Newcastle International Airport

Newcastle International Airport (IATA: NCL, ICAO: EGNT) is an international airport located on the outskirts of Newcastle upon Tyne, England, United Kingdom, about 6.5 miles (10.5 km) north-west of the city centre. It handles just under 5.2 million passengers annually. Newcastle International is the 11th busiest airport in the United Kingdom and the second busiest in Northern England after Manchester Airport.[2]

For other airports, see Newcastle Airport (disambiguation).

Newcastle International Airport
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerNewcastle Airport Local Authority Holding Company Ltd (51%)
AMP Capital (49%)
OperatorNewcastle International Airport Ltd
ServesTyne and Wear, County Durham, Northumberland and Scottish Borders
LocationWoolsington, Newcastle upon Tyne
Focus city for
Elevation AMSL266 ft / 81 m
Coordinates55°02′17″N 001°41′23″W
Websitenewcastleairport.com
Map
EGNT
Location in Tyne and Wear
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
07/25 2,329 7,641 Asphalt
Statistics (2019)
Passengers5,199,000
Passenger change 2018-192.6%
Aircraft Movements50,688
Movements change 2018-196%
Sources: UK AIP at NATS[1]
Statistics from the Civil Aviation Authority[2]

Newcastle Airport has a Civil Aviation Authority Public Use Aerodrome Licence (Number P725) that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction.

Ownership

The airport is owned by seven local authorities (51%) and AMP Capital (49%). The seven local authorities are: City of Newcastle, City of Sunderland, Durham County Council, Gateshead MBC, North Tyneside MBC, Northumberland County Council, and South Tyneside MBC. In October 2012 Copenhagen Airport sold its stake in the airport to AMP Capital.[3]

Area served

The airport mainly serves the City of Newcastle, the greater Tyneside area, Northumberland and Wearside. The airport competes with the smaller Teesside International Airport for passengers travelling from and to County Durham and Teesside. Passengers from Cumbria, North Yorkshire, and southern Scotland also use the airport; the nearest similar-sized airports are Leeds Bradford Airport to the south and the larger Edinburgh and Glasgow airports to the north. In terms of passenger numbers, Newcastle is the second largest airport in the North of England, after Manchester Airport.

History

Early years
Newcastle Airport in 1972

The airport was opened on 26 July 1935 as Woolsington Aerodrome by the Secretary of State for Air, Sir Phillip Cunliffe-Lister. Incorporating a clubhouse, hangar, workshops, fuel garage and grass runway, it cost £35,000 to build.[4]

In the 1960s, a new runway was built, along with an apron and a new air traffic control tower. These new additions were opened by the Prime Minister, Harold Wilson on 17 February 1967.[5]

In the 1970s, with passenger figures approaching one million per year, the airport's status was changed to Category B, making it a regional international airport; in the same decade it was re-branded as Newcastle Airport. The 1980s saw further investment in check-in, catering and duty-free shops. In 1991, Airport Metro station opened, connecting the airport with Newcastle Newcastle City Centre and Sunderland using the Tyne and Wear Metro system.

Since the 2000s

In August 2004, an extended and refurbished Departure Terminal was opened. The refurbishment included a 3,000 square metre extension with new shops, cafes and 1,200 new seats for waiting passengers.[6]

In 2006, a record 5.4 million passengers used the airport, according to Civil Aviation Authority figures.[7]

Rapid expansion in passenger traffic has led to increasing commercial use of the south side of the airport. This was previously used for general aviation, but is now used for freight, mail and corporate flights. This is partially due to difficulties obtaining departure and arrival slots for light aircraft traffic, which need to be separated from larger aircraft to protect against wake turbulence. As part of the Airport Master Plan, the south-side area is to be expanded with maintenance facilities including new hangar and apron areas.[8]

In January 2007 it was announced that Emirates were to begin a daily non-stop service to Dubai from the airport. This service started on 7 September 2007 and has operated ever since.[9] Until 2012, the route was flown by an Airbus A330. Since September 2012 it has been flown by a Boeing 777.

In August 2016, United Airlines announced it would discontinue its seasonal route from Newark to Newcastle in 2017, citing economic reasons.[10] Thus Newcastle Airport lost one of its two long-haul services. The other long-haul route is currently flown by Emirates to Dubai.

