Business as usual for Blackpool airport's commercial flights

Blackpool airport's commercial airline Citywing has said business is back to levels before the temporary closure in October 2014.
FLYING: A Citywing planeFLYING: A Citywing plane
FLYING: A Citywing plane

Boss David Buck said passenger numbers reached almost 2,000 in June and the company has put on an extra summer flight every Friday – despite the fact that many people still think the airport is closed.

He said the company, which flies between Blackpool, the Isle of Man and Belfast twice a day, still gets people contacting its website accusing them of being liars for offering flights from Squires Gate.

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And he said many of those people were from Blackpool who did not realise flights still took place from their own town’s airport.

He said: “It is amazing. I think because people drive past and see the space where the old terminal used to be, they think the whole airport is closed.

“Obviously it isn’t and it is very much a case of business as usual for us. We are back to levels of passengers we had before the closure. In June we had almost 2,000 people flying from Blackpool.”

He said the resort was still a major holiday destination for people from Ireland and the Isle of Man and vice-versa.
Citywing restarted flights to Blackpool in April 2015, six months after the airport shut down temporarily after its owners Balfour Beaty said debts of £34m meant it had to end large commercial holiday flights to the continent by Jet2.