With Ryanair confirming its 19th destination and TUI adding 60,000 additional seats from Bournemouth in the UK, the regional airport has confirmed it expects to handle more than one million passengers in 2024. The last time the airport hit that milestone was 15 years ago, in 2008.
The low-fare carrier will start twice weekly flights to the holiday destination of Agadir in Morocco from 1 April next year, while tour operator TUI has already announced it will add a second aircraft at Bournemouth in 2024 with an extra 60,000 seats available, a 33% increase on its 2023 schedule. The airport now has 36 destinations to offer passengers across its network.
In line with the anticipated swell in passenger traffic at the airport, Regional and City Airports (RCA), which operates Bournemouth, is investing more than £5 million in new facilities, equipment, staff and training.
We’ve embarked on a major investment programme to cater for the anticipated growth in passenger numbers,” said Steve Gill, Managing Director for Bournemouth Airport. “Before the pandemic we saw 800,000 passengers. Having exceeded that this year, we are confident of seeing more than one million in 2024.”
Adding that the surge in passenger numbers reflects the great range of destinations available from the Bournemouth hub, he also stated: “While our investment continues, we thank passengers for their patience and aim to complete the majority of work during the quieter winter months.”
Improvements that will come online in the coming months include an upgraded security search area with new scanning equipment to relax the restriction on liquids and the need to take electronics out of bags, once the works are complete.
There will also be a new airport information desk, improved baggage screening, an extra baggage retrieval area in the arrivals terminal, more border force desks in arrivals and improved queuing systems for passenger handling in both departures and arrivals.
