Birmingham Airport

For the Birmingham, Alabama airport, see Birmingham–Shuttlesworth International Airport.
Birmingham Airport
IATA: BHXICAO: EGBB
Summary
Airport type Public
Owner
Operator Birmingham Airport Ltd
Serves Birmingham, United Kingdom
Location Bickenhill, West Midlands and Birmingham, West Midlands
Hub for Flybe[2]
Elevation AMSL 341 ft / 104 m
Coordinates 52°27′14″N 001°44′53″W / 52.45389°N 1.74806°W / 52.45389; -1.74806Coordinates: 52°27′14″N 001°44′53″W / 52.45389°N 1.74806°W / 52.45389; -1.74806
Website birminghamairport.co.uk
Map
EGBB

Location in the West Midlands

Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
15/33 3,052 10,013 Asphalt
Statistics (2015)
Passengers 10,187,122
Passenger change 14-15 Increase5.0%
Aircraft Movements (2015) 98,015
Movements change 14-15 Increase0.7%
Sources: UK AIP at NATS[3]
Statistics from the UK Civil Aviation Authority[4]

Birmingham Airport (IATA: BHX, ICAO: EGBB), formerly Birmingham International Airport[5] is an international airport located 5.5 nautical miles (10.2 km; 6.3 mi) east southeast of Birmingham city centre, at Bickenhill in Solihull, Birmingham, England. The airport is a base for Flybe, Monarch, Ryanair, Thomas Cook Airlines and Thomson Airways. The airport offers both domestic flights within the UK, and international flights to destinations in Europe, the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent, North America and the Caribbean. Passenger throughput in 2015 was over 10.1 million, making Birmingham the seventh busiest UK airport.[4] Birmingham has a CAA Public Use Aerodrome Licence (Number P451) that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction.

Location

Aerial view of Birmingham Airport from the west, before the construction of the new International Pier

Birmingham Airport is 5.5 NM (10.2 km; 6.3 mi) east-south-east of Birmingham city centre, in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull. It is bordered by the National Exhibition Centre to the east, Marston Green to the north, Sheldon to the west, and the village of Bickenhill to the south.

It is primarily served by the A45 main road, and is near Junction 6 of the M42 motorway. It is connected by the elevated AirRail Link with Birmingham International railway station on the West Coast Main Line.

The airport's location south-east of the city, plus the only operational runway being north-west – south-east (15/33), means that depending on wind direction, aircraft land or take-off directly over Birmingham. The relatively short north-east – south-west runway (06/24) is not operational, and has been incorporated into the taxiway for aircraft departing the end of runway 33, or gaining access to runway 15.

History

Where Birmingham Airport is now, as it was around 1921. (See[6] for a modern map of Birmingam Airport and surroundings.)
The Maglev rapid transport system, which operated from 1984 to 1995, was the first commercial maglev system in the world

World War II

1950 – 2000

During the post-war years, public events, such as air fairs and air races were held on the site. In 1961 an additional terminal building to handle international traffic was opened, called The International Building.[8] In 1967 the main runway was extended to 7,400 feet (1.4 miles) to allow jet operations, including introducing VC-10 services to New York.

The AirRail Link joins the railway station to the airport, operated by a track and pulley system

In 1993, the Government limited public sector borrowing. This meant that the airport could only expand by using private sector finance. 51% of the local council shares were sold to restructure the airport into a private sector company, enabling a £260 million restructuring programme to begin in 1997.

2001 – 2010

Terminal 1 arrivals (right) and The Millennium Link Arrivals Block (centre to left). An Air Malta can be seen taxiing in the background.
The main check in hall in Terminal 1 at Birmingham Airport
Terminal 2 check-in area at Birmingham Airport
Part of the departure lounge in Terminal 1 at Birmingham Airport
Interior of the new International Pier

2010 – date

Runway Extension

Plans for the extension of the airport runway, and the construction of the new air traffic control tower, were submitted to Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council in January 2008, and approved in March 2009.[14] The construction of the runway extension, and the new air traffic control tower, began in March 2011.

