Birmingham airport bucks trend as thousands make Easter getaway

Apr 12 2009 by Anuji Varma, Sunday Mercury

FUN-SEEKING Midlanders hit the roads and airport to enjoy the Easter break.

Holidaymakers helped Birmingham International Airport to buck the trend seen in some regional centres where passenger numbers have declined.

Instead BIA has boasted a 0.5 per cent increase in travellers compared to last year with some 360,000 passengers using the facility over the two-week period.

Airport bosses said the most popular routes were to the Canaries, Dubai, New York, Istanbul, Larnaca, Paris and Malaga.

And although experts predicted most road congestion to occur on Thursday, they warned several Midland routes would continue to be busy over the Bank Holiday. These include the M5 westbound, M6 southbound and M6 Toll.

Weather forecasters were unable to predict a weekend full of sun, but they did promise Midlanders who were staying at home bright spells with just a few showers.

A spokeswoman for BIA said: “We expect to carry over 360,000 passengers over the two-week Easter break. This is a 0.5 per cent increase on Easter last year.

“Passengers are taking advantage of the routes that Birmingham has to offer with its low-cost, scheduled and charter operations. The most popular routes are the Canaries, Dubai, New York, Istanbul, Larnaca, Paris and Malaga with passengers jetting off to find a little bit of sunshine.