AOA - The Airport Operator: Summer 2023 Magazine
Liverpool John Lennon Airport CEO, John Irving, is celebrating the airport’s post-Covid turnaround as new airlines arrive, existing carriers expand and hub connections return.
Speaking to The Airport Operator, he described the recent decision by Jet2.com and Jet2holidays to make the airport its newest UK base, with 20 sunshine destinations on sale for next year, as “a huge moment in the history of Liverpool Airport”. Similarly, he characterised Lufthansa’s new Liverpool to Frankfurt service as “a game-changer” for the airport and the region.
The effect of all this on passenger numbers is already visible. Between April 2022 and March this year the numbers grew to 3.8m. The airport’s expectation for the year from this April to March next year is for further growth to 4.5m, which would represent a return to 90% of pre-pandemic numbers.
Looking ahead, Irving emphasises the airport’s commitment to sustainability. “Like every airport” he said, “we are taking our ESG and sustainability credentials very seriously”. A decarbonisation report, developed jointly with Arup, will be published shortly and will set out the airport’s targets and the plans and projects that will “get us from where we are today to a zero-carbon airport operation, how we are going to take the next stage of the journey. A lot of work has happened over the last ten years to reduce carbon and to reduce energy usage. We have an appeal in for a solar farm on site and hopefully that will succeed because that is a cornerstone of our decarbonisation plan”