The extension to the southern end of the runway originally required the A45 Coventry Road to be diverted into a tunnel under the extended section, but to cut immediate costs, it was diverted to the south of the runway instead. In August 2013, the old carriageway of the A45 road was closed, and the new carriageway was opened.[25][26]

Originally, the target for completion was in time for the 2012 London Olympics and Paralympics. However, work began in late 2012, and the runway was completed in early May 2014.[30] The runway extension began to be used by aircraft in May 2014, and was officially opened on 22 July 2014, when China Southern Airlines operated its first charter flight between Birmingham and Beijing. This was the first aircraft that needed to make use of the new runway length.

The extension caused controversy as more than 2,000 local residents complained about the increased noise levels due to the new flight path around the airport that was required after the runway was extended.[30]

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

AirlinesDestinations
Aegean Airlines Seasonal: Athens
Aer Lingus Dublin
Aer Lingus Regional
operated by Stobart Air
Cork, Dublin, Shannon
Air France Paris-Charles de Gaulle
Air India Amritsar, Delhi
Air Malta Seasonal: Malta
Air Transat Seasonal: Toronto-Pearson
American Airlines New York–JFK
Austrian Airlines Seasonal: Innsbruck
Beijing Capital Airlines Seasonal: Beijing–Capital (begins 23 July 2016)[31] Hangzhou (begins 19 July 2016)[31]
BH Air Seasonal: Burgas
Blue Air Bucharest
Brussels Airlines Brussels
Brussels Airlines
operated by Flybe
Brussels[32]
Czech Airlines Prague
Eastern Airways Newcastle upon Tyne
easyJet Belfast-International
Seasonal: Geneva,[33] Grenoble
easyJet Switzerland Seasonal: Geneva
Emirates Dubai-International
Eurowings Düsseldorf, Hamburg
Evelop Airlines Seasonal charter: Palma de Mallorca
Flybe Aberdeen, Amsterdam, Belfast-City, Berlin-Tegel, Düsseldorf, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Guernsey, Hannover, Inverness, Jersey, Knock,[34] Luxembourg (begins 5 September 2016),[35] Lyon, Milan-Malpensa, Nantes (begins 21 May 2016), Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Rotterdam (begins 5 September 2016),[36] Stuttgart
Seasonal: Avignon, Bastia, Bergerac, Biarritz, Bordeaux, Brest, Chambéry, Geneva, Innsbruck, La Rochelle, Limoges (begins 21 May 2016), Newquay, Rennes (begins 21 May 2016)
Flybe
operated by Stobart Air
Isle of Man
Iberia Express Madrid
Icelandair Reykjavík-Keflavík
KLM Amsterdam
KLM
operated by KLM Cityhopper
Amsterdam
Lufthansa Frankfurt, Munich
Monarch Airlines Alicante, Barcelona, Faro, Fuerteventura, Funchal, Gibraltar, Lanzarote, Las Palmas, Lisbon (begins 17 June 2016),[37] Madrid (begins 17 June 2016),[37] Málaga, Nice, Palma de Mallorca, Rome-Fiumicino, Sharm el-Sheikh (suspended), Tenerife-South
Seasonal: Dalaman, Dubrovnik, Grenoble, Heraklion, Ibiza, Larnaca, Menorca, Paphos, Preveza, Salzburg, Turin, Venice-Marco Polo
Norwegian Air Shuttle Barcelona, Las Palmas, Madrid, Málaga, Tenerife-South
Pakistan International Airlines Islamabad
Qatar Airways Doha
Ryanair Alicante, Barcelona, Bratislava, Bydgoszcz, Dublin, Faro, Fuerteventura, Gdańsk, Katowice, Kraków, Lanzarote, Las Palmas, Madrid, Málaga, Malta, Murcia, Palma de Mallorca, Sofia (begins 1 November 2016), Tenerife-South, Verona, Vilnius, Warsaw-Modlin (begins 31 October 2016)
Seasonal: Corfu, Ibiza, Perpignan
Scandinavian Airlines Copenhagen
Swiss International Air Lines Zürich
Swiss International Air Lines
operated by Helvetic Airways
Zürich
Thomas Cook Airlines Alicante, Antalya, Dalaman, Faro, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote, Las Palmas, Malaga, Sharm el-Sheikh (suspended),[38] Tenerife-South
Seasonal: Almería, Banjul, Bodrum, Burgas, Corfu, Enfidha, Grenoble, Heraklion, Hurghada, Ibiza, Izmir, Kalamata, Kefalonia, Kos, Larnaca, Malta (begins 4 May 2017), Menorca, Mytilene, Naples (begins 2 May 2017), Palma de Mallorca, Paphos, Reus, Rhodes, Salzburg, Santorini, Turin, Zakynthos
Thomson Airways Alicante, Antalya, Boa Vista, Cancún, Enfidha (suspended), Fuerteventura, Funchal, Hurghada, Lanzarote, Las Palmas, Málaga, Marrakech, Montego Bay, Orlando-Sanford, Palma de Mallorca, Paphos, Punta Cana, Sal, Sharm el Sheikh (suspended),[39] Tenerife-South
Seasonal: Almería, Barbados, Bodrum, Bourgas, Catania, Chambéry, Chania, Corfu, Dalaman, Dubai-Al Maktoum (begins 8 November 2016), Dubrovnik, Enontekiö, Faro, Geneva, Genoa, Gerona, Heraklion, Ibiza, Innsbruck, Kavala, Kefalonia, Kittilä, Kos, Larnaca, Menorca, Naples, Porto Santo, Pula, Reus, Rhodes, Rovaniemi, Salzburg, Santorini, Skiathos, Toulouse, Turin, Zakynthos
Titan Airways Seasonal charter: Chambéry
Turkish Airlines Istanbul-Atatürk
Turkmenistan Airlines Ashgabat
United Airlines Newark
Vueling Alicante (begins 17 June 2016), Barcelona, Málaga (begins 1 November 2016), Tenerife-South (begins 2 June 2016)
Wizz Air Bucharest (begins 22 May 2016),[40] Budapest, Poznań, Sofia, Warsaw-Chopin, Wrocław

