Blackpool Airport
Blackpool Airport is an airport on the Fylde coast of Lancashire, England, in the Borough of Fylde, just outside the Borough of Blackpool. It was formerly known as Squires Gate Airport and Blackpool International Airport.
Ownership of the airport has changed a number of times over the years. The airport was wholly owned by Blackpool Borough Council until 2004, when it was sold to a consortium led by Wolverhampton Airport operators City Hopper Ltd, who operated it until May 2008 when Balfour Beatty purchased MAR Property's 95% stake. Blackpool Borough Council retained 5%. During 2014 Balfour Beatty claimed to be looking for a buyer for the airport, and then after just one month announced that it was to close the Airport. On 15 October 2014, the airport's terminal and Air Traffic Control provision was closed, with the last scheduled flights to Dublin and the Isle of Man leaving in the late afternoon. In November 2014, the former company formed a new company, called Squires Gate Airport Operations Ltd, and the airport reopened once again in December 2014 for non-commercial operations.
Executive flights are operated by Hangar 3 Blackpool Ltd, which offer access to a private aircraft hangar and private aircraft management as well as a flight briefing room and lounge facilities. NHV Helicopters operate helicopter services to the offshore oil and gas facilities in the Irish Sea, using two Agusta Westland helicopters from a purpose-built helicopter terminal facility. Blackpool Airport is also home to one of three Eurocopter EC135 helicopters operated by the North West Air Ambulance service; the other two helicopters operate from Manchester Barton and are regular visitors to Blackpool. UK Aviation Services specialise in the maintenance and repair of corporate and commercially owned helicopters. The company holds EASA Part 145 approvals for various Bell, Leonardo, Sikorsky, Airbus, Robinson, Guimbal and MD helicopters. There are many other companies situated on the airfield which offer flying lessons, training, private aircraft hire and maintenance facilities.
Blackpool Airport Limited has a Civil Aviation Authority Public Use Aerodrome Licence that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction. Passenger numbers peaked in 2007, with over 550,000 passing through the airport, but had fallen to 235,238 in 2012. In 2014, the last year of commercial operations, the airport handled 223,372 passengers, a drop of 15% compared to the 2013 stats; this is due to the stats running from 1 January until the closure of the airport on 15 October.
The airport is served by Squires Gate railway station.
History
The airport site's first aviation use was in October 1909, when the UK's first official public Flying Meeting was held on a specially laid out site at Squires Gate, followed by another in 1910. Between 1911 and 1915 the site became Blackpool Racecourse, and it was used as a military hospital during World War I and until 1924. Flights from the site resumed in the early 1930s. Small UK airlines used the airfield during the mid-1930s. Railway Air Services commenced schedules to Blackpool from 15 April 1935, linking the airport with the Isle of Man, Manchester and Liverpool. Connections could be made at the two cities to London and the south and west of England. In June 1937, airline operations were transferred to Stanley Park Aerodrome. The sister of aviation pioneer Amy Johnson lived in Stanley Park, resulting in her often paying a visit; Johnson's last complete flight was a ferry flight for the Air Transport Auxiliary from Squires Gate to Oxford.RAF Squires Gate
Work on enlarging and improving the airfield and facilities began in late 1937, but the aerodrome was requisitioned by the Air Ministry in 1938. Three bituminous runways were laid to support operations, with squadrons stationed at RAF Squires Gate during World War II including:- No. 63 Squadron, September 1939 to January 1940
- No. 75 Squadron, September 1939 to January 1940
- No. 215 Squadron, September 1939 to January 1940
- No. 96 Squadron
- No. 256 Squadron
- No. 308 Polish Fighter Squadron, September 1940 - October 1941
Training wing
The RAF also selected Blackpool as one of its training wings due to the availability of accommodation. Training was based between Squires Gate and the British Army camps at Weeton and Kirkham, utilising the large number of guest houses, plus the beaches, pier, and the Winter Gardens for exercising; 769,673 recruits received their basic training at Blackpool. The RAF also established two specialist training schools:- No. 3 School of General Reconnaissance
- No. 5 School of Technical Training, for air mechanics
Vickers shadow factory
The factory was reopened by Hawker Aircraft in the mid-1950s to augment the production of Hawker Hunter jet fighters, under contract SP/6ACFT/9817/CB 7a. Many Hunters were also built for the Swedish Air Force.
Post-war years
Scheduled flights were resumed by Isle of Man Air Services in summer 1946. Lancashire Aircraft Corporation and other private airlines established their bases at the airport from 1946 onwards. By 1949, the airfield was controlled by the Ministry of Civil Aviation and renamed Blackpool Airport.Prior to 2004, when the airport was sold to City Hopper Airports Limited, the airport was owned and operated by Blackpool Borough Council, who were losing £1 million per year before the £13 million sale.
