Blackpool Airport – open for business

Like many of my constituents, I would love to see commercial flights return to Blackpool Airport. I’ve been clear from the beginning of my election campaign that this is only possible with the backing of a commercial airline and with national national infrastructure investment. Reopening the airport to the general public cannot be something that costs the Blackpool taxpayer money after we have already been punished by 14 years of austerity.

I raised the issue in the House of Commons in January – asking the Minister for Aviation, Mike Kane, to work with the airport to deliver the growth and the jobs we need after being forgotten about by the previous Government over 14 years. He showed support for the town and committed to visiting Blackpool Airport with me in the near future.

The minister followed up with me by requesting a meeting in which he’s agreed to put me in touch with airline representatives to begin conversations about returning to Blackpool. And he committed to visiting the airport with me after the Easter break.

I visited Blackpool Airport Enterprise Zone recently and what’s clear is that even without commercial flights, Blackpool Airport holds huge potential for our town.

Preparatory work for Silicon Sands, a new low-carbon data centre campus at the airport, is due to begin in the Spring. The development is set to create a huge number of high-quality jobs in tech. It will be powered by renewable energy and cooled by liquid immersion techniques, with the excess heat repurposed into neighbourhood buildings and homes – directly benefiting Blackpool residents.

Blackpool Airport Enterprise Zone masterplan

Also in the House of Commons recently, I pointed out to the Energy Minister Sarah Jones that Silicon Sands could lead the way in an environmentally-friendly approach to data centres, while creating thousands of well-paid jobs for my home town. She praised this innovative project and agreed to meet me privately to discuss how the department can support my vision to build a better Blackpool. For too long, she said, our coastal and industrial communities have not had the job opportunities they deserve. This government is determined to change that.

At the airport I met with MD Steve Peters and others and was impressed to hear how, under new leadership, the airport had gone from facing dangerous levels of debt to becoming a sustainable business.

In the control room on a recent visit to the airport

In November the airport made steps towards modernising its infrastructure by appointing a contractor to build its new passenger handling and administration facilities building. This will provide additional space to support continued growth and improve the airport’s ability to efficiently handle larger charter flights.

Over the past three years, the team there has worked closely with Hangar Three Aviation Services to expand its customer base. This collaboration has resulted in an increase in private corporate and executive aircraft charter flights, including the accommodation of larger cabin-class corporate aircraft. Aircraft movement is increasing rapidly on the site, which is operational every day with non-commercial flights.

This development is part of a broader series of initiatives to upgrade infrastructure at Blackpool Airport. A planning application for a new road and hangars at Airport East was submitted last year, and future plans include construction of new general aviation and executive hangars, development of a Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) hangar, installation of a proposed solar farm and a new fuel farm to enable the use of sustainable and alternative aviation fuels, as well as battery storage.

I know how central the airport will be to the growth of Blackpool and I’m committed to learning more about aviation and aerospace. I am currently taking part in the a parliamentary programme with Industry and Parliamentary Trust to become an expert in the sector, in the hopes my learning and networking might bring new opportunities to Blackpool.

As part of this programme, in recent weeks I visited BAE in Warton and Airbus in Broughton, where I was given an overview of manufacturing, operations, research and development and learnt about the industry’s economic impact. Airbus has contributed over £311 million to Wales’ GDP and enabled over £2 billion of investment into Wales over the last two decades. I also met with young apprentices, beginning their careers and travelling from far and wide to work in Broughton. Even one Blackpool South constituent makes the hour and a half commute for the opportunities it offers.

I fully support constituents who would like to see the return of commercial flights to our town. What’s clear right now is that Blackpool Airport is very much open and will have a huge role to play in the future prosperity of our town.