From the local paper
BOURNEMOUTH Airport is bracing itself for almost a million passengers in 2005.
The airport faces a race against time to improve its passenger terminal before low-fare airlines Thomsonfly.com and Jet2.com begin flying out of Bournemouth - doubling its number of flyers overnight.
In 2004 nearly 495,000 passengers flew out of Bournemouth, but with advance bookings with the new operators booming, airport chiefs predict this figure will shoot up to just under a million this year.
And they have revealed work is ahead of schedule on a major revamp of the passenger terminal to cope with the extra passengers.
The project started in December and will include a complete reconfiguration of the existing layout as well as a second baggage belt in the arrivals area.
Airport spokesman Sally Windsor said: "We will not reach this figure as a result of steady growth over the year. It will literally happen overnight.
"Six of Thomsonfly.com's seven new flight routes will all open on the same day, as well as Jet2.com's daily flights to Belfast, and because it will happen in the run-up to Easter we are expecting to be very busy."
Delighted tourism chiefs welcomed news that increased passenger numbers will help pump more than £10 million into the local economy.
They expect a dramatic increase in inbound tourism, which will have a knock-on effect on hotels and restaurants and help raise the profile of the region.
Paul Knight, director of service delivery at Bournemouth Airport, said: "We have estimated that our low-cost operators will, in total, bring more than 100,000 visitors into the region and we have already starting working with the local tourism industry to ensure we maximise the opportunities."
Thomsonfly.com will need to recruit more than 60 new staff and the airport expects to hire up to 200 workers, including baggage handlers and security guards.
Beverly Ware from Bournemouth Tourism said: "It is fantastic news for Bournemouth and the surrounding area. All indications are that this will help expand Bournemouth as a tourist destination."
Thomsonfly.com will operate daily flights to Malaga and Palma, six flights a week to Amsterdam, Paris and Valencia, and five flights a week to Faro and Pisa. Flights to all destinations will start on March 22, except for Palma, which will begin the next day.
Jet2.com, part of the Bournemouth-based Dart Group plc, will operate daily flights to Belfast from March 23.