In July 2017, it was announced that the airport would be investing £3 million on a terminal expansion project which is part of overall £20 million improvement plans running from 2016 to 2017.[11] This £20m improvement plan included a new radar system alongside digital signage in the check-in areas and the installation of new flooring.

The £3m plan includes an extension to the terminal by 4,800 sq ft (450 m2) and will increase the equipment in the security hall, bringing in improved technology to speed up procedures there. This was due to be constructed over the winter of 2017/2018.[12]

In August 2020, easyJet announced the closure of their crew base in Newcastle due to the financial difficulties from COVID-19 which means that the airline only operates domestic flights from the airport after scrapping all of its international routes by 31 August 2020.[13]

Facilities

Newcastle Airport Freight Village is south of the airport and includes Emirates SkyCargo, FedEx, and North East Air Cargo company offices which deal with freight exports and imports and mail. It also houses freight forwarding agents such as Casper Logistics Ltd, Kintetsu World Express, Kuehne + Nagel, Nippon Express, Schenker International, Davis Turner Air Cargo, and Universal Forwarding.[14]

In April 2016, Emirates reported that flown exports have soared to £310m a year since the arrival of the Emirates service from Newcastle to Dubai.[15] The Dubai route contributes some £600m to the economy and has opened unlimited export avenues to North East firms, some of whom have opened offices in the United Arab Emirates.[15]

The airport is also home to the Newcastle Airport Fire Academy.[16][17] The Newcastle Aviation Academy is also located within this area. When Gill Airways operated, its head office was in the New Aviation House, on the airport property.[18] The south side of the airport also has bases for Great North Air Ambulance[19] and NPAS Newcastle Helicopter.[20] They normally have one respective helicopter based here at a time but are known to rotate their fleet around bases. The area also holds maintenance workshops for the airport and various other depots for airport-run services like Alpha Catering.[21]

Airlines and destinations

The following airlines operate regular scheduled and charter services to and from Newcastle:[22]

AirlinesDestinations
Aer Lingus Regional Dublin
Air France Paris–Charles de Gaulle
BH Air Seasonal: Burgas
British Airways London–Heathrow
easyJet Belfast–International, Bristol
Emirates Dubai–International
Eurowings Düsseldorf
Jet2.com[23] Alicante, Antalya, Faro, Fuerteventura, Funchal, Gran Canaria, Kraków, Lanzarote, Málaga, Tenerife–South
Seasonal: Berlin (begins 25 November 2021),[24] Bodrum, Budapest (begins 25 November 2021),[25] Burgas, Cologne/Bonn (begins 6 December 2021),[26] Copenhagen (begins 26 November 2021),[27] Corfu, Dalaman, Dubrovnik, Geneva (begins 19 December 2021),[28] Girona, Grenoble, Heraklion, Ibiza, İzmir, Jersey (begins 22 May 2021),[29] Kefalonia (begins 23 July 2021),[30] Kos, Larnaca, Malta, Menorca, Palma de Mallorca, Paphos, Prague, Reus, Reykjavik-Keflavik (resumes 21 October 2021), Rhodes, Rome–Fiumicino, Salzburg (begins 20 December 2021),[31] Santorini (begins 26 July 2021),[32] Skiathos (begins 21 May 2021),[33] Thessaloniki, Vienna (begins 26 November 2021),[34] Zakynthos
KLM Amsterdam
Loganair Aberdeen, Exeter, Southampton, Stavanger
Seasonal: Bergen (resumes 28 March 2021),[35] Jersey (begins 28 May 2021),[36] Newquay (begins 29 March 2021)[37]
Lufthansa Munich
Ryanair Alicante, Dublin, Málaga, Wrocław
Seasonal: Faro, Gdańsk (resumes 3 May 2021),[38] Palma de Mallorca
TUI Airways[39] Alicante, Gran Canaria, Hurghada (begins 7 May 2021),[39] Lanzarote, Málaga, Tenerife–South
Seasonal: Antalya, Burgas, Cancún, Corfu, Dalaman, Dubrovnik (begins 5 May 2022),[40] Enfidha, Heraklion, Ibiza, Kefalonia, Kos, Larnaca, Melbourne (FL) (begins 6 May 2022),[41] Menorca, Naples, Orlando/Sanford (ends 30 October 2021),[42] Palma de Mallorca, Paphos, Reus, Rhodes, Salzburg (begins 22 May 2021),[39] Skiathos (begins 5 May 2021),[39] Verona (begins 8 May 2021),[39] Zakynthos
Seasonal charter: Barbados, (resumes 14 March 2021) Chambéry ,[43] Geneva, Innsbruck, Montego Bay (resumes 7 December 2021), Rovaniemi (begins 1 December 2021), Turin (resumes 19 December 2021)[44]

