East Midlands makes 'airport of the year' shortlist
East Midlands Airport (EMA) has been given a boost going into its peak summer season having been named as a finalist for UK & Irish Airport of the Year at The Travel Industry Awards 2023 by TTG.
The Travel Industry Awards by TTG celebrate those businesses and travel professionals that have worked smartest, delivered the best service and experience, and done most to champion a fairer travel industry in the last 12 months. They are the toughest and most coveted in the sector, with a combination of written submissions, agent rating and live presentations all helping to identify the very best suppliers and sellers of travel in the UK and Ireland – and to showcase those winners to consumers.
EMA’s submission focused on its performance during the last 12 months – a critical year for the airport during which passenger numbers returned to 75% of pre-Covid levels.
Given the challenges the entire sector faced as it began its post-pandemic recovery, East Midlands’ performance held up well with more than 99% of passengers clearing security within 15 minutes. The airport also invested considerably in upgrading its facilities and services for passengers who need extra assistance and, as such, has received international recognition as one of Europe’s most accessible airports.
According to customer feedback, the ease and convenience of using EMA is a top consideration when choosing the airport.
The airport continues to build on its strengths as it approaches the peak summer months for travel. Last month (May) more than 390,000 passengers flew through the airport and numbers are expected to increase in the coming months with more than 2.5m passengers expected up until the end of October. During the peak summer months, which coincide with school holidays, passenger numbers are expected to return to 94 per cent of pre-Covid levels.
With more flights and extra capacity in 2023, those planning to use the airport this summer will have much choice. The airlines that serve EMA will fly to more than 60 destinations between them including the places that are most popular with UK holidaymakers.
More than half of all East Midlands passengers fly to Spain, the Balearics and the Canaries. This summer the most frequently flown to destinations will be Palma (Majorca) with 35 weekly flights, followed by Alicante (26 weekly flights), Faro - Portugal (24 weekly flights) and Malaga (23).
Steve Griffiths, EMA’s Managing Director, said: “The hard work and dedication of the team here is really paying off as we continue to welcome more passengers the deeper into summer we get. The fact that this has been recognised by the Travel Industry Awards is a further boost and is credit to the whole airport team. I look forward to welcoming all those who are flying through EMA this summer and seeing the passenger operation here in full flow in the coming weeks.”
