Holiday flights could soon return to tiny UK airport with short-lived history of hosting passengers
A SMALL UK airport that only previously hosted passengers for a handful of years could soon see the relaunch of commercial flights.
Carlisle Lake District Airport offered links for passengers between 2019 and 2020, when it served routes to London, Dublin and Belfast with Loganair.
However, those flights were abandoned during the pandemic and never resumed.
Since then, it has operated as a public use aerodrome, but conversations have recently taken place about the potential for commercial aviation to return.
Its website currently clearly states: “Carlisle Lake District Airport does not operate commercial passenger aircraft.”
But that could be set to change, after new owners AW Jenkinson took over the site in May this year.
It promised both to invest £5million in new jobs and to provide it with “long-term economic purpose”.
The leader of Cumberland Council Mark Fryer has now said there is “significant interest” from at least two parties in bringing back flights.
Mr Fryer made the comments in response to a question during a full council meeting last week.
According to the BBC, Lib Dem councillor Tim Pickstone asked: “What discussions have been with the new owners of Carlisle Lake District Airport about maintaining the potential for a return of commercial aviation?”
Mr Fryer said: “There was some significant interest in it, not just one set of buyers, but at least two. We have been talking to all parties during that time.”
When asked again if he would “use every opportunity” to bring back flights to the city, Mr Fryer said: “Absolutely.”
Should the flights return, it would open up a hugely popular area of the UK to travellers and make holidays in the Lake District more accessible.
It currently receives around 41.5 million visitors per year, and became an official UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2017.
Despite the region’s popularity, the airport has rarely been used as a location for people to travel in and out of the area, although plenty of attempts have been made over the years.
Prior to its 2019 Loganair routes, a handful of companies tried to use the airport for flights during the 90s, including Belgian airline VLM, who wanted four flights per day to London City Airport.
Other airports that could get new flights
These UK airports could soon be set to serve passengers with new flights.
Doncaster Sheffield
Doncaster Sheffield Airport is hopeful of getting new flights by 2026, after it received government grants and secured other funding.
Conversations have taken place between the local council and TUI, with the airline keen to return to the travel hub.
Manston Airport
Manston Airport in Kent has revealed plans for new Ryanair and easyJet flights to take off from its runways.
Despite being closed for a decade, airport bosses remain hopeful that passenger flights will one day resume.
Tony Freudmann, director of the airport’s owners, RiverOak Strategic Partners (RSP), said a new terminal could be built “within 12 months” should an agreement be reached with the budget airlines.
Plymouth Airport
After being forced to cease operations back in 2011, there are hopes that Plymouth Airport could soon once again host flights.
Aviation experts have analysed the potential of the transport hub near the south coast and predicted that hundreds of thousands of people could benefit from it resuming activity, if not more.
Chief of campaign group, FlyPlymouth, Raoul Witherall has said: “Commercial aviation opportunities at Plymouth have never been as strong as they are now.”
However, it failed to secure funding for the routes from Cumbria County Council.
In 1993 New Air launched a route to London Stansted, but that collapsed just two months later.
After that, companies called Geordie Air Travel and Lewis Holidays attempted to use the airport for flights to London and Jersey respectively, neither of which were able to launch.
Carlisle Lake District was used to host Radio 1’s Big Weekend in 2011, when My Chemical Romance, the Foo Fighters and Lady Gaga performed on stages assembled around the aerodrome.
Meanwhile, this UK airport could soon host TUI flights after being forced to close back in 2022.
And this abandoned UK airport that was once the biggest in the world opens once a month to offer tours.
