South-east England airfield rebrands as London Ashford and prepares for 24h operation
The UK’s Lydd airport is on target to begin business aviation operations on 29 July as its new VIP terminal and air traffic control tower approach completion.
The airport, in the south east of England, is promoting its 24h availability to business jets as a major factor in its attractiveness to corporate aviation. According to Lydd chief consultant Jonathan Gordon, the airport, which is about 100km (60 miles) from London, is rebranding itself as London Ashford and will initially benefit from business aviation movements generated by its key investor, Sheik Fahad al-Athel, who owns a fleet of business jets based in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East. “But we expect to expand quickly as the word gets around,” Gordon adds. A new company, FAL Aviation UK, will provide “blue chip” executive aviation services at the airport.
More than £7 million ($12.2 million) has been spent on upgrading Lydd, which will join the existing ring of business aviation airports around London. The new VIP facility will contain lounges, conference rooms, a flight planning centre, crew rest areas and customs and immigration services. The existing terminal building has been refurbished, an upgraded instrument landing system installed and runway resurfacing work completed.
Gordon says the airport is talking to “several helicopter operators” about providing links to central London, although the European Business Aviation Association (EBAA) admits there is a “really serious shortage” of helicopter facilities at London, which has only one heliport – Battersea. “Now we’ve got the Olympics we really need to work hard to develop access for helicopters,” says EBAA chief executive Brian Humphries.
The EBAA says Lydd will provide a “welcome addition” to existing business aviation facilities around London. “The growth of business aviation airports in this area has exceeded our wildest expectations,” says Humphries.
JULIAN MOXON/LONDON
Source: Flight International
