Birmingham Airport facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Birmingham Airport
IATA: BHX ICAO: EGBB
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner	Seven metropolitan boroughs of West Midlands county (49%), the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan (48.25%) and employees (2.75%)
Operator	Birmingham Airport Ltd
Serves	West Midlands conurbation, City of Coventry, Shropshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire
Location	Bickenhill, England
Focus city for	easyJet Jet2.com Ryanair TUI Airways
Elevation AMSL	341 ft / 104 m
Coordinates	52°27′14″N 001°44′53″W / 52.45389°N 1.74806°W / 52.45389; -1.74806
Map
EGBB Location in West Midlands county Show map of West Midlands county EGBB Location in the United Kingdom Show map of the United Kingdom
Runway
Runway Length Surface m ft 15/33 3,052 10,013 Asphalt
Statistics (2022)
Passengers 9,597,485 Passenger change 21-22 287%
Sources: UK AIP at NATS Statistics from the UK Civil Aviation Authority

The airport site, as it was around 1921.

British Airways and British Caledonian aircraft at the old terminal in 1978

The Maglev rapid transport system, which operated from 1984 to 1995, was the first commercial maglev system in the world

Birmingham Airport (airport codes: BHX for passengers, EGBB for air traffic control) is a big airport that handles flights to many countries. It used to be called Birmingham International Airport. You can find it about 7 miles (11 km) east of Birmingham city centre in England. It's also close to Coventry and the village of Bickenhill.

The airport first opened on July 8, 1939, as Elmdon Airport. During World War II, the military took it over and called it RAF Elmdon. Both the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Royal Navy used it for training and making planes. On July 8, 1946, it opened again for regular flights.

Today, Birmingham Airport has a special licence that allows it to operate flights for passengers and flying lessons. In 2017, over 12.9 million passengers used the airport. This made it the seventh busiest airport in the UK. The airport offers flights to places in Europe, the Middle East, and India. It's also a main base for airlines like easyJet, Jet2.com, Ryanair, and TUI Airways.

Where is Birmingham Airport?

Birmingham Airport is located about 7 miles (11 km) east-southeast of Birmingham city centre. It's in an area called the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull. The airport is surrounded by other important places. To the east, you'll find the National Exhibition Centre. Marston Green is to the north, and Sheldon is to the west. The villages of Bickenhill and Elmdon are to the south.

The main road to the airport is the A45. It's also very close to Junction 6 of the M42 motorway. There's a special raised train called the Air-Rail Link that connects the airport to Birmingham International railway station. This train station is on the main railway line that goes between Birmingham and London.

The airport's main runway goes from northwest to southeast. This means that planes taking off or landing often fly directly over parts of Birmingham, depending on the wind. There used to be another runway, but it's now used as a taxiway for planes to get to the main runway.

A Look Back at Birmingham Airport

How it Started

In 1928, the city leaders of Birmingham decided they needed their own airport. A group was set up to make this happen. By 1931, they were looking at different places for the airport. One good spot was Elmdon, but building was put on hold because of money problems during the Great Depression.

The airport project started up again in 1933. A new committee was formed to manage it. In 1935, members of this committee visited other successful airports in Europe, like those in Amsterdam, Berlin, and London, to get ideas.

In 1935, a company called Norman and Dawbarn was hired to design the airport. The city bought land for the airport in 1933 and 1934. In 1936, a special law was passed by Parliament to allow more land to be bought and roads to be moved for the airport. Soon after, work began on preparing the land and designing the buildings, including the main terminal.

By January 1937, the designs were ready. In October of that year, builders were hired to construct the airport buildings. The whole project cost about £360,000. Building went quickly, and by May 1, 1939, the airport was ready for planes.

On July 8, 1939, the Duchess of Kent and Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain officially opened Elmdon Airport. The main terminal, which included the air traffic control tower, was designed in a cool Art Deco style. This building was used as a terminal until 1984 and is still standing today. The airport was owned and run by Birmingham City Council. At first, flights went to places like Croydon, Glasgow, and Manchester. More flights were added, but then World War II started, and civilian flights stopped.

During World War II

During World War II, the military took over Elmdon Airport. It was called RAF Elmdon and was used by the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy. It was mainly a place for flight training. During this time, the original grass runways were replaced with two hard runways.

