Business is taking off once more as millions fly out from EMA

AIRPORT GEARED UP FOR ITS BUSIEST SUMMER SINCE BEFORE THE PANDEMIC BEGAN

EAST Midlands Airport is expected to see more passengers than even before the pandemic as the summer holidays edge closer.

Airports across the country saw a mad dash to escape after travel restrictions were lifted after the last lockdown, but this year could be the busiest since 2019 for the Castle Donington airport.

It saw 312,361 passengers through its terminal in April – 24.9 per cent higher than the same month last year.

The airport is expecting to see four million passengers this year which will be an uplift of more than 600,000 passengers compared with 2022.

The extra passengers come as the airport’s regular airlines add to their fleet of aircraft as well as additional routes to popular holiday destinations

New routes have also been introduced as part of the summer season.

People can now fly to Cornwall from East Midlands thanks to a new Eastern Airways service.

The flights reach Newquay on the Cornish coast in just over an hour – four hours less than it would be to go by car.

A new frequent connection to Paris Orly Airport was also introduced earlier this year.

People will be able to fly to 60 destinations from the airport overall between now and October.

According to the airport, Civil

Aviation Authority (CAA) data showed there were fewer delays at the airport than at any other in the UK last year.

Despite an overall positive start to the summer season this year, some passengers were hit by technical problems and staffing shortages in April this year at the start of the Easter getaway.

But the airport’s managing director says it is focused on giving passengers a “seamless” experience as the season goes on.

Steve Griffiths said: “I’m very much looking forward to our strongest year since 2019. All the pre-season planning is paying off and we’re in a great place as we approach our busiest time of year for passenger operations.

“As predicted, we will welcome more passengers this year than in 2022 as confidence and demand continues to recover following the pandemic. Our focus is to provide a seamless experience to all passengers who use EMA so they have the best possible start to their trips.”