Why East Midlands Airport?

Since its opening in 1965 East Midlands Airport (EMA) has encouraged the development of a thriving and balanced air cargo community. In doing so, the Airport has recognised the need for a comprehensive range of facilities and air cargo infrastructure which have been provided through a combination of private and public capital.

The Airport Company’s Air Cargo Policy seeks to develop further air cargo and operational facilities to support the continued growth of a broad range of air cargo activities.

Location

Location is one of the most important considerations of the air cargo operator and this is an area where East Midlands Airport scores top marks. Centrally located in the United Kingdom, the Airport possesses direct and immediate access to the UK’s premier motorway, the M1. Junction 24 is less than two miles away, linked to the Airport by the A453, the majority of which is dual carriageway. The M/A42 from Birmingham joins the M1 within a mile of the Airport at Junction 23A and the Stoke-Derby (M6-M1) trunk road joins the M1 at Junction 24.

Nottingham East Midlands Airport History

The Airport started life with the basic requirements of a 5,850ft runway, 60ft taxiway, new hangar floor and aprons and parking for 850 cars. Financially it was not an instant success. However the picture quickly changed with the increased volume of freight traffic soon demanding further development. In 1970 agreement was reached on creating a new freight complex and both the runway and the terminal were extended.

Further changes were made as EMA continued to grow. The late 70s saw another runway extension, soon to be followed by another upgrade for the terminal building. In 1985, a million passengers passed through the Airport for the first time and a year later Princess Anne was opening a £3million terminal extension.

In 1992 another major terminal extension was proposed but the owning local authorities, who had eagerly supported all the previous changes could not fund the development. So in 1993 and in the face of Government pressure to reduce public spending, the local authority shareholders took the bold decision to become the first major regional airport to enter the private sector.

The Airport was purchased for a price of £24.3 million by the National Express Group, who recognised the superb potential of this growing regional Airport. During the 8 year period in which they owned EMA they invested an additional £77 million in the Airport infrastructure and passenger facilities.

One of the major developments during that period was the completion of a £20 million runway extension. 600 metres were added to the existing strip, opening up huge opportunities for the Airport to be marketed as a long-haul operation. £3.5 million was also invested in a new air traffic control tower. The second highest in the country, the tower has been built to serve the needs of the Airport for the next 50 years.

In March 2001, the Manchester Airport Group completed the purchase of East Midlands Airport and Bournemouth International for £241 million.

Since then the Airport has continued to perform well. Passenger figures in 2001 soared 7% to 2.38 million and low cost carriers Go and bmibaby commenced operations from East Midlands Airport in March.

Address:
Nottingham East Midlands Airport
Castle Donington
Derby
DE74 2SA

Tel: 0871 919 9000
E-mail: info at nottinghamema com

WWW: http://www.eastmidlandsairport.com/

Runway 09/27

9491 x 151 feet
2893 x 46 meters

The content above was published at Airports-Worldwide.com in 2005.
We don't guarantee the information is fresh and accurate. The data may be wrong or outdated.
For more up-to-date information please refer to other sources.