Farnborough Airport is drawing up a master plan which lays out a strategy for the site until 2030. TAG Aviation-owned Farnborough, the UK's fastest-growing commercial airport in terms of movements, is seeing unprecedented demand for its services with annual movements at the facility near London rising year on year by 26%. "We are operating vastly below capacity," says Farnborough Airport chief executive Brandon O'Reilly. "This year we expect to hit 26,000 movements and in 2008 we will reach our 28,000 cap," The master plan, which will be submitted to the local government in the first quarter of next year, will lay out the company's vision for the site looking at movements, runway and airspace capacity as well as the airport's environmental impact.
The business-aviation airport has faced a barrage of local opposition since TAG took over the site in 2003 under a 99-year lease from the UK Ministry of Defence. Opponents of the site have expressed concerns about airport noise and have actively opposed any increased in movements. Earlier this year TAG appealed against a local government ruling to refuse permission to double aircraft movements from 2,500 at weekends. "We have been at this level since 2003 and are forced to turn away 2,000 movements a year," O'Reilly says. "We are hoping to get a decision on our appeal by 31 October."
Source: Flight International