AN airport in the UK that was forced to stop commercial flights back in 2014 has revealed plans to build a brand-new passenger terminal.
Plans have been revealed to build a new passenger handling facility at Blackpool Airport.
Blackpool Airport has lodged a planning application with Fylde Council to build the new facility, which will be able to handle 45 passengers, as reported by Lancs Live.
If plans are approved, the new passenger building would be used for corporate aircraft and executive and charter flights.
Even though commercial flights haven’t been confirmed by the airport, locals, including council bosses, are hopeful that passenger flights will one day resume.
Back in 2022, conservative councillors called on Blackpool Airport to reintroduce flights to Ireland.
This pledge was reiterated earlier this year by Conservative candidate Zak Khan, who was committed to getting commercial flights operational again.
A 10-year action plan, which was released by the airport back in 2022, also confirmed future ambitions to re-introduce passenger flights to other regional airports in the UK.
Before any passenger flights can be reinstated at the airport, they need to be financially viable.
Leader of Blackpool Council, Councillor Lynn Williams, commented at the time: “We have an ambitious ten year plan to rebuild Blackpool Airport as a regional transport hub, building on the almost 40,000 flight movements that took place last year and creating new opportunities for it to become a commercially successful business.
“The overriding objective of the ten year plan is to attract a diverse range of long term customers and operators to secure the airport’s future. We are looking at ways to create good quality jobs for the people of Blackpool, using the asset of our airport and the Enterprise Zone.”
The new passenger handling facility would be seen as a step in the right direction.
According to Lancs Live, the new building will have a larger security checkpoint, new X-ray and scanning equipment, with funding being provided by the council.
Passenger flights with Jet2 operated from the airport back in 2014, with the site’s former passenger terminal being demolished two years later in 2016.
Regarding the new building, airport managing director Steve Peters said: “This is a major step forward in the future of Blackpool Airport.
“Over the last five years, we’ve done a lot of work internally to make Blackpool an attractive airport once again, and we’re seeing the rewards of that with increased corporate and executive aircraft flights accommodating larger cabin class aircraft, and welcoming new customers to the airport for the first time.
“This new facility will allow us to grow these executive flights by numbers of movements and increased aircraft size by offering more space as well as improved security, while a new building will provide a modern and welcoming environment that is more suitable as a first impression for departing or arriving visitors.”
Sun Online Travel have contacted Blackpool Airport for comment.
And Blackpool Airport isn’t the only travel hub that hopes to provide passenger flights in the coming years.
MANSTON AIRPORT
Manston Airport, in Kent, first opened in 1916 and was used during World War I and World War II.
But despite being closed for a decade, airport bosses remain hopeful that passenger flights will one day resume.
Tony Freudmann, director of the airport’s owners, RiverOak Strategic Partners (RSP), and the public face of the airport’s revival, told Kent Online how they could welcome back budget airlines.
He said: “Once we’re operational, if the likes of Ryanair or EasyJet come to us and say we’d like to fly out of your airport and we’re going to base two or three aircraft there, then we can construct a passenger terminal and have them running out of there probably in less than 12 months.”
It is likely that passenger flights will have to operate early in the morning, however, with Mr Freudmann adding: “They have to get their planes in the air between 6-7am because as soon as they cross the Channel they lose an hour.
“There really aren’t any more slots at the major airports in the South East. It is in their interests to base two or three aircraft at Manston. That’s the working assumption we’ve made.”
But before Manston Airport can launch passenger flights, the airport will need a huge overhaul.
Because there have been few updates since the Royal Air Force left the site in the late 1990s, huge infrastructure changes are needed including new terminals and updated runways.
Other UK airports with plans to reopen
It’s not just Blackpool Airport and Manston Airport that are hoping to reinstate passenger flights – here are some other UK airports with plans to relaunch.
- Plymouth Airport – Despite closing more than 13 years ago, the local council confirmed that it could one day reopen.
- Doncaster Sheffield Airport – The airport closed in November 2022, and could reopen thanks to a new multi-million-pound plan, with TUI possibly relaunching flights at the airport.
East Midlands Airport‘s new £120million renovation project will introduce new scanning technology which will speed up airport security queues, as well as upgrades to toilets and seating.
And earlier this year, easyJet opened its new base at Birmingham Airport – the first new UK base in over a decade – with 16 new flight routes.
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