Cargo

AirlinesDestinations
Atlantic Airlines Isle of Man
BinAir Charter: Bilbao, Cologne/Bonn, Katowice, Porto
FedEx Express Manchester, Paris-Charles de Gaulle

Traffic and Statistics

Emirates Airbus A380 taking off from Birmingham Airport
Qatar Airways Boeing 787 Dreamliner taxing to the runway at Birmingham Airport
Air Transat Airbus A310 at Birmingham Airport
American Airlines Boeing 757 at Birmingham Airport
United Airlines Boeing 757 at Birmingham Airport
Turkmenistan Airlines Boeing 777 landing at Birmingham Airport

Passenger numbers

Birmingham handled over 10.1 million passengers in 2015, a record total for the airport making it the seventh busiest UK airport.[4]

Number of
Passengers[41]
Number of
Movements[42]
Birmingham Airport Passenger Totals
2000–2015 (millions)
1997 6,025,485 79,880
1998 6,709,086 88,332
1999 7,013,913 98,749
2000 7,596,893 108,972
2001 7,808,562 111,008
2002 8,027,730 112,284
2003 9,079,172 116,040
2004 8,862,388 109,202
2005 9,381,425 112,963
2006 9,147,384 108,658
2007 9,226,340 114,679
2008 9,627,589 112,227
2009 9,102,899 101,221
2010 8,572,398 95,454
2011 8,616,296 93,145
2012 8,922,539 92,632
2013 9,120,201 95,713
2014 9,705,955 97,346
2015 10,187,122 98,015
Source: UK Civil Aviation Authority[4]

Route statistics

Busiest domestic and Crown dependency routes (2015)[4]
Rank Airport Passengers handled % change
2014/15
1 Edinburgh277,911Increase2.2
2 Belfast-City256,023Decrease1.7
3 Glasgow International226,704Decrease1.2
4 Belfast-International196,202Increase9.3
5 Aberdeen115,812Decrease7.4
6 Jersey58,735Increase4.5
7 Isle of Man42,606Decrease3.9
8 Inverness41,359Increase0.3
9 Guernsey33,746Increase34.5
10 Newquay23,659Increase31.4
Busiest international routes to and from Birmingham Airport (2015)[4]
Rank Airport Passengers handled % Change
2014/15
1 Dublin780,743Increase18.0
2 Dubai610,649Increase15.7
3 Amsterdam563,915Increase11.1
4 Paris-Charles de Gaulle402,975Increase4.3
5 Frankfurt314,685Increase3.9
6 Alicante301,301Decrease0.2
7 Malaga290,778Increase19.7
8 Tenerife South273,380Decrease1.1
9 Palma de Mallorca254,763Decrease3.9
10 Düsseldorf219,051Increase10.4
11 Lanzarote218,000Increase0.0
12 Faro208,693Increase2.3
13 Barcelona193,334Increase37.7
14 Munich185,185Increase4.7
15 Dalaman170,610Increase2.6
16 Brussels143,643Increase20.0
17 Istanbul139,296Increase17.2
18 Delhi130,092Increase63.8
19 Sharm el-Sheikh127,024Increase6.8
20 Fuerteventura124,333Increase9.8

