Thomson expansion at Bournemouth Airport means night flights
10.07.09
People living under the flight path of Bournemouth Airport could have a rude awakening next summer should proposed timetables for an expansion by holiday airline Thomson get the go-ahead, the Echo reports. Thomson Holidays and First Choice, both owned by TUI Travel, have announced they will be increasing their capacity from Bournemouth Airport in 2010, incorporating new routes to Antalya and Bodrum in Turkey, Corfu, Tunisia and Sharm el Sheikh.
While holidaymakers and the airport, which is currently undergoing a £45 million expansion, have welcomed the news, some residents could face more frequent early morning arrivals. According to Thomson's website, weekly flights from Corfu will be arriving at the airport at 04:05, arrivals from Sharm el Sheikh flying in at 01:30, Paphos at 01:20, Tenerife at 01:25 with passengers from Turkey touching down at 01:10 from next summer.
Since Christchurch Borough Council granted planning permission for the airport expansion in 2007, an annual quota for night flights was introduced, which restricts the amount of noise from the airport. As long as this limit is not exceeded then the airport can schedule night flights at its discretion.
A spokesperson for Thomson said: ‘As these destinations are further away than the short haul destinations currently on offer, it can often mean later arrival times back to the UK. Whilst we always try to minimise the amount of night flights through any airport, we need to balance this with offering an excellent choice of destinations to our customers.’
However, airport spokesperson Sally Windsor told the newspaper: ‘First edition brochures which are issued so far in advance of summer 2010 do not always have precise flight times. We are still in discussion with the tour operator regarding optimum operating schedules for next summer.’
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