Expansion of UK Airports due to growing number of flights

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Expansion of UK Airports

There is a lot happening at UK airports at the moment. Heathrow airport, the world's busiest international airport with 67.3 million passengers in 2006, is working on a �4.2 billion terminal 5, hoping for a new runway in 2010 and another new terminal called Heathrow East. Gatwick Airport, the worlds busiest single runway airport (two terminals, but one runway), with 34.1 million passengers in 2006, continues to hope for a new runway in 2020.

These two London airports still dominate in terms of flights and passenger numbers, but regional airports are growing at a much faster rate. The two other large London airports, Stansted Airport and Luton Airport, where the UK's original budget airline started, continue to grow at a steady rate. Stansted airport will be the site for the first of the UK's new runways some time after 2013, if it can get planning approval. There will be consultation on the expansion of Luton Airport's runway.

UK flights - airports

Increasing UK flights results in expansion plans for airports

But it is at the regional airports, led by Manchester, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Newcastle and Bristol, where the growth is much more dramatic. These airports have been transformed by the emergence of budget airlines, all doubling in size over the last 10 years and aiming to double again over the next 10.

These smaller UK airports are not content with short haul routes and the larger ones are now picking up inter-continental routes too. Many, including Belfast, Cardiff, Leeds Bradford, Liverpool, East Midlands and Southampton, have set a key target of increasing the number of routes they offer.

Then there are smaller UK airports and even new airports adding routes and offering more choice and local flights to a growing number of UK residents. Many, including Aberdeen, Bournemouth, Coventry, Durham Tees Valley, Kent, London City, Norwich, Prestwick and Robin Hood, have all set 1 million passengers a year as a realistic target. Some will even achieve it this year.

Written on: 20th July 2007