by Queues at passport control, long waits to receive luggage and crowded airport lounges. The UK’s largest terminals (Gatwick, Heathrow, Manchester) may have the most routes, but their size can create a host of problems. Enter regional airports. These overlooked basics may not immediately come to mind when booking a vacation, but they’ve quietly been revolutionizing the way we travel. And now the big operators are taking note. Ryanair will begin offering flights from Norwich Airport for the first time next year, flying to Alicante, Faro and Malta on Mondays and Fridays.
Wartime origins
Technically, there are 50 airports in the UK that are considered “regional”, as the term refers to any airport outside London with passenger services. Its notable rise largely began during World War II. Most – such as Speke (now Liverpool John Lennon), Horsham St Faith (now Norwich), St Mawgan (Cornwall Newquay) and Eastleigh Airfield (Southampton) – were RAF bases, used during the war as bomber stations and, in Speke’s case. , a “shadow factory” for manufacturing.
Many of these air bases were transferred to local councils or fell under government control in the late 1940s, restructured to serve a commercial market. From Norwich, passengers flew to Amsterdam; from Plymouth to Chambery. Bournemouth was, surprisingly, “London airport” for a time. In 1946, Pan Am began flying from the terminal to New York, five days a week. The trip lasted almost 18 hours.
In fact, that model of using “urban” airports with dubious locations is regularly used in Europe today. Ryanair’s base in Milan, for example, is located about 45 kilometers from the city, near Bergamo. The practice allows airports to avoid the dangers of being in a major city (i.e., disruption to residents and the inability to grow) and reduces costs. But in the UK, Bournemouth never managed to compete with London’s offering, and smaller airports fell out of fashion in the latter part of the 20th century.
Introduction of low cost routes.
The limiting factor for regional airports is, of course, the number of air routes. Heathrow currently offers 214 destinations in 84 countries, which smaller airports cannot compete with. However, the early 2000s offered an opportunity in the form of low-cost airlines. At Bournemouth, the number of routes increased from 14 to 18 in 2009, taking passengers to destinations such as Malaga in Spain and Faro in Portugal with budget providers. There was optimism about Bmibaby operating from the airport and Flybe briefly started services. However, that initial wave of interest was cut short by the financial crisis: airlines went bankrupt and the business of running an airport became increasingly precarious. By 2011, Air Southwest had stopped flying from Plymouth and the popular airport closed.
However, despite the decline in passenger numbers, most regional airports survived. In 2011, Bournemouth served 613,755 passengers. As with most smaller airports, numbers remained stable, although some – such as Blackpool, which closed in 2014 – never recovered. However, it was the pandemic that became the most important threat. As Flybe closed and passengers dried up, the future of terminals such as East Midlands, Birmingham and Belfast City was left in doubt. Doncaster-Sheffield, which had served 1.25 million passengers in 2016, closed at the end of 2022, citing the collapse of the airline as a key factor.
“There have always been challenges,” says Andrew Boomer, operations director at Newquay Airport. “There was the Gulf War and then foot and mouth disease, which devastated the region. All these things came to test us, but I think the pandemic was a very, very big blow.”
Post-pandemic optimism
That trend, however, began to change. The closure of Doncaster-Sheffield helped nearby Leeds Bradford, where Wizz Air and TUI transferred their flights. Last year, August passengers at Exeter Airport surpassed 50,000 for the first time since before the pandemic, despite Flybe accounting for 80 per cent of its business. And in Newquay, there are now 21 routes in operation.
“Regions are proud of their airports,” says Andrew Bell, chief executive of the Regional and City Airports Group, which operates Bournemouth, Norwich, Exeter and Coventry.
“You tend to see that more vocally and publicly when one of them is at risk,” he continued. “It’s like a much larger version of the village pub or the post office. “If you have one, you want to make sure you keep it because they’re not building any more.”
In fact, global events were a major turning point for Newqay. The 2021 G7 Summit was held in Carbis Bay and world leaders landed at the airport ahead of the conference. Air Force One was photographed on the runway and Andrew Boomer noted that he “put them on the map.”
Competition from major airports also appears to be a welcome challenge. This summer’s most dramatic moments of travel chaos affected all airports equally, but other factors, such as train strikes, meant those with cars had a little more flexibility.
An alternative to large airports
“The USP of a regional airport is that it gives people the opportunity to travel in a much simpler way,” says Andrew Bell. “If you live locally, you can travel to a wide range of destinations with a much shorter and more convenient journey than through a larger airport.
“Just by definition, all the processes and the sheer size of the largest airport makes the whole experience more difficult and time-consuming. So it offers people a pretty attractive option: we will be able to take care of them in a much more personal way than a much larger airport would.”
Then there are domestic flights, which have offered a more flexible option in a year marked by rail strikes. The much-derided air passenger tax was also reduced earlier this year, making domestic air travel cheaper. As train fares increase, the number of people interested in flying domestically is likely to increase. For the south west, this could mean flying from Newquay to Gatwick (there are three flights a day), but domestic flights are also looking to change the way people get around to larger airports that offer more routes. So, instead of traveling to London or Manchester by car or train to catch an international flight, Newquay is positioning itself as a “gateway” to other destinations, with connecting flights to the two main cities.
Both representatives were keen to point out to Telegraph Travel that sustainability is a key concern. Andrew Bell said airports have a responsibility to consider the environment, while Andrew Boomer pointed to the evolution of sustainable aviation fuel as a possible solution. Both also stressed that their airports do not only deal with the transportation of tourists. Their ancillary functions, they argue, are extremely broad and the number of people they employ is crucial to the local economy. In Bournemouth, around 300 people work at the airport, and a further 4,000 work in businesses on campus.
“It’s a magnet for economic activity,” says Andrew Bell. “Regional airports have the space and flexibility to offer themselves as a place to innovate.” Train pilots and ground personnel, develop aircraft designs and perform aircraft maintenance; It all takes place in the UK’s smaller airports.
It is true that we are still in the early days. The lingering effects of the pandemic mean the resurgence of passengers must be treated with caution. However, airports are optimistic, promising better facilities, faster services and expanded routes. And the local demand appears to be there – campaigns in Plymouth and Doncaster Sheffield could eventually lead to their reopening. Therefore, we may be on the cusp of a regional airport resurgence.
“The use of these airports has adapted and fluid as the market, fashion and airlines have changed,” says Andrew Bell. “But they hold on.”