Accidents and incidents

Security incidents

Ground transportation

Public transport

Rail

Birmingham Airport is served by Birmingham International station. The station is on the West Coast Main Line between Birmingham and London, and trains are operated by London Midland, Virgin Trains, Arriva Trains Wales and CrossCountry. Access between the railway station and the airport terminal is provided by the free AirRail Link.[59]

Preceding station   AirRail Link   Following station
Birmingham International   AirRail Link   Terminus

Proposed High Speed Two

The proposed 'Birmingham Interchange'

As part of the proposed High Speed Two rail link, a new railway station called Birmingham Interchange would be built to serve both the airport and the National Exhibition Centre. The station would be built on the far side of the M42 motorway and connect to the airport using a "rapid transit people mover". If the project is given the go ahead, High Speed Two is currently planned for completion by 2026.[60]

Bus and coach

National Express West Midlands operates the main bus routes calling at Birmingham Airport, those being the number 900 to Birmingham city centre and Coventry, and the 966 to Erdington and Solihull. Additionally service 97A to Birmingham via Chelmsley Wood now runs to the airport 24hrs a day.[61] Other smaller operators also call at the airport. Bus stops are situated outside Terminal One.[62] Most buses are operated by National Express West Midlands, who do not give change when selling tickets, so foreign travellers will need to ensure they have British coins when taking a local bus.[63]

National Express Coaches operate various long distance coaches calling at Birmingham Airport on the way to or from Birmingham Coach Station, such as the 777 and the 422.

Taxi

Black cabs are available at the taxi-rank outside the arrivals area of the terminal.

Car

Drop-off zone at Birmingham Airport

Birmingham Airport is accessible from the north and south via Junction Six of the M42 motorway. From Birmingham city centre, the A45 runs directly to the airport. There is a drop-off area available outside the terminal; charges apply when parking for more than ten minutes.

Bicycle

The only cycle route available heads south over the A45 travelling towards Solihull. Birmingham Airport have however published "recommended routes" for cyclists.[64] Free short term cycle parking is available close to the terminal. For longer stays, bicycles must be stored in Left Luggage for a charge.[65]

