Airports - March April 2015

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Records tumble at Birmingham
BIRMINGHAM AIRPORT (BHX)
reported 2014 as its busiest-ever year,
ending with another record month in
December. BHX handled 9,707,449
passengers in 2014, 6.5% more than
in 2013. It also celebrated seven
record months – April, May, June, July,
August, November and December –
with Dublin, Dubai and Amsterdam
its top three routes. In December,
622,317 passengers travelled through,
up 8.4% year-on-year and the busiest
December since 2008.
The airport’s CEO, Paul Kehoe,
said: “During 2014 we experienced
seven record months and saw the
completion of a major package
of infrastructure works that has
prepared the airport for future
passenger growth. The passenger
records have been achieved as a
result of airlines introducing new
routes and more people realising
the ease of travelling to and through
Birmingham Airport – and the
coming year looks equally exciting
St Athan Busy
as we prepare for American Airlines,
Norwegian and Vueling to start
operations in the summer.
“We also expect Dubai to overtake
Dublin as the most popular
destination this year, as Emirates
get set to launch a third daily service
from August; and with more capacity
being offered by Turkish Airlines,
Air India, SAS, Brussels Airlines,
Aegean, Thomson and Thomas Cook,
travellers can expect more choice
than ever from Birmingham in 2015.”
IN BRIEF
American Express opened a new lounge
beside Gate 24 at Sydney International
Airport in February. It is for exclusive
use by its premium card members. The
facility is being run by Plaza Premium
and provides guests with complimentary
food and beverages, shower suites, Wi-Fi,
business facilities, flight information
screens, and local and international
magazines and newspapers.
Passenger numbers at Copenhagen
Airport grew by 6.5%, to 25,627,093
last year compared with 2013, the fourth
consecutive record year. There was a
significant rise in transfer passengers
– up by 12.6% – with the highest growth
rates on the important feeder routes from
Stockholm, Oslo and Bergen. International
traffic was up by 6.8% for the year while
domestic traffic rose 2.3%.
Liverpool/John Lennon Airport will welcome
a direct Czech Airlines link from Prague
on May 18. The carrier is expanding its
European network and the Liverpool service
will run year round on weekdays.
Yakutia Cargo Boeing 757-23APF VQ-BOX (c/n 24868) was noted outside Cardiff Aviation’s facility at
MoD St Athan on January 27 following repairs to its tail. Several companies are involved in developing
maintenance, repair and parting out activities at the site near Cardiff Airport, Wales. (Geoff Jones)
SCOTLAND’S REGIONAL airports
enjoyed their busiest year ever in
2014 according to latest figures.
A record 1.4 million passengers
passed through Highlands and
Islands Airports Limited’s (HIAL) 11
airports, almost 52,000 more than
the previous year, representing a
3.8% increase.
HIAL’s busiest airport, Inverness,
had its best year since 2008, with
628,526 passengers, up by 1.7% on
2013. This was largely as a result of
growing demand on the Manchester
and Amsterdam routes, which are
increasingly popular alternative
hubs to London, and the launch
of a new link with Dublin, which
offers connections to the United
States and Canada. Latest figures
show passenger numbers on the
Amsterdam route up 14%, while
Manchester’s figures soared by 32%
over the past year.
Sumburgh confirmed its status as
Scotland’s fastest growing major
airport with an 18.2% rise to 319,597
passengers. The airport is about
to undergo further investment
after Scottish Transport Minister
Best Ever Year for HIAL
Derek Mackay gave the go-ahead
for funding for a second phase of
redevelopment.
Barra recorded an 11.5% increase in
the amount of travellers while Islay,
Stornoway and Tiree also enjoyed
strong growth during the year.
There was more modest growth at
Benbecula and Kirkwall. Numbers
fell slightly at Campbeltown and by
19.5% at Dundee, though the decline
has slowed in recent months. At
Wick/John O’Groats traveller levels
HIAL Passenger Statistics
returned to more typical levels for the
airport following a surge in 2013 due
to increased but short- term offshore
helicopter activity.
Managing Director Inglis Lyon said:
“We are delighted with performance
of the group as a whole, particularly
at Sumburgh and Barra, which have
been our fastest growing airports.
The success of these two underlines
the importance of aviation for
business and tourism in our island
communities.”
Airport 2014 2013 % change
Barra 10,560 9,474 11.5
Benbecula 33,367 32,805 1.7
Campbeltown 9,774 9,910 -1.4
Dundee 22,865 28,420 -19.5
Inverness 628,526 617,719 1.7
Islay 28,460 26,981 5.5
Kirkwall 177,419 176,605 0.5
Stornoway 133,094 126,586 5.1
Sumburgh 319,597 270,349 18.2
Tiree 9,880 9,038 9.3
Wick/JoG 32,688 46,433 -29.6
Total 1,406,230 1,354,320 3.8
Singapore/Changi Airport recorded 54.1
million passengers last year, a 0.7%
increase compared with 2013 and the
busiest in its 33-year history. Cargo
volumes were stable at 1.84 million tonnes,
while flight movements dipped 0.7% to
341,390. Airfreight shipments between
Singapore and Japan rose 7.5% yearon-year,
boosted by the commencement
of a new Okinawa-Singapore service by
ANA Cargo. Two of Singapore’s key trade
partners – Australia and China – also
exhibited positive growth of 5.7% and
1.3% respectively.
Last year Prague’s Václav Havel Airport
exceeded the 11 million passengers a year
mark for the first time. The 11,149,926
figure represents a 1.6 % increase
compared with the previous year.
Several new carriers helped to boost
the numbers, including Adria Airways,
Ryanair, Transavia France, Air Transat,
Pegasus Airlines and flydubai.
Portugal’s Lisbon Airport handled more
than 18 million travellers last year –
two million more than 2013 equating
to a rise of 13.5%. This impressive
performance was down to several
factors, among them Turkish Airlines
which is planning to further increase
services between Istanbul, Lisbon and
Porto this year.
Construction has begun on the new Jewel
Changi Airport project in Singapore (see
Airports of the World, issue 51, p60).
Mott MacDonald is the building services
consultant for the development, which
will feature attractions, retail offerings, a
hotel and other amenities. Completion is
set for 2018.
www.airportsworld.com 11