Jet2 plane causes a stir after becoming the first Boeing to land at Blackpool Airport for years
Blackpool Airport was the focus of attention when a Jet 2 plane arrived with a Championship football team aboard.
The plane was carrying representatives of Ipswich Town FC, who took the flight to the resort before continuing their journey to Blackburn Rovers’ Ewood Park for their latest league fixture.
The Jet 2 Boeing charter flight arrived at Blackpool from Stansted on Tuesday afternoon.
Observers felt that the plane’s arrival rolled back the years to a decade before, when the airport last operated commercial flights.
On social media, one person commented: “It’s just like the old days, we’d love to have our airport back.”
Another commented: “I can’t see it happening. Apart from questions over the cost effectiveness, you’d have to bring in passport control and security.”
Blackpool last operated as a public airport with commercial flights on October 15, 2014, when the terminal and air traffic control were officially closed to commercial services. Although limited commercial services resumed briefly in April 2015, they ended in March 2017.
The airport's terminal and air traffic control were shut down for commercial operations on October 15, 2014, with the last scheduled flights to Dublin and the Isle of Man departing that afternoon.
After the closure, the airport reopened to smaller general aviation and helicopter traffic in December 2014. A limited commercial service to Belfast and the Isle of Man was temporarily restarted in April 2015 with the airline Citywing, but it ceased operations in March 2017 when Citywing went out of business.
Although the airport currently operates for business, executive travel, and other general aviation activities, but not for scheduled commercial passenger flights.
The airport is run by Blackpool Airport Operations Ltd , a subsidiary of owners Blackpool Council.
Steve Peters, Airport Managing Director, said: “It was great to welcome a privately chartered Jet2 aircraft to Blackpool Airport, we know it generated a lot of interest in the local community.
“The private charter was handled by the airport teams including security, fire department and air traffic control, and the team at Hangar 3, and made full use of the airport’s new passenger handling facilities.“It also provided an opportunity for Hangar 3 to utilise new ground handling equipment, which has been purchased specifically to support an increase in larger aircraft movements.
“Blackpool Airport continues to be an important hub for aviation services including offshore helicopter support, general aviation, medevac, corporate, charter flights and aircraft maintenance repair and overhaul operations, facilitated and supported by the airport team of 55 people, our based customers and shareholder.
"There are no plans to reintroduce short haul scheduled commercial flights, however scheduled domestic flights are a possibility in the medium term.”
As for Ipswich, their night ended with a 1-1 draw with Blackburn.