Birmingham Airport has broken through the rolling "11 million passengers in a year"
total just a year after breaking the 10 million passenger mark in August 2015 - this
represents a 10.2% increase compared with the same period last year
The airport has also recorded its busiest single day to date on Friday 19 August 2016
when 44,767 passengers travelled through the terminal - the previous busiest day was
on Friday 28 August 2015
The eleven-millionth passenger, James Sheffield from Edgbaston in Birmingham, set
the milestone on Friday 19 August 2016 as he checked in for his United Airlines flight
to San Francisco (via Newark). He was treated by the Airport to a slap up meal and
a magnum of champagne
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Birmingham Airport's Head of Communications, Justine Howl is pictured with the millionth passenger, James Sheffield
and United Airlines' Birmingham Supervisor, Anna O'nions and Customer Service Agent, Chris Thacker |
Mr Sheffield, who was jetting off to visit friends in San Francisco for a week-long holiday,
said: "Now that was a check-in with a difference! I wondered what was happening when
I arrived at the desk and airport officials approached me, but what a fantastic surprise.
It's kicked off my holiday brilliantly and I look forward to enjoying my huge bottle of
champagne with friends when I return"
Birmingham Airport's Chief Executive Officer, Paul Kehoe, said: "Reaching 10 million
passengers last August was a big milestone in the airport's history but reaching
11 million is an absolute game changer. It shows that demand for flying to and from
the Midlands is rapidly rising and this is only expected to continue as national and
international investment in the region continues and the Midlands Engine powers on"
"We have celebrated a huge amount of accomplishments recently, including welcoming
an astonishing thirteen new airlines to the airport, creating an even stronger network of
global routes. We now have over 440 direct or one-stop flights globally with 50 airlines
and proudly handle the magnificent Airbus A380 and Boeing "dreamliner" aircraft daily"
"The future is exciting as we focus on the next milestone - twelve million passengers
- and we will be working very hard over the next year to deliver even more connectivity
for our region's business and leisure travellers"
Over the last 12 months, long-haul traffic has increased by 26%, with particular growth
seen on services to the Middle East (+34.1%), North America (+32.6%) and Europe
(+10.8%). Low cost flights increased by 11.5%, scheduled services overall grew by 6.9%
and charter by 2.4%. Monthly passenger number records have been broken consecutively
for the last seventeen months at Birmingham Airport
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| Monday 22 August 2016 |
