Biggin Hill Airport – one of Europe's busiest business aviation hubs – has received provisional local government approval to extend its operating hours. This is a welcome development for the facility, situated around 20km from central London, which has been arguing for some time that its shorter opening hours place it at a competitive disadvantage compared with other London airports such as Luton, which is open 24h.
Biggin Hill Airport Airport Limited (BHAL) currently has operating hours from 07:30 to 21:00 local time Monday to Saturday and 09:00 to 21:00 on Sundays and public holidays.
Under the new proposals, the airport would be open from 06:30 to 23:00 from Monday to Saturday and 08:00 and 23:00 on Sundays and public holidays. The extended hours will help boost BHAL's share of traffic from the Middle East, Asia and the USA.
"As the only dedicated international business aviation airport in Greater London, the extended operating hours, along with a number of other initiatives such as the London Helicopter Shuttle, will enable BHAL’s current and potential customers to undertake even more productive business activities in London and the south east, as well as entice more aviation-related aviation manufacturing, engineering and support activities," says BHAL.
The airport is the third most popular destination for business aircraft in the UK, having recorded 14,000 movements last year.
Source: Flight International
