Commercial passenger flights will be coming to Cumbria from June from airports including Southend, Dublin and Belfast, though the carriers have not yet been confirmed. It will be the first time Carlisle Lake District airport has been used for commercial flights since 1993. Currently the airport is mostly used for flight training and local sightseeing trips.
Previous attempts to establish passenger flights from the airport have been largely unsuccessful. In the 1940s, 60s, 80s and 90s connections were launched to destinations such as Belfast and London but all were shortlived.
In recent years, however, Cumbria has enjoyed a steady increase in tourism. During 2015-16 visitor numbers rose by 5%, and in 2017 the Lake District gained world heritage status, while Hadrian’s Wall, just north of Carlisle, celebrated 30 years as a world heritage site. Last year Cumbria received 45 million visitors (38.8 million day trippers and 6.3 million overnighters). The airport, owned by the Stobart Group, is 4o miles north of Keswick, in the heart of the Lake District, and 50 miles from Kendal.
The development is supported by the Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership, which has committed £4.95m to help make improvements to the airport’s runway and the terminal.
Gill Haigh, managing director of Cumbria Tourism said: “The Carlisle airport plans will be a great boost for Cumbria’s connectivity and our £2.72bn tourism industry. The fact that we as a county are about to have our very own airport … is an exciting time for the region; especially with last year’s announcement for the Lake District gaining world heritage status.”
Local tourist businesses have also responded positively. Rachel Carr, of boutique accommodation company Hidden River Cabins, said it would be a great boost and encourage guests to visit from further afield. She said: “The cabins are set in north Cumbria in a rural setting and the nearest airport is Newcastle, around 1½ hours away.” . “With the airport we hope to see an increase in guests visiting from Ireland and the south of the UK.”
However, environmental groups have questioned why the airport is being developed in favour of improving rail networks in the region.
“Passenger rail in the north-west is currently poorly served, in relative terms, as fares are often prohibitive and the frequency of services is in decline,” said Phil Davies, acting chief executive officer for Cumbria Action for Sustainability.
“Taking people off the train and into the air runs at 180 degrees against UK and global climate change targets. We would welcome investment in the rail and coach services of the north-west and the rebalancing of transport investment across the UK.”
He added: “As a positive opportunity, the airport has a vast area of land which lends itself to the deployment of ground mounted solar PV panels. We would therefore support a local ‘carbon offsetting development’ – the installation of a community-owned and community-benefitting solar PV array on the site of the airport. If we really are to look after our planet, such developments must be accompanied by positive environmental programmes to reduce emissions, commensurately.”