Statistics

The airport saw significant growth in the ten years to 2007, when passenger numbers peaked at 5.65 million, more than double the number handled ten years earlier. Passenger numbers declined in the subsequent four years due to the financial crisis of 2007–2010, but later recovered, with around 5.3 million passengers passing through the airport in 2018 (close to the 2006 total), although cargo volumes have broadly increased to record levels since 2005.

Traffic figures
Newcastle Airport's control tower
Main hall
Royal Air Force Tornado GR4 at Newcastle Airport

See source Wikidata query. [45]

Number of
passengers
[nb 1]
Number of
movements
[nb 2]
Freight
(tonnes)[2]
Mail
(tonnes)[2]
1997 2,642,59181,2791,2193,489
1998 2,984,72481,2996783,631
1999 2,994,05179,2917763,409
2000 3,208,73482,9405263,720
2001 3,431,39382,5247832,859
2002 3,426,95279,1731,4382,368
2003 3,920,20475,1139242,576
2004 4,724,26377,7217997,756
2005 5,200,80677,8821997,820
2006 5,431,97681,6553067,884
2007 5,650,71679,2007858,483
2008 5,039,99372,9041,93810,901
2009 4,587,88369,2542,5979,758
2010 4,356,13066,6773,6509,062
2011 4,346,27064,5213,0598,532
2012 4,366,19661,0062,9567,929
2013 4,420,83959,9623,7016,512
2014 4,516,73959,1144,4504,738
2015 4,562,85355,9503,7174,633
2016 4,807,90656,2634,5744,894
2017 5,300,27457,8085,4821,128
2018 5,332,23853,7405,5243
2019 5,199,00050,6884,7453
  1. Passenger, freight and mail volumes include both domestic and international, transit, arriving and departing counterparts.
  2. Number of movements represents total aircraft takeoffs and landings during the year.

Busiest routes
Busiest routes to and from Newcastle International Airport, UK (2019)[46]
RankAirportTotal
passengers		Change
2018/19
1 London Heathrow461,804
2 Alicante375,876
3 Amsterdam362,351
4 Palma de Mallorca320,387
5 Belfast International269,402
6 Málaga263,447
7 Dubai International227,629
8 Tenerife South226,116
9 Dublin221,458
10 Bristol191,235
11 Faro183,536
12 Paris Charles de Gaulle165,599
13 Lanzarote143,750
14 Dalaman121,233
15 Southampton112,956
16 Ibiza86,872
17 Antalya78,426
18 Barcelona73,992
19 Corfu58,908
20 Geneva56,352

Accidents and incidents
  • 30 November 2000 - A Piper Aerostar registered N64719 en route to Iceland crashed close to Fearnoch, on the north side of Loch Tay in Perthshire, killing the single crewmember. The aircraft had departed from Newcastle Airport. The accident report concluded that the aircraft gradually lost airspeed during an icing encounter, before stalling and the pilot losing control.[47]

Ground transport
Airport Metro station

Metro
Main article: Newcastle Airport Metro station

Airport station on the Tyne and Wear Metro is directly connected to the terminal through an indoor walkway. The station is the northern terminus of the green line, with frequent direct services to all the main Newcastle and Sunderland stations (approx 20 and 50 minutes respectively).

Road transport

The airport is connected to the A1 trunk road by the A696 dual carriageway. A half-hourly bus service links the airport to the nearby villages of Ponteland and Darras Hall, as well as to the City Centre.

