Transport minister pledges support for Blackpool Airport

Friday, 27 September 2024 17:17

By Shelagh Parkinson - LDRS

Transport Secretary Louise Haigh has given a boost to hopes of restoring commercial passenger flights to Blackpool Airport.

During a visit to the resort, she said her department would be willing to work with partners to investigate future development at the Squires Gate Lane air hub if there was “an appetite for commercial flights”.

She added that she believed aviation was a key element of driving economic growth in the country.

Ms Haigh said: “We can absolutely look if there is an appetite for commercial flights from Blackpool Airport and there is the demand there.

“I am really passionate about regional airports and encouraging growth in the whole country through aviation, so if there is genuine appetite both from Blackpool residents and from commercial airlines then I would be delighted to look into it.”

She also said her department was working with partners in South Yorkshire to get Sheffield and Doncaster Airport re-opened after it closed in 2022.

It is now 10 years since the last commercial passenger flights from Blackpool Airport, but many residents have called for their return.

Blackpool Council, which bought the airport in 2017 for £4.2m, has consistently said commercial passenger flights are not viable. But there is a 10-year masterplan in place for the development of aviation with a focus on private jet use. Last year around 39,000 flights took off and landed.

Planning permission was secured in September for a new administration block at the airport including handling facilities for up to 45 passengers, while proposals for new aircraft hangers are also awaiting a decision.

The minister was speaking during a visit to Blackpool to see first-hand how the council is repairing potholes more efficiently after Labour pledged to fix an additional one million potholes across England in each year of the next Parliament.