Liverpool John Lennon International Airport (JLA), formerly known as Speke Airport, is the tenth busiest airport in the UK. Located in the city of Liverpool in the north-west, the airport was officially opened in 1933. It was renamed in 2002 after John Lennon who was a peace activist and musician. Peel Airports owns the airport and Liverpool Airport is the operator.
The airport handled more than 5.01 million passengers and recorded 68,164 aircraft movements in 2010.
Recommended White Papers
Recommended Buyers Guides
Master plan
The airport master plan was prepared to 2030. The draft master plan was prepared in July 2006. In accordance with the Department for Transport (DoT) guidelines, the development plans were proposed in detail to 2015 and in general terms to 2030.
The master plan foresees that there will be a three-fold increase in passenger traffic by 2030. It forecasts the passenger numbers to increase to 8.3 million by 2015 and 12.3 million by 2030. The master plan has 13 chapters. It proposes construction of a new terminal building and provision of long-haul services at the airport.
Expansions
A £42.5m expansion of the passenger terminal began in 2000. The project was completed in 2002, increasing the capacity of the airport by three times.
In a £9m contract, Amec made major changes to the main runway and taxiways at the airport. The construction work was started in September 2006 and completed in 2007.
In September 2009, a £12m expansion was initiated at the airport. It involved expansion of the security screening area and the retail space in departure lounge. The construction was completed in February 2011.
In 2010, as part of the airport development plan, the construction of six carousel and comb areas and a two storied business lounge was initiated. A&B Engineering installed the required electrical and mechanical equipment. Irwin was the main contractor and WSP Manchester was the consultant to the project. The architectural support was provided by LRW and the project cost was £575,000.
Terminal features
The airport has a single main terminal which was opened in 1986. The terminal has two levels. The lower level contains departure gates 1-10 and 30-50. It is equipped with shops, restaurants and other entertainment facilities.
Both levels feature duty free shopping outlets.
Runway
The airport has a single runway (09/27) which is 2,286m-long. It is paved with asphalt. The runway was constructed according to ILS category III standards.
Air traffic control
The air traffic control (ATC) tower at the airport was built in 1930. The airport information management system (AIMS) was provided by Stonefield Systems.
Contractors
Wright Landscapes were contracted to reseed and maintain the airport’s 230 acres of grass.
AVK/SEG, a UK based company, won the contract to provide a packaged substation and 500kVA standby generator at the airport.
In 2007, design build contractor S.C.C. was contracted to build the Hampton by Hilton hotel opposite to the main terminal of the airport. The 157 room hotel was completed in March 2009. Peel Airports invested £37m in the hotel.
Ground transportation
The airport is connected with various forms of transport such as trains, buses and taxis. Regular buses operate from the airport to Liverpool South Parkway and Liverpool Lime Street stations. The rail services are connected to the airport from various parts of the city. The airport also has coach service.
Parking
Liverpool John Lennon Airport offers a variety of car parking choices for short, mid and long stays. The parking area is located near to the terminal. Limited spaces are available in the premium category, which is available only to pre-booking customers. The premium parking facility features dedicated entrance and exit routes. A separate parking area is available for disabled and drop-off only category.
The parking area is conveniently located near to the terminal area. The short-stay parking terminal is multistorey.
