£20m Carlisle Airport plans revealed
16.06.06
Freight company Eddie Stobart's boss, Andrew Tinkler, has unveiled £20m plans to transform Carlisle Airport into an international transport hub. The millionaire haulage tycoon wants to make the airport the base for a newly formed airfreight company called Stobart Air - and bring international passenger travel to Cumbria.
The plans include laying a new runway and building a multi-million pound departure and arrivals lounge. Mr Tinkler said: 'If we can get the infrastructure right, the airport could put Carlisle and Cumbria back on the map.'
A new-look airport would allow freight to be flown into Carlisle and then transported across the country by road using Eddie Stobart wagons. And once the infrastructure is in place, Mr Tinkler believes passenger flights would also be on the cards.
Mr Tinkler said: 'There has been a lot of talk about the length of the runway but 1800 metres is long enough for freight and passenger travel. The runway at Blackpool airport, for example, is 1870 metres long, while London City Airport, which can take up to 100-seater aircraft, is just 1199 metres.'
He identified two options to bring the Crosby-on-Eden airfield's runway up to international standards. One option would be to strengthen and resurface the existing 1,800 metre runway, which badly needs upgrading. The second option would be to build an extended, second runway which would run parallel to the first.
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