15% first quarter passenger growth for JLA

PASSENGER numbers for Liverpool John Lennon Airport (JLA) revealed that throughput has continued to grow with a 15% increase for the first three months of 2010, compared to the same period in 2009.

This is the fifth consecutive month that JLA has seen year on year monthly passenger growth, with over 140,000 additional passengers choosing to use the Airport so far this year. In February and March some 18% more passengers passed through, currently making Liverpool one of the UK's fastest growing airports and one of the first to consistently demonstrate renewed confidence in the aviation industry, having experienced an 18 month decline in passenger throughput until last November, due to the effects of the economic downturn.

The additional services now being operated by airlines such as KLM, Eastern Airways, easyjet and Ryanair, in comparison to this time last year, have all contributed to this current success. Whilst new flights from Ryanair to Rimini and Sicily which started recently and easyJet's new Isle of Man service which starts next month along with KLM's additional daily departure to Amsterdam, should all help to continue this growth in passenger numbers over the coming weeks and months.

To accommodate the growing passenger numbers, a Ł12m development program is now well underway, including the opening of a new passenger security screening area in June 2010, some three times the size of the existing facility with additional and latest generation security equipment. Expansion of the Airport's departure lounge is also taking place, bringing a number of new and exciting retail developments and high street names to the Airport for the first time and due for completion by Autumn 2010.

Neil Pakey, Deputy CEO for Peel Airports commented:- "Liverpool is continuing to buck the trend and is now one of the UK's best performing airports in terms of passenger growth. More and more passengers are now flying via the airport and improved accessibility from across the region means that JLA is becoming the airport of choice for growing numbers of travelers from right across the North West."

JLA says ‘Buon Giorno’ to Ryanair’s newest Italian flight

LIVERPOOL John Lennon Airport (JLA) celebrated Italian style with passengers departing on Ryanair’s latest new route, to Trapani on the Italian island of Sicily, with top Italian Liverpool City centre restaurant Il Forno kindly laying on typical Sicilian cuisine for the 150 passengers.

This latest addition to the growing list of Ryanair destinations follows the commencement of other new routes from Liverpool with the low cost airline including flights to Rimini on the Italian east coast.

Liverpool now serves seven Italian destinations and is now one of the UK’s leading gateways to Italy outside of London.

Il Forno Restaurant Manager Piero Palermo and Head Waiter Luigi Buonincontro are both from Sicily and hope to make use of the flight to travel back home soon. Both were on hand to serve passengers a selection of Sicilian speciality dishes from their restaurant.

Flights to Trapani operate twice a week on Tuesdays and a Fridays departing at 16:35.

Katie Smorthit, JLA’s Head of Marketing commented:- “With a large number of Sicilians travelling on this flight this route looks like it will be popular not only with the region’s holidaymakers, but also Italians living here in the North West or visiting this region too. Il Forno’s food obviously made many of today’s passengers feel right at home before they’d even left Merseyside.”

Ryanair’s Maria Macken added:- “Ryanair is delighted to welcome passengers on board its new twice weekly service from Liverpool John Lennon Airport to Trapani in Sicily. Located on the western coast of Sicily, Trapani is renowned for its fantastic weather, beaches, fine seafood and Sicilian cuisine. Ryanair has recently launched new routes from Liverpool to Rimini and Fuerteventura as well as welcoming back popular routes to Barcelona Reus, Bergerac, Granada, Ibiza, Lodz, Nimes, Pisa, Porto, and Seville which are all available to book on:- ryanair.com.”