Norwich International saw a 7.6% rise in passenger number in 2013 with over 460,000 people from the region using the city’s airport.
The passenger boost was a result of growth in a number of different sectors at the Airport. The biggest jump was in the holidaymaker category which increased by 45% on 2012, with over 107,000 people enjoying the benefits of starting their holiday from their local airport. A significant portion of the growth was generated by Thomson First Choice who doubled their activity in Norwich in 2013, compared to 2012. The holiday firm has reconfirmed its commitment to the Airport in 2014 by increasing the number of weekly flights to Palma Majorca and offering better flight times for holidaymakers as a result of designating an aircraft to live at the Airport throughout the entire summer season.
Offshore helicopter traffic enjoyed yet another year of record growth with over 98,000 passengers travelling offshore, an increase of 18% on the previous year. The Airport’s drive to be the location of choice for operators and their energy company clients is bearing fruit and Norwich is now the UK’s busiest offshore heliport after Aberdeen.
KLM’s hub feeder service to Amsterdam Schiphol had another strong year as a result of the addition of the fourth daily flight throughout the summer months. This service continues to play a key role in connecting the region’s economy to the rest of the world and the popularity of the service continues to grow with the region’s business and leisure travellers alike. KLM will be reintroducing the fourth daily flight from 30 March 2014 due to the success of the 2013 operation.
Passenger numbers using services to both Jersey and Edinburgh fell in the year caused by the reduction in the number of flights to both locations. However Flybe’s recent announcement that Loganair will assume the operation of the Edinburgh route from 30 March 2014 ensures that frequency will be restored to multi daily flights and the route will once again be able to offer flexible day returns and greater opportunity for short breaks in both Edinburgh and into the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, via Loganair’s wider network. Andrew Bell, the airport’s Chief Executive commented, “Posting strong passenger growth is good news for Norwich Airport and good news for the region, as ultimately the flights that are operated from the Airport must be used by the travelling public if they are to remain on offer. The addition of frequencies on the Edinburgh and Amsterdam services is testament to this. However, at the Airport we recognise that we still have a great deal to do in order to satisfy the demands of the region’s business and leisure travelers alike. We are working hard to bring back routes that proved popular in the past, and to identify new route opportunities that are being highlighted in our ongoing corporate demand survey. Whilst we do this, our focus remains fixed on ensuring that passengers’ experience when they fly from or arrive into Norwich International Airport is first class.”