Many Avro Lancaster and Stirling bombers were made at a factory nearby. These planes were too big to take off from that factory. So, their wings were removed, and they were driven to RAF Elmdon. Once there, their wings were put back on, and they were tested. If they were ready, they flew off to join the war effort. On July 8, 1946, the airport opened again for regular flights, but the government still controlled it.

From 1950 to 1980

After the war, the airport hosted many public events, like air shows. In 1949, regular flights started again, with British European Airways (BEA) flying to Paris. More flights to Europe were added over the years, including to Zürich, Düsseldorf, and Amsterdam. In 1960, the City of Birmingham took back control of the airport.

In 1961, a new building called The International Building was opened to handle more international flights. The main runway was also made longer, reaching 7,400 feet (about 1.4 miles) between 1967 and 1970. This allowed bigger jet-powered planes to use the airport. A new flight to New York started in 1967. By the early 1970s, Birmingham Airport was serving about one million passengers each year. In 1974, a new local government group took over running the airport.

On September 16, 1980, the super-fast Concorde plane visited Birmingham Airport for the first time. It made its final visit to the airport on October 20, 2003, as part of its farewell tour.

From 1981 to 2000

Birmingham Airport was home to the world's first commercial maglev system. This was a low-speed shuttle that ran on a magnetic track for about 620 metres. It connected the airport terminal to the nearby Birmingham International railway station. The maglev opened in April 1984. However, it stopped running in 1995 after 11 years because it often broke down.

In 2003, a new system called the Air-Rail Link was opened. This system uses cables to pull small trains along the same track where the maglev used to run.

In 1993, new rules meant the airport had to use private money to grow. So, 51% of the local council's shares in the airport were sold. This helped the airport become a private company. In 1997, a big £260 million plan started to improve the airport.

The 2000s

In November 2007, Birmingham Airport shared its plans for the future up to 2030. These plans included changes to the terminals, runways, and other buildings. Some people, like environmental groups and local residents, were concerned about these big plans, especially the idea of a second runway. If these plans go ahead, the airport could handle about 70 million passengers each year and create many new jobs.

In January 2008, the shorter runway was closed. It wasn't used much because it was too short and caused too much noise. Closing it also made space for more aircraft parking. However, this runway is still used as a taxiway and for helicopters. In the same month, plans for making the main runway longer and building a new air traffic control tower were sent for approval.

In June 2008, work started on a new three-story International Pier. It opened on September 9, 2009. To celebrate the airport's 70th birthday, the huge Airbus A380 plane was the first to use this new pier. It was the first time a commercial A380 flight landed in the UK outside London Heathrow. The new pier is 240 metres long and 24 metres wide. Passengers departing use the top level, arriving passengers use the middle level, and airline offices are on the ground floor. This new area can park seven large planes or 13 smaller ones. It's built for modern, fuel-efficient planes like the Airbus A380. It also has a new lounge for business class passengers flying with Emirates. In March 2009, the plans to extend the runway were approved.

The 2010s

Main check-in hall in Terminal 1

Departure lounge area

In September 2010, it was announced that the airport would change its name from "Birmingham International Airport" to "Birmingham Airport". This happened after Terminals 1 and 2 were combined into one big terminal in 2011. The airport wanted a new name and logo to show it was a global travel hub. The new name started being used in November 2010, with a new logo of interlocking blue circles and the slogan "Hello World".

In January 2011, the airport combined its two terminals into one large building. This involved adding two new floors: a lower ground floor for arrivals and a third floor for the main security area. In July 2011, construction began on a new control tower. This new tower was finished in March 2012 and replaced the old one that had been used since 1939.

On February 23, 2011, Birmingham Airport suggested that the High Speed 2 railway could help with crowded runways in London. They said it would be faster to get to London from Birmingham than from Stansted Airport once the new railway was built.

Work on extending the runway began in autumn 2012. The extension meant the A45 Coventry Road had to be moved. Instead of building a tunnel, the road was moved south of the runway to save money. In summer 2013, the new air traffic control tower started working fully. In May 2014, the 400-metre runway extension was officially opened. The full length was first used on July 22, 2014, by a China Southern Airlines flight to Beijing.

In early 2015, a Canadian company called the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan increased its ownership in the airport to 48.25%. In 2016, Birmingham Airport handled over 11.6 million passengers, which was a record for the airport.

On September 28, 2016, £100 million was invested in a new baggage handling system and two new car parks.