Speaking about the sale, Julian Kearsley, strategic director of business services at the town hall, who helped broker the deal, said: "The airport is a key element in terms of developing the new Blackpool. It is not as if the council has sold off the family silver and lost any role in this. We wish to see the terminal continue as an airport as part of our ambitious plans for revitalising the whole area. This deal will see more jobs, it will save the council money and it protects the employment of people already there."
Cllr Roy Fisher, leader of Blackpool Council, said: "The sale of Blackpool Airport once agreed will be great news for everyone in Blackpool."
Cllr Robert Wynne, portfolio holder for partnerships, business and companies, added: "A year ago the council set itself specific targets with regard to Blackpool Airport: we wanted more flights, particularly those that brought people to the town, we wanted more quality jobs and we wanted a better deal for the council taxpayer. This agreement fulfils all those objectives. We will end up with a much better and busier airport at no cost whatsoever to the council taxpayer."
Development of the airport between 2005 and 2010
In the first decade of the 21st century, the airport steadily expanded, accommodating further helicopter operations for British Gas and attracting scheduled flights from budget airlines Jet2 and Ryanair. Since World War II, the airport has also been a centre for private, club, and general aviation.In 2005, Jet2 became the first major low cost airline to base an aircraft at Blackpool Airport. This created around 50 new jobs and boosted passenger numbers. It used to serve seven destinations from the airport—five in Spain, one in Portugal, and a domestic service to Belfast.
Also in 2005, Monarch set up a new route to Málaga, three times a week. The airline ceased services after a year, blaming low passenger numbers. However, Jet2 had earlier announced that it would be operating flights to Málaga.
Until January 2006 an Avro Vulcan bomber was on static external display close to the entrance to the airport. XL391's last operational role was at Ascension Island during the Falklands War in 1982; however, it only flew as a backup aircraft and never actually went to the Falklands. It was put up for sale in October 2004 on eBay and purchased by Manchester pub landlord Chris Ollerenshaw, who had intentions to transport it to his pub and display it in his beer garden. However, after finding out that the condition of the aircraft was so poor that moving it would be extremely challenging and that it would cost over £20,000, in addition to the reported £1,000 a week storage charge, Ollerenshaw pulled out of the deal and later relinquished ownership of the plane back to the airport. The Vulcan was then sold on for scrap for £4,800, and was completely removed from the site and scrapped on 12 January 2006.
During 2006, British NorthWest Airlines, the smallest airline based at Blackpool, stopped trading for both charter and scheduled flights. Flights to the Isle of Man were taken over by Citywing up to three times a day, with an onward connection to Belfast City. Citywing brought low fares to the Isle of Man and Belfast routes and passenger numbers on these route vastly increased in January 2007.
With the growth of the airport, a new carrier, operating under the name Jetstream Express, introduced flights in 2007 to Belfast City Airport, Aberdeen Airport and Southampton Airport. The Belfast route was in competition with Jet2, who operated a twice daily service to Northern Ireland. Two Jetstream 31s were based at the airport to support the operation, however, the service ended in June 2007 as the routes had not proved viable.
In 2007, Jet2 cancelled its Prague and Amsterdam services, blaming insufficient passenger numbers.
The airport was owned and operated by City Hopper Airports Limited, which also owns Wolverhampton Airport and Biella Airport in Italy, until January 2007, when it was placed under new management after one of its two major shareholders bought out its partner. MAR Properties Ltd agreed terms to take over full control of Blackpool and Wolverhampton Airports. In May 2008, it was announced that Balfour Beatty, who also owned Exeter Airport and Londonderry Eglinton Airport, had purchased MAR Property's 95% stake in the airport; the remaining 5% stake was held by Blackpool Borough Council.
On 6 May 2008, Balfour Beatty bought the 95% stake of the airport off CityHopper Airports Ltd for £14 million. The construction company also owned Exeter Airport.
On 18 July 2008, the Blackpool Gazette announced that Jet2 planned to suspend its daily service from Blackpool to Belfast International for the winter. A dip in passenger numbers and the rising price of oil had taken its toll on the service. According to the newspaper, Jet2 would restart the daily Belfast service from March 2009.
In the summer of 2008 Ryanair announced a large cut in capacity at a number of airports, including Stansted, from October 2008 to March 2009, although Blackpool was not affected by these cuts. However, on 25 November 2008, Ryanair announced the intention to withdraw all flights from 5 January 2009, following the airport's introduction of a £10 per person Airport Development Fee.
After the £10 Airport Development Fee was introduced at the start of 2009, a new airline was sought to replace Ryanair on its very popular route to Dublin. Aer Arann were their successors and commenced operations shortly after. The flights continued until the closure of the airport in 2014.