Blackpool International Airport

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Blackpool International Airport

IATA: BLK - ICAO: EGNH
Summary
Airport type		Public
Operator		City Hopper Airports Limited
Serves		Blackpool
Elevation AMSL		34 ft (10 m)
Coordinates		53°46′17″N, 003°01′42″W
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
Direction	ft	m	Surface
07/25	2,621	799	Asphalt
10/28	6,132	1,869	Asphalt
13/31	3,533	1,077	Asphalt

Destinations poster in the public hall

Blackpool International Airport (IATA: BLK, ICAO: EGNH) is a small international airport, 2.6 nautical miles (4.8 km) southeast of Blackpool, Lancashire in North West England.

The airport was owned and operated by City Hopper Airports Limited, which also owns Wolverhampton Airport and Biella Airport in Italy, but is under new management after one of its two major shareholders bought out its partner. MAR Properties Ltd has agreed terms to take over full control of Blackpool and Wolverhampton Airports ^[1].

Blackpool Airport Limited has a 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 chartered holiday flights in summer months. Helicopter operations serve north west England’s Irish Sea offshore gas facilities.

Passenger numbers have recently increased sharply, from 377,000 during 2005 to 553,000 in the year to December 2006. Low-cost airlines such as Ryanair and Jet2.com have seen strong potential in Blackpool, bringing increasing passenger numbers.

1 History
2 Refurbishment
3 Airlines and destinations
4 Airport facilities
5 Transport
6 External link
7 References

[edit] 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. Small UK airlines used the airfield during the 1930s. During World War II, Vickers operated an aircraft production facility, producing several thousand Wellington bombers.

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.

Since then the airport has been steadily expanding, accommodating helicopter operations for British Gas, and attracting scheduled flights from budget airlines, Jet2 and Ryanair and also scheduled services by smaller operators to the Isle of Man. Since WW2, Squires Gate 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. They now serve eight destinations from this airport; 5 in Spain and the Canaries (Palma de Mallorca, Alicante, Murcia, Tenerife, Málaga). They also offer a domestic service to Belfast and a 5 times weekly flight to Amsterdam. Services to Faro and Prague have also been added to the network.

Also in 2005, Monarch Airlines set up a new route to Malaga, three times a week, after a year 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.

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 the fast growing airline, Manx2, who are now flying the route up to 4 times a day. Manx2[1] has brought low fares to the Isle of Man route and passenger numbers on this route doubled in January 2007.

[edit] Refurbishment

In February 2006, the airport completed the 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 screen system, additional baggage reclaim belt and a new interior colour scheme and logo. A new long stay car park was created while the existing area was extended. Later in 2006 the airport extended the aircraft parking area.

[edit] Airlines and destinations

Jet2.com (Alicante, Amsterdam, Belfast-International, Faro, Málaga, Murcia, Palma, Prague)
Manx2 (Belfast-City, Belfast-International, Isle of Man)
Ryanair (Dublin, Girona, London-Stansted)
Thomsonfly (Alicante)

[edit] Airport facilities

Shopping - duty free shop & WHSmith
Games room
Food outlets - Max Beans café & bar
Currency exchange
Executive lounge
Car park
Tourist information desk
Car hire - Hertz Corporation

[edit] Transport

M55 Junction 4 is nearby
Squires Gate railway station is nearby for Northern Rail sprinter trains to Blackpool South and Preston
Local bus operator Blackpool Transport operates an open top City Sightseeing bus along the promenade into Blackpool town centre (summer only)
Local bus routes 5, 7 and 11 stop near the airport to take passengers to Blackpool town centre and beyond.
Tram services are available from the nearby Starr Gate tram stop. The trams take passengers along the promenade past Pleasure Beach, Blackpool, Central Pier and Blackpool Tower.
Taxis can be contacted by a free telephone located inside the terminal building.