24 January 2009.
- ^ "UK Airport Statistics: 2007 - annual". Civil Aviation Authority. Retrieved 24 January 2009.
- ^ Airliner World (January 2007). Key Publishing Ltd. January 2007 http://airlinerworld.com/. Retrieved 2009-01-24.
{{cite journal}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ a b Bradley, Jane (14 August 2008). "Public-sector work lifts Balfour Beatty". The Scotsman. Retrieved 2009-01-24.
- ^ Parkinson, Shelagh (15 August 2008). "Profit rise for Blackpool airport owners". Blackpool Gazette. Retrieved 2009-01-24.
- ^ "Summary of activity at UK airports 2007" (PDF). Table 22. Civil Aviation Authority. Retrieved 24 January 2009.
- ^ "Civil Aviation Authority UK airport provisional statistics". Civil Aviation Authority. 23 January 2009: Table 2008 - 12, REG 59.
{{cite journal}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help); Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ Stroud, John (20 July 1987). Railway Air Services. Ian Allan Ltd. p. 47. ISBN 0711017433.
{{cite book}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ Stroud, John (20 July 1987). Railway Air Services. Ian Allan Ltd. p. 129. ISBN 0711017433.
{{cite book}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ Stroud, John (20 July 1987). Railway Air Services. Ian Allan Ltd. p. 128. ISBN 0711017433.
{{cite book}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ Hyde, Nick (10 May 2008). "Blackpool's London flight call". Blackpool Gazette. Retrieved 2009-01-24.
- ^ a b "Blackpool Airport drops Belfast flight". Blackpool Gazette. 18 July 2008. Retrieved 2009-01-24.
- ^ Hyde, Nick (25 November 2008). "Ryanair to quit Blackpool airport". Blackpool Gazette. Retrieved 2009-01-24.
http://www.blackpoolinternational.com/flight-times.php