East Midlands Airport issues advice to passengers ahead of peak summer season

Lanzarote

East Midlands Airport (EMA) is gearing up for its busiest period of the year as it expects to welcome more than 850,000 passengers (departing and arriving) through its doors in July and August.

As schools across the region begin breaking-up for the summer holidays, the airport has issued advice to travellers, many of whom will not have flown since before the pandemic, to minimise unnecessary delays and to improve the overall airport experience.

East Midlands Airport’s operation has held up well this summer so far. Although the terminal is busier than it has been at any point since the start of the pandemic, the average time for passengers getting through security is 15 minutes or less, and the airport is keen to make sure that this continues throughout the summer.

Michael Grimes, East Midlands Airport’s Director of Customer Services and Security, said: “We look forward to welcoming many families, couples and groups of friends to the airport over the next few weeks. We want all customers to have a positive experience when travelling through EMA this summer. Therefore, we are issuing the following advice:

·       Please can all passengers arrive at the terminal for check-in or bag drop at the time suggested by their airline, not before, and not after. Arriving too early can add to queue lengths and can create congestion;

·       Restrictions on liquids, including hand sanitiser, carried in hand luggage continue to apply. Avoid these being confiscated by ensuring they are under 100ml and fit in a single clear, resealable bag.;

·       Finally, all electronic items, including laptops and iPads, need to be taken out of hand luggage and laid flat in a tray when passengers reach the security search area. Please ensure these are easy to find and aren’t buried at the bottom of a bag.”

Since travel restrictions were lifted earlier this year, airports across the UK, Europe and beyond have seen increases in passenger numbers as people make up for lost time and head-off on well-earned holidays and trips to see family and friends.

At EMA, demand for passenger flights has been growing steadily throughout the year. To date, passenger numbers are approximately 67% of pre-Covid levels, but daily volumes are up almost 800% compared with this time last year, when travel restrictions and testing requirements undermined people’s confidence to travel. Total passenger numbers in July 2021 averaged 1,500 per day whereas, this year, 14,000 people are passing through the airport every 24 hours.

This summer, the airlines that serve East Midlands Airport are flying passengers to and from more than 50 destinations. Mainland Spain and the Spanish Islands continue to be the most popular destinations for travellers who choose EMA. The top 10 destinations passengers are flying to are:

•        Palma de Mallorca

•        Alicante (Spain)

•        Faro (Portugal)

•        Malaga (Spain)

•        Tenerife (Spain)

•        Lanzarote (Spain)

•        Dublin (Rep. of Ireland)

•        Barcelona (Spain)

•        Dalaman (Turkey)

•        Menorca (Spain)

Clare James, East Midlands Airport’s Managing Director, said: “It has been great seeing so many passengers using this airport again. As we approach the peak summer weeks, people flying from EMA can be confident that we are all working very hard to ensure their holidays get off to the best possible start.”