Blackpool Airport Blog

Blackpool to introduce Bulgaria flights

Fri, 07 Aug 2009 15:16:48 UTC

Passengers flying from Blackpool Airport will be pleased to hear that flights to Bulgaria are being introduced once again after a break of four years. As from August 9 next year, passengers will be able to fly to Bourgas in Bulgaria on one of the flights that will be running once a week. The new flights will be managed by Balkan Holidays and will be departing from the South Shore terminal.

The flights were cancelled back in 2006 after being run by Book2Go, and officials at the airport think the reintroduction of the route is going to be a hit. Sue Kendrick, the customer relations and communications manager, said that it had been “sorely missed” and that many people had requested that it be reinstated. She also stated that Bulgaria has great sandy beaches and amazing weather, and that because it is a euro-free zone it is also a lot cheaper than many other alternative countries. For example, a three-course meal can cost as little as £10 a person.

It has been a good year for Blackpool Airport as it has seen passenger numbers on the rise. This bucks the trend of the majority of UK airports which have seen falling numbers as cash-strapped passengers decide to stay at home during the recession.

One reason that it has been doing so well recently is down to its new parking scheme. This has meant that passengers over 16 travelling from the airport have to pay an extra £10 surcharge, and in return they are granted up to 15 days free parking. Despite proving controversial for some, the scheme is clearly proving popular.

Blackpool voted best airport

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 13:06:36 UTC

Blackpool Airport was celebrating recently after it was awarded the honour of being voted the best airport in the UK. The survey was carried out by consumer group Which?, and was an attempt to get an overall picture of the state of the UK’s airports.

The survey was quite substantial, with Which? interviewing over 9,000 airport users across the country to get a good general impression of the country’s opinions. Interviewees were asked to rate the airports that they had used in the last year on the basis of their experiences, and to say whether they would recommend them or not.

Blackpool Airport, which handles flights to fewer than 20 destinations, came top of the list with an 80% approval rating, whilst London City Airport was a very close second with 78%. Amongst the best features of the airport were the five-star ratings that it got for the check-in experience and the overall experience, which took into consideration factors such as staff and design.

Other airports to perform well were Doncaster, Exeter and Southampton, which led the editor of Which?, Lorna Cowan, to say that its members “prefer the experience of flying from smaller regional airports”.

But if regional airports got the higher ratings, there are no prizes for guessing which airports got the worst results in the survey.

The winner of the wooden spoon was Heathrow Terminal 1, which came in with a 31% approval rating, the worst in the country. Terminals 2, 3 and 4 did not perform much better, and the Gatwick terminals were also down at the bottom of the list. Somewhat surprisingly, however, Heathrow Terminal 5 didn’t do so badly, with an approval rating of 54%.

Ryanair pulls out of Blackpool

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 16:56:10 UTC

When a spokesman for Blackpool Airport revealed last week that, from the beginning of next year, passengers would be charged ten pounds in exchange for free parking during their holiday, nobody could have guessed what impact this would have in such a short space of time. The ten pound passenger charge was introduced in an attempt to increase funding and attract more travellers from across the north of England.

However, it now seems that the plan has backfired, since Ryanair, the extremely popular budget airline, has announced that it is set to halt all of its services which usually depart from the airport. A spokesman for the airline described the day of the announcement as a “black day” for Blackpool. The deputy chief executive for Ryanair, Michael Cawley, revealed his disgust at Blackpool’s decision to introduce the charge. He believes it is an “extremely regressive step” which will see passengers forking out far more money than is necessary.

The flights from Ryanair will be stopped on the fourth of January, 2009, which is the day before the charge begins. The move will worry the officials at Blackpool, since over one million passengers have travelled on planes provided by the airline since Ryanair launched routes departing from the airport back in the early part of 2003. David Kershaw, the chief executive of the airport, believed that the ten pound charge would “attract new airlines” but he could never have imagined that these new airlines would have to replace popular ones such as Ryanair.

