Birmingham Airport Passenger Numbers Soar

Although airports around the UK have received much criticism over recent years because they continue to expand and increase flight numbers, they constantly experience more and more passengers passing through their doors every year.

This is very much the case for Birmingham International Airport after they dealt with over one million passengers this summer. The airport handled a total of 1,005,484 people in its two terminals which is an increase of 2.2 percent from August last year. It was also the first time it has broken the million passenger milestone since September 2005. This goes to show that although the travel industry has faced many challenges over the last two years, a positive trend is starting to emerge which shows people are trusting the industry again.

It is likely that the increase in the number of passenger numbers has been because of the terrible summer the UK has experienced. This is further fuelled by the fact that Birmingham has introduced several new routes and airlines are fighting to provide the cheapest flights in a bid to beat off the competition.

Although the rise in passenger numbers is good for airports and airlines, it's bad news for those who are protesting against the expansion of airports in the UK. More passengers equal more flights and a greater demand for Birmingham Airport parking. If there is to be an increase of these things it means that there will be more flights, more cars travelling to and from the airport and more Birmingham Airport parking facilities.

One of the groups is BANG (Birmingham Airport anti - Noise Group) are fighting particularly hard because their members are affected by the noise produced by the airport on a daily basis.

Expansions also raise many issues about pollution, noise and traffic that people have been fighting about for years. Environmentalists and local residents don't want the extra traffic around where they live and are concerned about the impact that more flights and cars are going to have on the environment. Local residents are well aware that living close to an airport reduced the value of your home. However, they are worried that more flights, cars and noise are going to further reduce the value of their homes.

However, despite campaigners' efforts, there is obviously a demand for more flights and Birmingham Airport parking as the number of passengers is rising steadily. As a result, airports such as Birmingham are only trying to meet demands when they increase the number of flights and Birmingham Airport parking facilities that they are providing.