See also

References

  1. "Birmingham Airport". Airport Watch. Retrieved 20 November 2013.
  2. http://www.flybe.com/birminghamhub/
  3. "NATS - AIS - Home". Retrieved 4 June 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Aircraft and passenger traffic data from UK airports". UK Civil Aviation Authority. 25 March 2016. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
  5. "We're Saying 'Hello World' As We Relaunch Our Brand". Birmingham Airport.
  6. "Google Maps". Google Maps. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
  7. "The History of Birmingham International Airport". Birmingham International Airport. Retrieved 29 April 2008.
  8. "The History of Birmingham International Airport". Birmingham International Airport. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
  9. "Birmingham Airport Award". Airports Council International. Retrieved 27 November 2007.
  10. "Birmingham Airport Master Plan". Birmingham Airport.
  11. "Birmingham Airport reveals vision of new runway". Birmingham Post. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  12. "Airport closes its oldest runway". BBC. 28 December 2007. Archived from the original on 4 April 2014.
  13. "Emirates opens £1,3 million lounge for passengers at Birmingham". Birmingham Mail.
  14. 1 2 Birmingham Airport Runway Planning Notice
  15. "Birmingham Airport changes name". Birmingham Mail.
  16. "New Agency to Manage Rebrand Announced". birminghamairport.com.
  17. "Birmingham Airport (home page)". Retrieved 4 November 2010.
  18. Communicate magazine Birmingham Airport says 'Hello' to a new identity, Communicate magazine, November 2010
  19. "Plane spotting at Birmingham Airport". TMC Ltd.
  20. "HS2 'will bring Birmingham Airport closer to London'". BBC News. 23 February 2011.
  21. 1 2 "New Air Traffic Control Facility". Birmingham Airport.
  22. 1 2 Smith, Graham. "Birmingham Airport runway extension ready next week".
  23. "Runway extension at Birmingham International Airport could be completed by 2012 Olympic Games". Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  24. Cartledge, James. "Birmingham Airport runway scheme back on track".
  25. 1 2 "Birmingham Airport runway extension work starts". BBC News Online. 28 November 2012. Retrieved 18 December 2012.
  26. 1 2 "Preferred Contractor Announced for Runway Extension Scheme".
  27. ["http://www.airport-world.com/news/general-news/4772-pension-fund-raises-stake-in-uk-s-birmingham-airport.html" "Pension fund raises stake in UK's Birmingham Airport"] Check |url= value (help). January 2, 2015.
  28. "Emirates to introduce first regular scheduled Airbus A380 service into Birmingham Airport from March 2016". Birmingham Airport.
  29. 1 2 Graham Smith. "Birmingham Airport runway extension ready next week - Business Traveller". Retrieved 4 June 2015.
  30. 1 2 http://www.businesstraveller.com/news/beijing-capital-airlines-to-launch-two-birmingh
  31. https://www.flybe.com/corporate/media/news/1203/08a.htm
  32. "Cheap flights from Birmingham to Geneva". easyJet. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
  33. "Major boost for the West of Ireland as Europes largest regional airline, Flybe, to launch new year round services to Birmingham and Edinburgh from Ireland West Airport in 2016". Knock Airport. 9 November 2015. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
  34. http://www.bqlive.co.uk/2016/03/02/birmingham-airport-lands-new-luxembourg-service/
  35. http://www.businesstraveller.com/news/102211/flybe-to-fly-manchester-and-birmingham-to-rotte
  36. 1 2 "Monarch Airlines Adds New Routes in S16". Airlineroute.net. Retrieved 23 December 2015.
  37. https://www.thomascook.com/sharm-el-sheikh-customer-information/#intcmp=HelloBar_SharmUpdate
  38. http://www.thomson.co.uk/destinations/travel-information
  39. https://wizzair.com/en-GB/about_us/news/wizzen351/
  40. Number of Passengers including domestic, international and transit.
  41. Number of Movements represents total takeoffs and landings during that year.
  42. Harro Ranter. "ASN Aircraft incident 19-JAN-1973 Vickers 813 Viscount G-AZLR". Retrieved 4 June 2015.
  43. "AAIB Report on N90AG accident"
  44. "Report on the serious incident to Airbus A310-304, registration F-OJHI, on approach to Birmingham International Airport on 23 February 2006". UK AAIB. Retrieved 28 December 2007.
  45. "AAIB Report on OO=TND incident"
  46. Harro Ranter (15 June 2006). "ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 737-301F OO-TND East Midlands Airport (EMA)". Retrieved 4 June 2015.
  47. "BBC News article, 27 July 2006 – Cargo plane crash pilots sacked"
  48. "Cargo flight 'a near catastrophe'". BBC News Online. 29 April 2008. Retrieved 29 April 2008.
  49. http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20060615-0. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  50. "Birmingham airport plane crash: Liver transplant operation goes ahead successfully – Top Stories – News – Birmingham Mail". Retrieved 20 November 2010.
  51. "Airport at centre of security row". Birmingham Mail. 4 June 2007.
  52. "AIRPORT SECURITY WHO WOULD RATHER READ SLEEP THAN X-RAY BAGS". The Express.
  53. "Airport security lapses exposed". BBC News. 4 June 2007.
  54. "Arson attack on police helicopter". BBC News. 8 June 2009. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
  55. http://www.caa.co.uk/application.aspx?catid=60&pagetype=65&appid=1&mode=detailnosummary&fullregmark=WMAO
  56. "west midlands police ready to take off with new chopper". Birmingham Mail. July 2010.
  57. "Man accused of Birmingham Airport security breach". BBC News.
  58. "Birmingham International Station". Birmingham Airport.
  59. "High Speed Rail Command Paper" (PDF). DfT.
  60. "Network West Midlands". Route 97.
  61. "Coach or Bus". Birmingham Airport.
  62. One Black Bear. "Cash Fares - Single Journeys". Retrieved 4 June 2015.
  63. "recommended cycle routes". Birmingham Airport.
  64. "By Bike". Birmingham Airport.

External links

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