Re: Passenger Figures
[textarea]
Robin Hood Airport passenger numbers tumble by up to 30%
PASSENGER numbers at Doncaster's airport are plunging and on course for their worst year since it opened in 2005.
Figures just released by the Civil Aviation Authority show that only 99,000 people flew from Robin Hood Airport last month, compared to more than 130,000 at its peak in August 2007.
It is a full year since monthly passenger numbers exceeded 100,000 and figures for 2009 at Finningley are between 20 and 30 per cent down compared to the same months in the airline "boom" of 2007.
Aviation experts predict Doncaster Sheffield Airport will have its worst annual figures since 2005 when it was operational for just over eight months after the maiden flight in April of that year.
But airport chiefs say all regional airports have been affected by the recession and they are confident they can ride out the storm.
The downturn in aviation is best illustrated by Robin Hood's figures for August, which is usually the busiest month of the year.
In 2005, the first year of operation, the airport handled 95,308 people, in 2006 it went up to 106,354 and by 2007 it peaked at 131,932. By August 2008 it had slipped back to 110,818 and last month numbers crashed to 99,059.
Mike Morton, Airport Director, said Robin Hood was handling similar passenger numbers to Bournemouth and Exeter which have been established since after the war, as well as handling twice as much as their nearest geographical competitor, Humberside Airport.
He added: "We have to remind ourselves at times that Doncaster Sheffield Airport is only just over four years old. So much has been achieved in this time that we are extremely proud of the airport and the staff that work here.
"In such a short space of time we have established a number of strong relationships with key airlines and have seen more than four million passengers fly from our South Yorkshire base."
He added Robin Hood was Yorkshire's favourite airport, having come third in the recent Holiday Which? UK airport survey, behind London City and Blackpool airports.
He said: "The reality at the moment however is the impact of the recession on aviation, with a fall in passenger numbers at almost every UK airport.
"Doncaster Sheffield Airport is not exempt from this. However, compared to other airports in the region, passenger numbers are holding up in what is seen by many as some of the most difficult operating conditions.
"We are continuing to work to develop our relationships with existing airlines and talking to other providers to improve Doncaster Sheffield's offering to passengers and look forward to making announcements regarding new routes and improved services in the near future."
Doncaster Chamber of Commerce said the passenger figures were disappointing but were hopeful things could be turned around next year.
Chief executive Stephen Shore said they were aware other regional airport passenger numbers were down and Robin Hood had lost Ryanair flights to Dublin because of increased costs at the Irish end, not Doncaster.
He added: "I think everybody agrees that Robin Hood needs to do two things - get in a low-cost no-frills carrier and try and forge a link with a hub airport in Europe such as Schiphol or Charles de Gaulle to connect with long-haul flights.
"I know that's not an easy task but I recently visited Pittsburgh which didn't have international flights for five years but then did a deal with Charles de Gaulle and they are now flying to Europe. There is no reason why Robin Hood can't do that because we have the demographic for many millions of passengers in our area.
"Not only are the people at Robin Hood working hard to make that happen but I understand discussions are progressing pretty well."
"We are continuing to work to develop our relationships with existing airlines and talking to other providers to improve Doncaster Sheffield's offering to passengers and look forward to making announcements regarding new routes and improved services in the near future."
Doncaster Chamber of Commerce said the passenger figures were disappointing but were hopeful things could be turned around next year.
Chief executive Stephen Shore said they were aware other regional airport passenger numbers were down and Robin Hood had lost Ryanair flights to Dublin because of increased costs at the Irish end, not Doncaster.
He added: "I think everybody agrees that Robin Hood needs to do two things - get in a low-cost no-frills carrier and try and forge a link with a hub airport in Europe such as Schiphol or Charles de Gaulle to connect with long-haul flights.
"I know that's not an easy task but I recently visited Pittsburgh which didn't have international flights for five years but then did a deal with Charles de Gaulle and they are now flying to Europe.
"There is no reason why Robin Hood can't do that because we have the demographic for many millions of passengers in our area."
Source[/textarea]
