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Airport update...don't shoot the messenger
UPDATE!
From a reliable immigration source -meeting held today-at a regional airport!
There is a plan to close all regional airports except for Manchester, Heathrow and Gatwick
From a reliable immigration source -meeting held today-at a regional airport!
There is a plan to close all regional airports except for Manchester, Heathrow and Gatwick
Comments
It used to be any that were not in London. Now, it tends to be any that do not serve London.
That is why various airports have rebranded to avoid being classed as "regional" airports. So-London Stanstead, London Luton, London Southend, etc.
Still leaves approx 42 "Regional" airports. That number is likely to drop dramatically in the next few years. But I expect some will survive.
The trick will be in the definitions.
In the US/Canada, a "Regional Airport" is totally different. It means that it is there to provide domestic only flights. There is no international travel, and consequently no need for immigration services.
This is the way various Regional airports will be reclassified, so as to only have domestic flights. There are now 42 Regional Airports (out of over 200 airports), as the 8 London airports are no longer classed as "Regional". Here are the biggest passenger numbers:-
London Heathrow Airport LHR 80,886,589
London Gatwick Airport LGW 46,574,786
Manchester Airport MAN 29,367,477
London Stansted Airport STN 28,124,292
London Luton Airport LTN 18,213,901
Edinburgh Airport EDI 14,733,966
Birmingham Airport BHX 12,646,456
Bristol Airport BRS 8,959,679
Glasgow Airport GLA 8,843,214
Belfast International Airport BFS 6,278,374
Newcastle Airport NCL 5,198,952
London City Airport LCY 5,122,271
Liverpool Airport LPL 5,043,975
East Midlands Airport EMA 4,674,338
Leeds Bradford Airport LBA 3,992,209
Aberdeen Airport ABZ 2,912,743
Belfast City Airport BHD 2,455,259
London Southend Airport SEN 2,035,535
Southampton Airport SOU 1,781,308
Jersey Airport JER 1,715,952
Cardiff Airport CWL 1,654,920
Exeter Airport EXT 1,021,705
Glasgow Prestwick Airport PIK 638,975
Of these 21 largest, 6 are now reclassified as "London", including 4 of the biggest 5.
Manchester is massive. At least 1 of Glasgow/Edinburgh will remain. As will Belfast and Birmingham. If it was to be reduced to 4, that would be my thinking.
Lots of others will remain. The only difference will be that, in relation to international flights, they will be reduced to a hub for interconnecting flights via Heathrow, etc. But many of those airports will remain vital-Aberdeen, Jersey, Lerwick and the other Scottish Island airports, etc.
There will be less airports. But probably half of the current "regional" airports will have nearly as many flights as now.
And "London" will be unaffected by any reduction. Naturally.
@Essexphil
East Midlands Airport will always survive too, it's the UK's busiest air freight hub.
Most will survive. Their role will just change in relation to consumer transport abroad.
But it is true to say that most short-haul flights now do involve major immigration paperwork, whereas before they did not.
I'm sure the original plan only involved reducing the number of UK long-haul airports...