Long-serving Airport staff (left to right) John Aitken, Don Jaggs, Pete Sheppard, Paul MacDonald, Pete Turton, James Jackson,
Neil Streeter, Pat McBride and Bob Spittle
.
It may have been the year when Torvill and Dean skated into
the record books and Duran Duran were rocking the charts, but
closer to home 1984 was also the year when Birmingham Airport
was put firmly on the map, with the official opening of its "new"
£29m terminal, a milestone celebrated on 30 May 2009
.
The project was completed 12 weeks ahead of schedule and put
.
The project was completed 12 weeks ahead of schedule and put
Birmingham in the vanguard of airport development, with one of
the most modern terminal facilities to be found anywhere in Europe
the most modern terminal facilities to be found anywhere in Europe
.
Opening to the public on 4 April 1984, the new terminal was officially opened on 30 May 1984 by Her Majesty the Queen,
accompanied by His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh,
and comprised of what is now Terminal 1 as well as new
taxiways and related infrastructure. This included the
construction of car parks and improved commuter links,
a stark contrast to the original Elmdon site which had
served Birmingham so well since 1939
.
By 1984 the Airport had grown to handle just over 1.7 million passengers annually, while 25 years later the Midlands’
gateway to the world edges ever closer to the 10 million
mark, as local travellers continue to make Birmingham their
airport of choice
.
To mark the occasion a number of employees who have
.
To mark the occasion a number of employees who have
worked at the Airport since before the move to the current
site met up to share their memories of the last quarter of a
century, a time which has seen much change, not just at
Birmingham but across the aviation industry as a whole
.
Paul Kehoe, Birmingham Airport’s Chief Executive Officer,
.
Paul Kehoe, Birmingham Airport’s Chief Executive Officer,
said, "It is poignant that at a time when we are focusing on
the future, with planning permission secured for a runway
extension, that we should also be looking back to the opening
of the Airport’s current site. It certainly doesn’t seem 25 years
since the Airport unveiled its new terminal and it has seen
plenty of changes throughout the years!"
.
"This year also marks the Airport’s 70th anniversary and
.
"This year also marks the Airport’s 70th anniversary and the opening of our new £40 million International Pier, so it
certainly promises to be a busy 12 months, which will see a
number of milestones marked. Hopefully people will look
back in another 25 years and recognise 2009 as a historic
year in the development of the Airport"
.
Wednesday 3 June 2009