Liverpool John Lennon Airport Runway Switches to One Horse Power

Crabbie’s colours brightened up the tarmac today at Liverpool John Lennon Airport when, for the first time ever, a horse trotted out onto the runway. Heralding the countdown to the 2016 Crabbie’s Grand National Festival at Aintree (April 7^th- April 9^th) the 2004 Grand National winning horse, Amberleigh House, welcomed passengers as they disembarked from their flight into Liverpool.

Amberleigh House, owned by Crabbie’s parent company Halewood International, dusted off his equine passport and gave the ultimate photo finish welcome to passengers arriving from around the world as they flew in with Ryanair. Crabbie’s Alcoholic Ginger Beer is the title sponsor of the 2016 Crabbie’s Grand National Festival.

Peter Eaton Snr. Deputy Chairman at Halewood International, said: “In true Crabbie’s spirit we wanted to provide a real, feel good Liverpool welcome to passengers and racegoers visiting the festival this week. Amberleigh House epitomises the truly remarkable spirit of Grand National winners and having him at the foot of the steps of the aircraft, greeting international travellers as they disembark, was a great way to celebrate the arrival of visitors to Liverpool in the week of the world’s greatest horserace”

Robin Tudor, Head of PR, Liverpool John Lennon Airport, said: “It was an honour to have former Grand National winner, Amberleigh House, greet passengers at the airport. Working with Crabbie’s, a local Liverpool company, with a global reach, is a perfect fit for John Lennon Airport and we are delighted that we could come together on this to bring some of the excitement of the Crabbie’s Grand National to the airport. We have never had a horse on the runway before and the look on passengers faces when they saw Amberleigh House was fantastic!”

The Crabbie’s Grand National is one of the crown jewel events in the British sporting calendar with a UK terrestrial television audience of nine million on Channel 4 and an estimated 600 million people worldwide, as well as more than 150,000 people attending Aintree over the three days of the Crabbie’s Grand National Festival from Thursday 7th to Saturday 9th April 2016.