New UK airport takes off
By David Browne
LONDON (eTurboNews) — The United Kingdom has a new international airport. The first flight took off from Robin Hood airport in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, a holiday charter to Palma in Spain.
The new airport will offer flights to 21 countries including the Dominican Republic, other Caribbean destinations, Florida and Mexico in the coming months. The tour operator, Thomson, part of the TUI group, will operate flights to Sharm El Sheikh on the Red Sea and to Egypt from November. The budget airline, Ryanair, is launching a daily flight from Robin Hood Doncaster to Dublin.
The airport is on the site of a former air force base, RAF Finningley, and will serve an important part of northern England including the cities of Sheffield, Hull, York and Leeds. The conversion and construction of the new airport has cost ВЈ80 million (US$ 152.5 million) and is the culmination of over five years work by airport developer, Peel Airports Limited.В
Development of Robin Hood International has created over 600 new jobs in airline operations and includes a business park and retail facilities. It is expected to grow to employ 7,000 people by 2014 as the airport is in an area that is expanding in international commerce following the decline in the region’s heavy industry – mainly steel works – around Sheffield and Rotherham.
Capturing the former air force base gives the airport a great asset – a long runway. “The growth of the airport will be founded on the jewel in the aviation crown which is the long runway. This allows aircraft to travel considerable distances, connecting Doncaster with the rest of the world – something which has never been possible before,” said David Ryall, managing director in an interview with a local newspaper, Doncaster Free Press.
“The other important part of the site is the 900 acre business park which offers one million square feet for development. There are already 100 businesses on site and as more come in they will start to employ people themselves, meaning more jobs for local people,” he said.
Thomsonfly.com predicts it will carry 730,000 passengers through the airport in their first year of operation, which could be an underestimate given the rush to buy seats prior to the airport’s official opening – the airline sold more than 7,500 seats on the day they were released.
“The Caribbean, Mexico and Florida are our best selling long-haul destinations, mainly because the dollar exchange range means they are such good value at moment,” said Thomson’s marketing director Miles Morgan. “On top of that they have excellent beaches and a wide range of hotels and attractions. Even though next summer seems like a long way off, there is a high demand from people in the Yorkshire area and beyond for long-haul destinations as well as places such as Croatia and Bulgaria, so we are expecting a busy week when the holidays go on sale.”
April 29, 2005
Posted in: Airlines & Railways