Since 2020

The airline Flybe used to fly many routes from Birmingham. It stopped flying in March 2020 but has since started again, with Birmingham as its main base. In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, a temporary morgue was set up in a hangar at the airport.

On January 13, 2023, Emirates announced that their famous Airbus A380 planes would return to flying daily to Birmingham Airport starting July 1, 2023. Emirates had used the A380 for flights to Birmingham since 2016, but switched to smaller planes during the pandemic.

In January 2023, another airline called Flybe, which was a new version of the old airline and had its main base in Birmingham, stopped flying.

Airport Buildings and Setup

Birmingham Airport now has one large terminal building. It combines the two older terminals using a connecting area called the Millennium Link. Gates 1–20 are in what used to be Terminal 2, and all other gates are in what was Terminal 1.

Terminal 1 first opened on April 3, 1984. It was built to help with crowding in the very first airport terminal, which is now a protected building and used for private flights. Since then, Terminal 1 has been made bigger many times to handle more passengers and planes.

All the check-in desks and arrivals areas are on the ground floor. The main security area, along with shops and restaurants after security, are on the first floor.

Airlines and Destinations

Here are the airlines that fly regularly to and from Birmingham, and where they go:

Cargo Flights

Airport Statistics

Passenger Numbers

Yearly Statistics

Busiest Routes

Busiest routes to and from Birmingham (2023)

Rank	Airport	Passengers handled	% Change 2022/23
1	Dublin	803,506	19.4%
2	Dubai–International	591,856	23.0%
3	Amsterdam	516,848	19.8%
4	Palma de Mallorca	401,369	12.2%
5	Tenerife–South	387,997	11.2%
6	Belfast–International	350,308	10.7%
7	Alicante	343,218	3.9%
8	Málaga	304,500	3.6%
9	Antalya	281,322	10.6%
10	Faro	268,332	5.5%
11	Barcelona	248,346	23.3%
12	Paris–Charles de Gaulle	246,852	22.2%
13	Lanzarote	244,530	8.8%
14	Frankfurt	241,224	22.6%
15	Edinburgh	214,327	25.0%
16	Dalaman	204,572	32.7%
17	Istanbul	201,960	24.8%
18	Gran Canaria	176,559	12.3%
19	Bucharest–Otopeni	167,887	15.0%
20	Glasgow	163,724	10.8%

Getting To and From the Airport

Birmingham International railway station

The Air-Rail Link joins the railway station to the airport, operated by a track and pulley system

The proposed 'Birmingham Interchange'

Public Transport

Trains

Birmingham Airport is connected to Birmingham International railway station. This station is on a major train line that runs between Birmingham and London. Trains are run by different companies like West Midlands Trains and Avanti West Coast. You can get from the train station to the airport terminal using the free Air-Rail Link.

Future High Speed Rail (HS2)

There are plans for a new high-speed train line called High Speed 2. As part of this, a new train station called Birmingham Interchange will be built. It will serve both the airport and the National Exhibition Centre. This new station will connect to the airport with a "rapid transit people mover" system. High Speed 2 is planned to be finished by 2029.

West Midlands Metro (Tram)

There are also plans for a new tram line, called Line 3 of the West Midlands Metro. This line would go from Edgbaston to Birmingham Airport. It would connect Birmingham Interchange, Birmingham International, and Birmingham Airport to Birmingham city centre in about 30 minutes.

Buses and Coaches

Local buses run by National Express West Midlands stop at Birmingham Airport. These include routes like the X1 to Birmingham city centre and Coventry, and the X12 to Chelmsley Wood and Solihull. Bus stops are located outside Terminal One.

Long-distance coaches, also run by National Express Coaches, stop at Birmingham Airport on their way to or from Birmingham coach station.

Taxis

You can find black cabs at the taxi stand right outside the arrivals area of the terminal.

Cars

Birmingham Airport is easy to reach by car from the north and south using Junction Six of the M42 motorway. If you're coming from Birmingham city centre, the A45 road goes directly to the airport. There are car parks available, but some areas charge for parking even for short times. Parking spots further away from the airport are usually cheaper.

Bicycles

There is a cycle route that goes south from the airport over the A45 towards Solihull. Birmingham Airport has also shared "recommended routes" for cyclists. You can park your bike for free for a short time near the terminal. For longer stays, bicycles need to be stored in the Left Luggage area for a fee.

See also

In Spanish: Aeropuerto Internacional de Birmingham-West Midlands para niños

• Transport in Birmingham