Farnborough Airport in London, UK has announced record air traffic movements for a third consecutive year, surpassing the previous record from 2018 for the highest ever number of total annual movements.
Farnborough Airport saw a year-on-year increase in air traffic movements of 5.3% for 2019 compared to 2018. For December 2019, the airport recorded an 11.6% increase in movements compared to December 2018, with initial forecasts indicating this positive trend is set to continue in 2020.
“We’ve grown up from 10,000 movements a year to 32,000,” said Brandon O’Reilly, CEO at Farnborough Airport. “We’ve also grown up as an airport from being a small airport, from a business aviation perspective, to the biggest in the UK and the second biggest in Europe.”
Specifically, air traffic movements to and from the USA experienced significant growth during 2019, with an increase of 15% year-on-year. In the same period, traffic to and from Europe saw a 6% increase.
The airport has also introduced a new brand identity following its recent acquisition by Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets. The new brand both embodies the airport’s philosophy to consistently offer a five-star service and reflects the award-winning architecture of the airport’s facilities with its iconic shapes and curves.
“Our performance in 2019 underpins the important role Farnborough Airport plays as Europe’s leading business airport. It is clear that customers continue to see us as the business airport of choice in this region,” said O’Reilly. “This success is a testament to the dedication of all our employees and the service they provide to our customers day in, day out.”
During 2019 the airport also hosted a coalition of business aviation organizations from around the globe for a sustainable aviation fuel initiative event, “Fuelling the Future”, and was named a winner at the IEMA (Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment) Sustainability Awards 2019, underlining the airport’s ongoing commitment to responsible and sustainable development.
The airport is equipped to cater for a wide range of aircraft types, including Boeing Business Jets and Airbus Corporate Jets with 240,000 square-foot of heated hangar facilities and 1.2m square-foot of ramp space that can accommodate both based and transient aircraft.
