LJLA sees 2016 passenger numbers take off with 11% growth following busiest December for seven years

A busier than expected December for Liverpool John Lennon Airport (LJLA) helped take total passenger figures for 2016 to over 4.8 million – an increase of 11% compared to 2015 and the highest levels for five years.

The busy Christmas and New Year holiday period saw December’s passenger numbers exceed expectations and up by 11% compared to December 2015, with LJLA experiencing its busiest December since 2009 with over 340,000 passengers choosing to use the Airport.

The Airport has seen a growth in passenger numbers, airlines and services throughout 2016. Passenger numbers have increased every month now for almost two years compared to the same period the year before, with almost 500,000 more passengers choosing to use the Airport last year compared to 2015.

Complementing the growth in traffic has been the ongoing investment to improve passenger facilities and further raise customer service levels. This has subsequently paid dividends for the Airport, with the latest results of an industry wide independent customer service survey showing that positive feedback from LJLA travellers regarding the overall passenger experience has never been higher.

Liverpool is now amongst the best in the business when it comes to the time taken to pass through the Airport both for departing and returning passengers with some of the shortest queuing and waiting times. The cleanliness of its washrooms, ease of wayfinding and its flight information screens all score highly too.

Liverpool has also continued to be one of the best airports in the UK for ‘on-time performance’ with more scheduled flights departing on time than the majority of other UK airports.

Andrew Cornish, CEO for Liverpool John Lennon Airport commented, “2016 was a great year for the Airport and our busiest in recent years. We really appreciate the support of the region’s travellers, who are taking advantage of the increased choice of destinations and operators from their local airport.

 We truly are Faster, Easier, Friendlier and by delivering a great customer experience we have seen positive passenger feedback at an all-time high, setting us firmly on track to achieve our vision: Together we will create the Airport our region loves.

This is also excellent news for the region too. A successful LJLA creates more job opportunities both onsite and indirectly across the region, as well as helping to attract more inward investment and boosting the region’s visitor economy.

 Looking ahead; improved passenger facilities and some of the industry’s best operational performance means that we have also been able to create the right airport environment for our airline and tour operator partners to commit to further growth in 2017 and we expect this coming year to be even busier.”