Birmingham International Airport (IATA: BHX, ICAO:
EGBB) is a major airport located 5.5 nautical miles (10.2 km)
east southeast of Birmingham, in the borough of Solihull, West
Midlands, England. It is the sixth busiest airport in the UK after
London Heathrow, London Gatwick, Manchester Airport, London Stansted
and London Luton.
Birmingham has a CAA Public Use Aerodrome Licence (Number P451)
that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for
flying instruction.
The airport handles (as of 2005) nine million passengers a year.
It offers domestic flights, and Europe, the Indian subcontinent, the
Middle East and North America.
The airport is close to the M42 motorway and A45 main road. It is
also well connected with and served by Birmingham International
railway station on the Birmingham to London line.
The airport was opened at Elmdon on 8 July 1939, and was owned
and operated by Birmingham City Council. During the Second World War
the airport was requisitioned by the Air Ministry and was used by
the RAF for military purposes. It returned to civilian use in July
1946, though still under government control.
During the post-war years, public events, such as air fairs and
air races were held on the site. The City of Birmingham took over
responsibility again in 1960. Ownership of the airport passed to the
newly-formed West Midlands County Council in 1974.
In 1984 a new terminal was opened, able to handle three million
passengers a year. A second terminal, "Eurohub", supposedly the
first terminal in the world to combine domestic and international
passengers, opened on 26 July 1991 (with Concorde in attendance),
more than doubling the airport's capacity. The original art deco
1939 terminal and control tower are still visible, near hangars to
the west of the main runway.
In 1983 the airport was privatised, although the local
authorities still own a 49% share. On 1 April 1987, the ownership of
the Airport transferred to Birmingham International Airport plc, a
public limited company owned by the seven West Midlands district
councils.
Concorde made a final visit on 20 October 2003 as part of her
farewell tour.
Birmingham International Airport |
