Liverpool John Lennon Airport is enjoying exceptional growth thanks to leisure traffic, but it is also seeking to further grow its aviation business and support the city region’s inward investment ambitions. Tony McDonough reports

Liverpool John Lennon Airport (LJLA) is looking to build on its recent phenomenal growth in passenger numbers with a new push to support the city region’s inward investment drive.

Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram has pledged to increase the volume of foreign direct investments (FDIs) into the city region by 25% by 2030. He is keen to close the gap with other regional UK cities such as Manchester.

To this end he has travelled to a number of overseas locations, including New York, Boston, and the giant MIPIM expo in Cannes, to showcase the investment opportunities the city region has to offer.

However, how easily investors can get to Liverpool and the experience they have when they get here are both critical aspects of securing any deals. Getting here, getting around, the quality of hotels and restaurants and the experience when they leave are all crucial.

The connectivity of a city region’s airport is key to the economic prosperity of that region. In short, the majority of investment will centre around those city region’s that are globally connected.

Therefore, it is vital for the economic growth and diversification of the city region’s economy that the airport is able to attract and sustain new links that mix business and leisure.

Already voted the best airport experience in the UK by thousands of travellers in a survey by consumer bible Which!, LJLA is now investing to raise the level of the experience even more and is also looking to grow its business route network.

Responsible for £340m a year in GVA contribution to Liverpool city region, the airport is eager to grow this figure further.

Earlier this year it announced a multi-million-pound transformation of its Aspire Executive Lounge, creating capacity for more than 200 people and improving the quality of the facilities.

Executives at LJLA are in constant year-round conversations with airlines with a view to growing Liverpool’s route network. It has built the strongest airport brand in the UK for leisure traffic and now the business market is in its sights.

Airlines are nimble and agile and can close a route as quickly as they can open one. It is a dynamic every airport on the planet has to grapple with and LJLA is no exception.

In recent years it has been successful in securing links to global hub routes through KLM, via Amsterdam, Lufthansa via Frankfurt and its Aer Lingus route to Dublin opens up destinations to North America.

Of those three only the Aer Lingus route remains for the moment. Both KLM and Lufthansa routes were popular with passengers but decisions to suspend those routes were taken by the airlines.

This has left Liverpool as the only major city in Europe without dedicated global hub connectivity, despite it being the fastest growing airport in the UK.

And Paul Winfield, director of aviation development at LJLA, told LBN that KLM serves over 20 airports in the UK, including much smaller cities and airports.

He explained: “The business case for a global hub carrier is a strong one, however it will need support from the city region particularly from the business community.

“Looking at the market in the UK, it is an anomaly that Liverpool remains without a hub product particularly when considering some of the small conurbations in the UK that enjoy multi-daily frequency.

“Proximity to alternate airports is not an argument that stands up when you consider other areas of the UK and how they have service from the same carrier into two competing airports, however the volume of seats when looking at hub connectivity amongst UK airports could be considered as unequitable.

“Liverpool city region has billions of pounds of projects ripe for foreign investment, including LCR Freeport which is set to become one of the UK’s most important trade and logistics hubs.

ANALYIS: Airport growth puts connectivity on the agenda

“There is an increasing volume of business travel between the North West of England and global markets. Liverpool John Lennon Airport is well positioned to take an equitable share of this traffic.

“With investments into the airport estate, particularly the transformation of the Aspire Lounge, LJLA presents a case to airlines looking to open new business-focused routes. We can now show them we offer not just our well-established faster, easier, friendlier service – but a premium one too.

“Our message to the city region business community is ‘we are here and ready to support your ambitions’. LJLA is one of the North West’s best assets and a powerful engine of economic growth.”