Norwich, Bournemouth and Exeter airports have all reported strong summer passenger numbers as they each take steps to “bounce back from the impact of the Covid pandemic”.
Regional & City Airports (RCA) – the airport management division of Rigby Group – said short security queues and “a dearth of the baggage handling issues” that affected UK’s larger airports this summer “underpinned a strong post-pandemic recovery” for its three sites.
Norwich saw passenger numbers rise to 163,000 this summer, versus approximately 280,000 across a normal summer season pre-pandemic.
In total, passenger numbers are expected to reach 350,000 this year, compared to the pre-pandemic total of 500,000.
Bournemouth (pictured) saw summer passenger numbers of 509,000 which were “only marginally below” the pre-Covid level of 526,000 passengers over the summer period.
The strong summer performance means that passenger numbers in 2022 are expected to hit 760,000, just short of the pre-Covid level of 800,000 passengers a year.
Steve Gill, managing director of Bournemouth, said: “We are incredibly proud of what has been achieved at Bournemouth and the way in which we have bounced back so strongly, with passenger numbers significantly ahead of industry trends.”
Exeter, where Flybe accounted for 80% of the airport’s pre-Covid business prior to its collapse in 2020, is returning to “normal” operations.
Securing new airline partners for all but three of the airport’s pre-pandemic routes – Paris, Amsterdam and Manchester – has seen passenger numbers reach 254,000 for summer 2022.
Stephen Wiltshire, managing director of Exeter airport, said: “In August, we reached 50,000 passengers for the first time in three years, providing us with real confidence for 2023 as we continue to build our network.”