Blackpool introduce ten pound charge

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 16:54:42 UTC

Last week, Blackpool International Airport announced that it is to start charging passengers ten pounds. Although they will subsequently be offered free parking for up to fifteen days from the day of departure, the scheme is a controversial one. The ten pound charge is part of a new plan announced by the airport bosses, which aims to increase the popularity of the airport across the northern region of England.

The charge will be introduced in the beginning of January and will be charged under the title of ‘Airport Development Fee’. Only those passengers aged sixteen and over will be subject to the charge and David Kershaw, the chief executive of Blackpool International, believes that the fee will help to develop the airport.

Kershaw was keen to divert the focus away from the implications of the ten pound charge to the benefits of free parking. He revealed that Blackpool will become the only international airport in the country to provide free parking for passengers and “a fresh marketing drive” will also ensure that many more passengers are attracted to the “hassle-free” airport.

Some people have expressed concern over what exactly the ten pound charge will be used for. David Kershaw revealed that it will support “investment from the owners to improve facilities” and help in the fight to attract new airlines to provide a wider range of routes, which in turn will attract more passengers from across the north of England. The airport bosses also announced a two million pound investment scheme which will upgrade the runways and generally improve the facilities available to passengers.

New ski route introduced at Blackpool Airport

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 13:20:35 UTC

Residents of Blackpool will soon be able to leave the tower behind and jet off to a very different holiday destination, as budget airline Jet2.com has announced that from next winter, it will be flying from Blackpool to Geneva, the ski capital of Europe.

The airline is reacting to the large demand for such a route from residents of the surrounding area. Since the announcement, many people have expressed an interest in the new flights. As such, the flights are expected to be in high demand when they are introduced for the new ski season, with many customers set to take to the slopes and brush up on their skiing and snowboarding skills.

Sue Kendrick, the Communications Manager at Blackpool Airport, has said that there is an “overwhelming demand” for the direct route and she remains “confident these flights will prove popular from the word go”.

The new route is part of a number of new routes aimed at skiers and snowboarders being introduced by Jet2.com for next season. An increase in flights departing from airports such as Leeds Bradford, Manchester and Newcastle reflects a nationwide effort to encourage more people to use their local airports. The aim of this attempt is to help the environment and also reduce passengers' journey times.

The availability of flights from smaller airlines is often limited, so this new route will provide a greater choice for everyone. Not only will the route prove popular for skiers, but also with holidaymakers who want to enjoy a weekend break in Geneva or Salzburg.

Passengers will be pleased to hear that they can travel for as little as £29.99 one way, including all taxes and fees, meaning that a direct route to the Alps is not going to break the bank.

Balfour Beaty buys Blackpool Airport

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 13:16:55 UTC

Blackpool Airport users may notice a few changes over the coming months, as it has been announced that construction firm Balfour Beatty has just bought it for £14 million.

The RCA (Regional and City Airports) section of the company acquired a 95% stake in the airport, which follows on from the group’s purchase of Exeter International Airport in January for the far heftier price tag of £60 million.

The remaining 5% stake will stay in the hands of Blackpool Borough Council. They have supported the sale from the beginning, and have already submitted a statement which makes their position clear, claiming that it is “absolutely great news” for Blackpool.

The leader of Blackpool Council, Peter Callow, said: “Balfour Beatty will be able to take (the airport) to an even higher level” than it has already reached in recent times, adding that it means “growth for the whole area and more jobs for local people”.

It is hoped that the vast resources that Balfour Beatty has to offer will help to expand upon the existing services of the airport, providing more flights, amenities and the capacity for more customers. By the end of the year, the airport is expected to see up to half a million passengers use its flights, and Balfour Beatty will be looking to increase this over time.

Ian Tyler, the chief executive of Balfour Beatty, stated: “Blackpool International is a well located airport, with the potential to become a thriving international gateway to Lancashire and Cumbria.”

According to the (CAA) Civil Aviation Authority, Blackpool has the strongest growth of all the airports in the South West, and this is one of the reasons why the company got involved in the takeover.