Birmingham Airport prepares for 140,000 passengers over Queen's Platinum Jubilee bank holiday
More than 140,000 people are booked in to fly in and out of Birmingham Airport over Queen's Platinum Jubilee four-day bank holiday.
Airport bosses say they are preparing for 89% of pre-pandemic customer volumes from Thursday, June 2 to Sunday 5, as people take to the skies over the extended holiday.
News of this follows on from Birmingham Airport making 43% of its employees redundant as a result of travel restrictions imposed during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The site began a recruitment campaign in November 2021 which has seen the airport increase its pool of security officers by 19% and front-of-house customer service teams by 20%.
Nick Barton, Birmingham Airport’s chief executive, said: "We are so pleased to see customers back at BHX again.
“In the darkest days of lockdown, there were eerie moments when birdsong was the loudest sound on our airfield."
He adds: "Much as I love the sound of birds singing, I’m relieved to hear the buzz of airport activity once again as customers take to the skies in large numbers.
“I’d like to thank customers who present compliant baggage at our pre-flight security screening - with liquids, gels, pastes and larger electrical items removed.
"This helps us help you keep moving. It also helps our security officers in their vital task of keeping everyone safe."
A cohort of new security officers were deployed this week with more due to start work in early June. The recruitment campaign is set to continue for the rest of the year.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, airport bosses say stringent travel restrictions had all but switched off aviation.
Over the Friday leading up to it and three days of the late May bank holiday itself two years ago, just over 1,000 people arrived and departed from the airport.
During the four equivalent days in 2021, 14,300 passed through the Midlands travel hub.
The more than 147,000 people expected through the airport airport will be 144 times more people than over the 2020 late May bank holiday (Friday May 22 to Monday 25) when Britain was in Covid-19 lockdown.
It will also be over 10 times more than the 2021 late May Bank Holiday (Friday May 28 to 31) again when Covid-19 restrictions were still in force.
The top five half-term destinations from Birmignham are Palma, Dublin, Amsterdam, Antalya and Dubai.
A spokesperson from the airport said: "Our pre-flight security operation ran smoothly this morning (27 May 2022) as many of the more than 21,000 customers booked to depart BHX today - our busiest day since August 2019 - took to the skies."