Flying start to East Midlands Airport’s ‘summer season’

welcome

The growth in demand in the early part of the season bodes well for the peak summer months which start with the May half-term holiday running through to September. This year, 4 million passengers are expected to use EMA, which will be an uplift of more than 600,000 passengers compared with 2022.

Driving much of this increase are the airlines that base aircraft at EMA – Ryanair, JET2.com and TUI. All have added to their fleets this year with Ryanair now operating eight aircraft out of EMA and JET2.com seven.  TUI will operate five planes out of EMA this summer compared with three last year and, coupled with this investment, have brought back additional routes this summer to Antalya (Turkey), Hurghada (Egypt) and Gran Canaria. Eastern Airways, which recently launched the Newquay and Paris Orly flights also have an aircraft based at EMA. Other domestic routes are served by Aer Lingus Regional (Belfast) and passengers flying to the Channel Islands are catered for by airlines Blue Islands and Aurigny.

Airlines will start operating their full summer schedules to coincide with the start of the May half-term holiday resulting in more than 100 passenger flights a day. Between them, EMA’s airlines will fly people to more than 60 destinations this summer in mainland Europe, Eastern Europe, North Africa and across the UK. Eastern Airway’s new Paris Orly route provides seamless onward travel to destinations served by Air France via Paris’s second largest airport.

According to customer feedback, the ease and convenience of using EMA is a top consideration when passengers choose the airport. Based on last year’s performance data recently release by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), there were fewer flight delays at EMA than at any other UK airport. Also, 99.74% of passengers continue to clear security in under 15 minutes.

EMA is also increasingly the airport of choice for passengers who need extra assistance and has recently won a prestigious Business Disability Forum ‘Disability Smart Inclusive Customer Service’ award for its innovative and inclusive approach to customer service. The airport has invested heavily in new specialist equipment for disabled passengers and has introduced easier ways for customers to communicate with the Assisted Travel team wherever they are in the airport.  In addition, the airport has purchased four mobility scooters for those who find it difficult to walk to the gates allowing them the freedom to manage their own journey through the airport and more independence.

In a further boost for passengers using EMA this summer, the food and drink outlets have been refurbished and extra seating has been added providing passengers with a more pleasant environment in which to relax before flights.

Steve Griffiths, EMA’s Managing Director, says: “I’m very much looking forward to our strongest year since 2019. All the pre-season planning is paying off and we’re in a great place as we approach our busiest time of year for passenger operations. As predicted, we will welcome more passengers this year than in 2022 as confidence and demand continues to recover following the pandemic. Our focus is to provide a seamless airport experience to all passengers who use EMA so that they have the best possible start to their trips, whether they be short breaks or longer holidays.