More than one million people travelled through Bournemouth Airport between April and October after the airport recorded its busiest summer and a year-on-year rise of 28 per cent to 1,084,629 passengers.
The seven-month total grew by more than 237,000 passengers and reflects a period of major development at the airport as well as the arrival of Jet Two, which opened its twelfth UK base and launched sixteen routes this year alongside existing services from TUI and Ryanair.
This year the airport has nearly completed the first phase of its biggest ever development programme to support the new base and improve the overall experience for travellers. Work has included a new immigration and arrivals hall opened in October and an expanded main car park offering more than eight hundred additional spaces.
Behind the scenes, a new outbound baggage facility has been fully operational since June. Jet Two passengers have used a dedicated check-in area since February, and an expanded in-flight catering unit also opened in the same month.
The final stage of this year’s work is an enlarged baggage reclaim hall with new, larger carousels, which is expected to be ready in time for the Christmas holiday season.
In August the airport secured planning approval in principle from Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council for a future terminal expansion and further surface transport improvements. These will be delivered in phases as passenger numbers continue to grow.
Managing Director Steve Gill said the summer’s results reflected strong partnerships and an expanding choice of routes. He said the arrival of Jet Two had been transformational and that the current investment programme had prepared the airport for the next stage of growth.
Share us with your friends on social media, and have a listen to Bournemouth One online and on DAB for all your local news, traffic, jobs, weather, coastal info and more.
Register below for free regular updates via email.