Bournemouth Airport boost

Bournemouth Airport expects to handle more than one million passengers in 2024 as Ryanair confirms its 19th destination from the airport.

Situated just off the A338, and once called Hurn and a transatlantic gateway, it is also a major aircraft engineering base.  The airport competes with Southampton Airport, just under 30 miles away through the New Forest, and Exeter, 80 miles to the west.  

And to cater for the expected passenger growth, airport owners Regional and City Airports is investing more than £5m in new facilities, equipment, staff and training.

Ryanair has started twice weekly flights to the beach destination of Agadir (Morocco), following the success of its 2023 season which saw it base a second aircraft at the airport for the summer, increasing the number of flights by 30% to 120 a week.

And tour operator TUI has added a second Jet2 aircraft at Bournemouth for this year with an extra 60,000 seats available, a 33% increase on its 2023 schedule. TUI has 14 destinations from Bournemouth with increased frequency planned on many routes next year.

The growth in destinations and frequency means the airport, which employs more than 250 people, expects to exceed one million passengers in 2024. The last time it hit that milestone was in 2008, 15 years ago.

Steve Gill, Managing Director of Bournemouth Airport, said: “We’ve embarked on a major investment programme to cater for the anticipated growth in passenger numbers. Before the pandemic we saw 800,000 passengers. Having exceeded that this year, we are confident of seeing more than one million in 2024.

“That’s a tremendous achievement and reflects the great range of destinations available from Bournemouth Airport and our commitment to providing the best possible experience for passengers.

“While our investment programme continues, we thank passengers for their patience and aim to complete the majority of work during the quieter winter months.”

In the coming months passengers will notice several improvements in the terminal as part of the investment programme. These include an upgraded security search area with new scanning equipment to relax the restriction on liquids and the need to take electrical items out of bags, when the works are complete.

There will be a new airport information desk, improved baggage screening, an extra baggage retrieval area in the Arrivals terminal, more Border Force desks in Arrivals and improved queuing systems for passenger handling in both Departures and Arrivals.

Bournemouth Airport now has 36 destinations on offer. In 2023 it was ranked one of the top three airports in the UK for customer service, and it has won plaudits for the quality of service provided to disabled and less mobile passengers.

www.bournemouthairport.com

Index/Home page
 

READERS' COMMENT

All comments are filtered to exclude any excesses but the Editor does not have to agree with what is being said. 200 words maximum

David Starkie, United Kingdom

Car Parking expensive, drop off too, unfortunately.