New passenger handling building for Blackpool Airport

The council wants to rebuild old airport infrastructure to improve the airport and create new jobs

Plans have been submitted for a new office, security and small passenger handling building for Blackpool Airport.

The new structures would be built immediately behind the current buildings at the entrance to the airport off Squires Gate Lane.

The council said it wanted to rebuild old airport infrastructure to make the airport more commercially successful and create new jobs.

The airport, which is closed to commercial flights, is a base for North West Air Ambulance and private flights.

Charter flights

The current administration and security buildings were both well over 20 years old and were in need of modernising, the council said.

The proposed new buildings would improve the arrivals and departures areas, and a larger security checkpoint would host new X-ray and scanning equipment.

The passenger facility would allow the airport to grow the number of corporate aircraft, executive and charter flights it can handle - up to 45 passengers at a time.

Steve Peters, managing director of Blackpool Airport, said: "Over the last five years we’ve done a lot of work internally to make Blackpool an attractive airport once again, and we’re seeing the rewards of that with increased corporate and executive aircraft flights accommodating larger cabin class aircraft, and welcoming new customers to the airport for the first time."

This is the latest in a range of plans submitted to upgrade airport infrastructure.

A planning application for a new road and hangars was revealed last year and is expected to be decided on by Fylde Council’s Planning Committee later this summer.

Future plans for the airport include new executive hangars at the west of the airport, and a solar farm for land south of the main runway.

A new fuel farm enabling the use of sustainable and alternative aviation fuels and battery storage are also under consideration.

Around 39,000 flights took off and landed at Blackpool Airport last year.