Lydd airport and its wishful thinking: “Lydd Airport to ease UK congestion” !
Lydd airport is getting into the act, in the run up to the interim announcement by the Airports Commission, which is likely to be on 17th December. Lydd is a tiny airport, built in a very remote location on Romney Marsh, close to Dungeness nuclear power station. The airport has hopes that it will become a “a modern regional airport” and “will help to meet growing demand for airport capacity in the South East, and help ease congestion in the skies.” The first phase of its expansion – the construction of a 294m runway extension, plus a 150m starter extension – is due to start in 2014, allowing the airport to handle 737-type jets. A new terminal building is planned once passenger numbers begin to improve. Approval for the development was won after an eight-year battle for planning permission. It is still being opposed on legal grounds, due to nuclear safety concerns. While the expansion will cost £25 million, the airport owner has already spent £30 million on modernising in the past 10 years. Lydd is currently working on more than 60 pre-commencement conditions, which are expected to be complete in early 2014, at which point the runway contract extension will be put out to tender.
.
Tweet
5 December 2013 (Airport World)
Lydd Airport to ease UK congestion
by Caroline Cook
The development of Lydd Airport in Kent, UK, into a modern regional airport will help to meet growing demand for airport capacity in the South East, and help ease congestion in the skies, it says.
Also known as London Ashford Airport, Lydd has underlined its credentials ahead of the Airports Commission’s upcoming interim report.
[Here is a reminder of where Lydd is. Realistically, though it was admirably suited for quick, short flights across the Channel for a day trip to the French coast, it is not well located to deal with large numbers of air passengers. AW comment ]. Map
The airport on Romney Marsh celebrates its 60th anniversary in 2014 and has plans to build its passenger figures up.
Lydd used to be one of the busiest airports in the UK, handling 223,000 passengers in 1958 – 37,000 more than Gatwick.
The first phase of its expansion – the construction of a 294m runway extension, plus a 150m starter extension – is due to commence in 2014, allowing the airport to handle 737-type jets.
A new terminal building is planned once passenger numbers begin to improve.
Approval for the development was won after an eight-year battle for planning permission.
While the expansion will cost £25 million, the airport owner, Lydd Holdings, has already spent £30 million in the past 10 years, modernising facilities and upgrading equipment.
Executive manager, Hani Mutlaq, said: “We have called on the Commission to recognise the important role that smaller regional airports like Lydd can play in helping to meet the need for greater runway capacity.
“While building extra runways at places like Gatwick will be hugely expensive and take many years, making full use of smaller modern airports like us makes a lot of sense.”
Lydd Airport has easy access to the M20 motorway and is located 14 miles from Ashford, which has a high-speed rail link to London St Pancras Station.
European rail connections are available at Ashford via the Eurostar.
Lydd is currently working on more than 60 pre-commencement conditions, which are expected to be complete in early 2014, at which point the runway contract extension will be put out to tender.
http://www.airport-world.com/component/k2/item/3418-lydd-airport-to-ease-uk-congestion
.
.
.
See more about Lydd airport at
and news at