In the 32 hours from Friday morning to Saturday lunchtime, LJLA saw 8,000 fans jet off for the Champions League final against Tottenham – on top of the regular 32,000 passengers. Tony McDonough reports

Liverpool John Lennon Airport (LJLA) handled almost 8,000 Liverpool fans last weekend heading to Madrid to see the Reds triumph in the Champions League Final against Tottenham.

Those 38 extra flights was on top of the 27,000 regular passengers who passed through the airport over a 32 hour period from Friday morning to Saturday lunchtime.

Following the match, the same 38 returning flights all landed back at the Airport over a very busy 21 hour period on Sunday, with many arriving back in time to attend the team’s victory parade.

LJLA put extra measure in place to make sure that passengers were able to enjoy the same passenger experience as normal, with passengers taking less than 10 minutes to pass through security and over 90% of flights departing on time.

The return of the Liverpool team with the Champions League Trophy on Sunday was the icing on the cake for the airport and the culmination of all of its efforts to facilitate the departure and subsequent return of thousands of supporters.

They accommodated a diverse mix of airlines and aircraft, including a Boeing 747-400 jumbo jet, Boeing 787 Dreamliner, Airbus A330 and the Liverpool team’s Boeing 767.

Paul Staples, operations director at LJLA, said: “This has been an amazing few days for the airport and all who work here and a fantastic advert for what this airport is capable of.

“To have been able to accommodate all these extra flights whilst delivering our renowned high levels of operational service for those passengers and airlines using the airport at the same time, is a tremendous achievement that everyone who works here is rightly proud of.”