Major growth for Birmingham travel hub
BIRMINGHAM Airport has recorded the busiest 12 months in its 77-year history as passenger numbers soar.
The transport hub welcomed 11 million passengers over the past year, just 12 months after breaking the ten million mark last August.
Comparing the same period between 2014 and 2015, 10.2 per cent more people have travelled through the airport due to airlines increasing capacity and launching new services to and from Birmingham.
The airport also recorded its busiest day to date on August 19, 2016, when 44,767 were recorded, 14.1 per cent more than the last busiest day recorded on the August 13, 2015.
Birmingham Airport’s chief executive Paul Kehoe said: “Reaching ten million passengers last August was a big milestone in the airport’s history but reaching 11 million is an absolute game changer.
“It shows that demand for flying to and from the Midlands is rapidly rising and this is only expected to continue as national and international investment in the region continues and the Midlands Engine powers on.
“We have celebrated a huge amount of accomplishments recently, including welcoming an astonishing 13 new airlines to the airport, creating an even stronger network of global routes.
“The future is exciting as we focus on the next milestone – 12 million passengers – and we will be working very hard over the next year to deliver even more connectivity for our region’s business and leisure travellers.”
Over the past 12 months, longhaul traffic from Birmingham Airport has increased by 26 per cent, with particular growth seen on services to the Middle East (+34.1 per cent), North America (+32.6 per cent) and Europe (+10.8 per cent).
Low-cost flights increased by 11.5 per cent, scheduled services overall grew by 6.9 per cent and charter flights by 2.4 per cent.
The 11 millionth passenger was James Sheffield, from Edgbaston, who travelled via the airport last Friday when he checked in for a flight to San Francisco via Newark.
He was treated by the airport to a meal and magnum of champagne.