References
  1. "NATS - AIS - Home". Retrieved 4 June 2015.
  2. "Aircraft and passenger traffic data from UK airports" (PDF). UK Civil Aviation Authority. 3 March 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 February 2018. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
  3. "airport-technology.com". Archived from the original on 31 August 2017. Retrieved 2 July 2017.
  4. "Private Jet Charter | Plane Hire | Newcastle | Charter-a Ltd". www.iprivatejet.co.uk. Archived from the original on 9 June 2016. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
  5. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 29 August 2018. Retrieved 28 August 2018.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. Editor: Eric, MacBurni (2007). "RUNWAY SAFETY: PROMOTING BEST PRACTICES" (PDF). ICAO Journal. 62: 5. Archived (PDF) from the original on 6 June 2015. Retrieved 1 December 2016.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
  8. "Austin-Bergstrom International Airport Master Plan Update" (PDF). austintexas.gov. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2 December 2016.
  9. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 30 April 2018. Retrieved 29 April 2018.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  10. ch-aviation.com - United to axe Newcastle, UK flights over weakening pound Archived 13 August 2016 at the Wayback Machine 12 August 2016
  11. Ford, Coreena (28 June 2017). "Newcastle Airport reveals £3m terminal extension as part of improvement plans". nechronicle. Archived from the original on 14 July 2017. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
  12. Ford, Coreena (28 June 2017). "Newcastle Airport reveals £3m terminal extension as part of improvement plans". nechronicle. Archived from the original on 14 July 2017. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
  13. chroniclelive.co.uk - easyJet to scrap all international flights from Newcastle Airport as North East base closes 17 August 2020
  14. "Cargo". www.newcastleairport.com. Archived from the original on 10 August 2017. Retrieved 9 August 2017.
  15. Ford, Coreena (18 April 2016). "Export values flying high at Newcastle International Airport". nechronicle. Archived from the original on 10 August 2017. Retrieved 9 August 2017.
  16. "Cargo & Freight". Newcastle Airport. Archived from the original on 18 December 2012. Retrieved 12 February 2014.
  17. "Fire Training Courses". Newcastle Airport. Archived from the original on 12 October 2012. Retrieved 12 February 2014.
  18. "Contact Us." Gill Airways. 23 April 2000. Retrieved on 22 September 2010.
  19. Brown, Michael (15 May 2014). "Great North Air Ambulance opens new base at Newcastle International Airport". nechronicle. Archived from the original on 10 August 2017. Retrieved 9 August 2017.
  20. "NPAS Newcastle (@NPASNewcastle) | Twitter". twitter.com. Retrieved 9 August 2017.
  21. "International offices | Alpha Group". www.alpha-group.com. Archived from the original on 10 August 2017. Retrieved 9 August 2017.
  22. "Flight Timetables". www.newcastleairport.com.
  23. "Flight Timetable". jet2.com.
  24. https://www.jet2holidays.com/
  25. https://www.jet2holidays.com/
  26. https://www.jet2holidays.com/
  27. https://www.jet2holidays.com/
  28. https://www.jet2.com/
  29. https://www.jet2.com/
  30. https://www.jet2.com/
  31. https://www.jet2.com/
  32. https://www.jet2.com/
  33. https://www.jet2.com/
  34. https://www.jet2holidays.com/
  35. https://www.loganair.co.uk/
  36. https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/loganair-flights-newcastle-airport-jersey-19748126
  37. https://www.loganair.co.uk/
  38. https://www.ryanair.com/gb/en
  39. "Flight Timetable". tui.co.uk.
  40. https://www.tui.co.uk/flight/timetable
  41. https://www.tui.co.uk/flight/timetable
  42. https://www.tui.co.uk/flight/timetable
  43. https://www.crystalski.co.uk/flights/?icid=cskimm-flights
  44. "Crystal Ski flights". crystalski.co.uk.
  45. "CAA AIRPORT STATISTICS" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 February 2018. Retrieved 9 February 2018.
  46. "Airport Data 2018". UK Civil Aviation Authority. 3 March 2019. Tables 12.1(XLS) and 12.2 (XLS). Archived from the original on 13 March 2017. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  47. "Report on the accident to Piper PA60-602P, N64719 on 30 November 2000, UK AAIB" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2 January 2013. Retrieved 26 August 2019.

Media related to Newcastle International Airport at Wikimedia Commons

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.