London Luton Airport
London Luton Airport | |
---|---|
Characteristics | |
ICAO code | EGGW |
IATA code | LTN |
Coordinates | |
Height above MSL | 160 m (525 ft ) |
Transport links | |
Distance from the city center | 3 km east of Luton , United Kingdom , 50 km northwest of London , United Kingdom |
Street | |
train | East Midlands Railway / Thameslink |
Local transport |
Bus : National Express Green Line |
Basic data | |
opening | July 16, 1938 |
operator | London Luton Airport Operations Limited |
Passengers | 15,799,219 (2017) |
Air freight | 21,199 t (2017) |
Flight movements |
135,538 (2017) |
Start-and runway | |
07/25 | 2160 m × 46 m asphalt |
The London Luton Airport ( IATA : LTN , ICAO : EGGW ; formerly Luton International Airport ) is an international airport in Luton , about 50 km northwest of London . The airport also serves the Luton agglomeration and is located in the Wigmore district. After Heathrow , Gatwick and Stansted, it is the fourth largest airport in the metropolitan area of the British capital and is used almost exclusively by low-cost and charter airlines. EasyJet's head office is also located on the premises .
Location and transport links
There is a bus service to Luton Airport Parkway station , which is on the Thameslink route to London and connects St Pancras , City Thameslink, London Bridge and Gatwick Airport, among others . The journey time to St Pancras is around 30 minutes, but you need to allow extra time for the shuttle bus.
Intercity buses such as the National Express and Green Line connect the airport with the city center and the rest of London's airports . There is also a well-developed network of bus connections to other cities.
history
The airport was opened on July 16, 1938 by then Minister of Aviation, Kingsley Wood. During the Second World War it was used as a base for the Royal Air Force's fighter jets .
After the war, the airport was returned to the Luton City Council. This continued the operation; Airlines like Euravia (now Thomson Airways ) had their base there. In 1972 the airport was the most profitable in England. However, he suffered a serious setback in August 1974 when the Clarksons travel company, which also operated the Court Line airline , went bankrupt .
In the following 15 years the airport was renovated and in 1985 a new international terminal was added . At the time, Ryanair operated flights from Luton to Ireland . In 1990 the airport was renamed London Luton Airport . In 1991 Ryanair moved to Stansted, but returned a few years later with some flight connections. As a result, the airport initially lost its importance in the British transport network. This changed suddenly at the end of the 1990s when charter airlines such as Airtours International and the then new and now defunct low-cost airline Debonair and easyJet started from London-Luton. The new Luton Airport Parkway station was also built near the airport.
In August 2013, London-Luton was voted the airport with the lowest customer satisfaction in the country in a survey.
In the course of the same year, the airport was to change hands and in future be managed by a consortium led by the Spanish airport operator Aena .
Extensive renovation and expansion work ("Pier B") has been taking place since 2016.
Airlines and Destinations
Luton Airport is connected by several airlines, mostly low-cost carriers, with numerous destinations in Europe, with a focus on tourist routes. The main local airlines include easyJet , Wizz Air , Vueling and Ryanair .
From the German-speaking area, Luton is currently served by easyJet from Berlin-Schönefeld , Dortmund , Hamburg , Munich , Vienna , Innsbruck , Geneva , Basel and Zurich, among others .
Traffic figures
year | Passenger volume | Air freight ( tons ) | Flight movements |
---|---|---|---|
2017 | 15,799,219 | 21.199 | 135,538 |
2016 | 14,551,837 | 25,464 | 131,536 |
2015 | 12.279.176 | 28,041 | 116,412 |
2014 | 10,500,132 | 27,500 | 103,928 |
2013 | 9,709,149 | 29.092 | 97,596 |
2012 | 9,630,969 | 29,663 | 98,732 |
2011 | 9,526,659 | 27,942 | 99.287 |
2010 | 8,751,598 | 28,785 | 95,604 |
Incidents
- On September 14, 1967, an Airspeed Ambassador ( aircraft registration G-ALZS ) from Autair rolled over the end of the runway after landing. The aircraft was written off as a total loss. All 69 occupants of the machine were uninjured.
public perception
- London-Luton Airport regularly comes last in various rankings and is perceived by passengers as one of the worst airports in Europe.
See also
Web links
- The airport's website is on london-luton.co.uk
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e Statistics. London-Luton.co.uk, accessed January 14, 2018 .
- ^ Runway numbers change at London Luton. ukaviation.news, accessed on June 14, 2020 .
- ↑ a b bbc.co.uk - London Southend Airport is rated best in the UK (English) August 17, 2013
- ^ Accident report AS.57 Ambassador G-ALZS , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on January 28, 2016.
- ↑ Berliner Morgenpost - Berlin: Tegel Airport is one of the worst in the world . ( Morgenpost.de [accessed on May 9, 2018]).
- ↑ The most popular airports in Germany and Europe . In: - Webbosaurus GmbH . ( webbosaurus.de [accessed on May 9, 2018]).
- ↑ The best and worst airports at a glance - eDreams. Retrieved May 9, 2018 .