Liverpool John Lennon Airport is an international airport serving Liverpool, England, on the estuary of the River Mersey 6.5 NM south-east of Liverpool city centre.[3] Scheduled domestic, European, North African and Middle Eastern[4] services are operated from the airport. The airport comprises a single passenger terminal, three general use hangars, a FedEx Express courier service centre as well as a single runway measuring 7500 ft in length, with the control tower south of the runway.
Originally called Speke Airport, as it is still colloquially known, it was operated by the Royal Air Force as RAF Speke in World War II. Between 1997 and 2007, annual passenger numbers increased from 689,468 to 5.47million. It was renamed after Liverpudlian musician John Lennon of the Beatles in 2001.[2] The airport handled 4.19million passengers in 2023, making it the 12th-busiest airport in the UK.[5]
History
Imperial Airways
Built in part of the grounds of Speke Hall, Liverpool (Speke) Airport, as the airport was originally known, started scheduled flights in 1930 with a service by Imperial Airways via Barton Aerodrome near Eccles, Salford and Castle Bromwich Aerodrome, Birmingham to Croydon Airport near London. The airport was officially opened on 1 July 1933.[6] By the late 1930s, air traffic from Liverpool was beginning to take off with increasing demand for Irish Sea crossings, and a distinctive passenger terminal, control tower and two large aircraft hangars were built.[7]
Second World War
At the beginning of 1937, Liverpool City Council leased between 70 and 110 acre of their Speke Estate on a 999-year lease to the Air Ministry
Terminal
The single terminal at Liverpool John Lennon Airport has a capacity of 7million passengers a year[42] and consists of an arrivals and a departures hall, both connected within short walking distance of each other. There are no jet bridges or travelators at Liverpool, requiring passengers to walk to/from the departure/arrival halls and gates. There are a number of retail and food outlets in the airport.
Airport directors
Captain Harold James Andrews was appointed as the first airport manager in July 1932, and he was effectively the first full-time professional co-ordinator for the whole project. Jack Chadwick took over many of the management functions post-war until 1961. That year there was a traffic increase of 42%, attributed to the first airport marketing campaign initiated by the new airport director, Wing Commander H.W.G.Andrews.[43]
In the late 1960s, Brian Trunkfield was the assistant director, and Keith Porter took over as airport director in the days when The Beatles were regular passengers.[44] Chris Preece, a former executive of British Aerospace, was airport director during much of the British Aerospace years of ownership, replaced by Rod Rufus and then Rod Hill, who brought in Direct Holidays, part of the MyTravel Group on a commercial deal which was to prove the market for easyJet. Neil Pakey took over as managing director in 2002, taking the airport through its major passenger growth years.
On selling the airport to Vancouver Airport Services in 2010, the former operations director for Vancouver Airport, Craig Richmond, took over, and on 1 March 2013, Matthew Thomas, also from Vancouver Airport Services (by then renamed Vantage Airport Group), was appointed to the role.[45]
Airlines and destinations
The following airlines operate regular scheduled flights to and from Liverpool:[48]
Statistics
Passengers and aircraft movements
Route statistics
Ground transport
Liverpool John Lennon Airport is within Merseytravel Area C, for local public transport tickets. Plusbus tickets are also available. Arriva North West provides buses to Liverpool City Centre. There is also an express service Arriva North West 500 that connects the airport with the city centre every 30 minutes[101]
Road
The airport is accessible from the A533/Runcorn Widnes Bridge and Mersey Gateway Bridge to the south and from the M57 and Knowsley Expressway to the north.[102]
Rail
The nearest Merseyrail Northern Line station is Hunts Cross at 2.2 mi away, where there are frequent services to Liverpool Central
Facilities
Hotels
The original terminal building dating from the late 1930s, famously seen on 1960s television footage with its terraces packed with Beatles' fans, was part of the Marriott chain of hotels. It became the Crowne Plaza Liverpool John Lennon Airport Hotel after a renovation in August 2008.
The Hampton by Hilton Liverpool/John Lennon Airport is one of four Hilton Worldwide hotels in Liverpool. It is situated directly opposite the main terminal building, and is the second largest hotel serving the complex after the Crowne Plaza.[103] The hotel was constructed as part of a £37million development by Peel Holdings at John Lennon Airport (which also included a multi-storey car park).
There is also a Premier Inn and a Travelodge UK within walking distance to the airport terminal.
Accidents and incidents
- On 20 July 1965 Vickers Viscount G-AMOL of Cambrian Airways crashed on approach from Isle of Man Airport, killing the two crew members on board as well as two people on the ground.[104]
- On 10 May 2001 Spanair Flight 3203 (McDonnell Douglas MD-83 EC-FXI) was substantially damaged when the starboard undercarriage collapsed on landing from Palma de Mallorca Airport. All 51 people on board evacuated via the escape slides. It was repaired and returned to service five months later.[105]
See also
- The Yellow Submarine sculpture, previously displayed in Liverpool's Albert Dock, is now outside the airport entrance.
External links
References
- LIVERPOOL AIRPORT LIMITED - Overview (free company information from Companies House) beta.companieshouse.gov.uk, retrieved 20 August 2017^
- Aircraft and passenger traffic data from UK airports UK Civil Aviation Authority, 21 March 2023, retrieved 25 March 2023^
- Liverpool - EGGP