Members of the Conservative group on Blackpool Council pledged their support for the return of flights to Belfast, Dublin and the Isle of Man during a visit and tour of the council owned airport on Squires Gate Lane.
Conservative group leader Coun Paul Galley said: “Since Blackpool lost its direct flights to the Isle of Man, Belfast and Dublin, we have seen a big reduction of visitors from those places.“I’m really keen to see those routes restored as soon as possible. For regional flight requirements, most of the infrastructure is in place and with some investment in a new arrival and departure area we should make that vision a reality.”
Deputy Conservative group leader Coun Michele Scott said: “The business case for any regional airline is to attract as many people on a return flight as those that fly out ,and we know many of Blackpool’s and Lancashire’s residents would use the airport to fly to Belfast, Dublin and Douglas ensures it has strong business case. “
Coun Jason Roberts, non-executive director at the airport, said “The importance of the operators at Blackpool Airport including our flying school, off shore helicopter operator and our corporate jet handler, hangar Three, have been key in ensuring that jobs have been retained and increased in recent years. This has ensured our airport has been kept very firmly on the map as a destination and departure point. Future plans will ensure steady sustainable growth and help to retain this strategic asset for the town, for many years to come.”
https://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/b...-again-4341714
Coun Lynn Williams warned airport bosses would not be “chasing loss-leading operations to holiday destinations that are not financially feasible.” She was speaking in response to calls by Conservative councillors for the restoration of Irish flights at the council-owned airport. Coun Williams said: “We have an ambitious 10 year plan to rebuild Blackpool Airport as a regional transport hub, building on the almost 40,000 flight movements that took place last year and creating new opportunities for it to become a commercially successful business. The overriding objective of the 10 year plan is to attract a diverse range of long term customers and operators to secure the airport’s future. We are looking at ways to create good quality jobs for the people of Blackpool, using the asset of our airport and the Enterprise Zone. When the airport was owned by Balfour Beatty, they had flights to Europe operating, but they were losing over £2m per year.So we won’t risk the financial future of the airport and the opportunities it could create by chasing loss-leading operations to holiday destinations that are not financially feasible for the airport as a business. We are exploring the viability of some regional scheduled or charter flights and are open to a contract which benefits all parties. Blackpool is obviously an attractive destination for incoming flights, and we are continuing to promote the airport as an attractive option to reach the North West.”
https://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/b...leader-4342605
Problem is who is left to operate regionals flights out of airports such as Blackpool?