FEATURE Liverpool John Lennon Airport Overview

In the second edition of our Airport Overviews we will be looking at Liverpool John Lennon Airport. We will examine the history of this airport as well as other important factors that could be of use to you.

History

Speke Airport as it was originally known was constructed in the grounds of Speke Hall with flights beginning in 1930. Imperial Airways were the first airline to operate from the airport and flew to Croydon Airport via Barton Airport in Manchester. Despite the flights it was operating the official opening of the airport is not recorded until 1933. Towards the latter half of the 1930's the air traffic at the airport was increasing especially for Irish Sea crossings which were duly provided. To cope with the increase in passenger numbers a brand new airport terminal building was constructed as well as aircraft hangers and a control tower.

At the outbreak of World War II the Royal Air Force requisitioned the airport for military use and renamed it RAF Speke. One of the main activities at the airport during the conflict was the construction of bomber aircraft in the Shadow Factory on site. The factory constructed the Handley Page Halifax, Bristol Blenheims and also housed the Lockheed Aircraft Corporation department. The Lockheed group manafactured the P-51 Mustang and Hudson aircraft that the components were shipped in from the United States for. RAF Speke is also famous in wartime legends for the fastest air to air dogfight kill during the Battle Of Britain. It is reported that Squadron Leader Denys Gillam took to the air in his Hawker Hurricane from RAF Speke and immediately came across a Junkers 88 aircraft passing directly in front of him. Gillam took aim and fired at the aircraft, shooting it down before the undercarriage on his Hurricane had even completely retracted!

After the war the airport moved back into civilian hands and in 1966 the owners opened a 2,300 metre (7,500 ft.) runway located to the south-east side of the airport building. This move meant that the airport could stay open 24 hours a day. Control of the airport moved to Merseyside County Council and the Liverpool Corportation in the mid 1970's. This changed in the mid 1980's when Merseyside County Council was abolished. In 1986 a brand new terminal building opened to the public to the south of the airport building which brought about the closure of the original airport terminal constructed in the 1930's.

A selection of some of the current airlines running from Liverpool John Lennon Airport

By 1990 the airport had been privatised and British Aerospace took a 76% share of the business. The airport then became a subsiduary of Peel Holdings Ltd. in the year 2000 upon which a £42.5 million investment was made in a brand new passenger terminal building to enhance the passenger capacity of the airport. This terminal was finished in 2002 and has seen various developments made to it in the subsequent years. It was also in 2002 that the airport was renamed to Liverpool John Lennon Airport in celebration of the legendary singer/songwriter who was assasinated in 1980 by a lone gunman. In 2005 a yellow submarine was loaned to the airport for display in tune with its Beatles theme which can be found on a traffic island as you approach the airport.

The main runway at Liverpool Airport was reconstructed in September 2006. Originally opened in 1966, the airport runway had never had reconstruction work done on it. The development work consisted of work on the shoulders of the runway as well as an increase in lighting capacity. The runway was also upgraded to ILS Category III standards. Work also took place on aircraft taxiways with resurfacing and strengthening taking place.

In 2007 a new multi-storey car park was constructed at the airport as well as a five star hotel all linked to the terminal building by a bridge.

Liverpool Airport runs both scheduled and charter flights and has the following airlines serve it:

Charter Flights

easyjet
EuroManx
Flybe
Ryanair
Wizz Air

Scheduled Flights

First Choice Airways
Thomsonfly
Thomas Cook Airlines

Currently parking facilities are being increased at the airport but charges have increased in the last few years. Liverpool John Lennon Airport does not have its own airport railway station but is served by the Liverpool South Parkway and has a shuttle bus service that links it to the airport. There are also plentiful bus services that link the airport to various significant urban areas surrounding the airport.

Published by: Jon Vickery