Review 2022
A Controversial Start to 2022
2022 commenced with Eastern Airways operating a daily Jetstream 41 service to Aberdeen Monday to Friday and Sunday, non-stop on weekdays and via Newcastle on Sundays, plus a sporadic KLM service to Amsterdam, usually operating no more than twice a week. There also continued to be regular offshore helicopter flights, including in connection with the construction of the Hornsea Two windfarm, as well as business jets, general aviation and military training. Hull’s football and rugby league teams also provided an occasional source of charter flights.
Humberside Airport made the news in January when Hull Animals Rights Team held a Sunday protest at the airport to demonstrate against occasional cargo flights transporting dogs for use in animal testing. More than 30 protestors took peaceful action on the verges close to the airport roundabout, displaying posters opposing the flights.
Flights and Frequencies Resuming plus a New Route
From Monday 14th March, Eastern Airways added a second rotation to Aberdeen on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, an increase that was initially briefly attempted in Autumn 2021. Whilst an overall provision of nine flights per week was fewer than the pre COVID-19 frequency of fifteen flights per week, the extra sectors still represented a step forward for Humberside’s post COVID-19 recovery.
A more high profile development from Eastern Airways occurred on Friday 18th March, as Eastern Airways announced a new route from Humberside, with a twice weekly Summer seasonal link to Newquay commencing on Friday 1st April and operating with a Jetstream 41 until 5th September (later extended to 19th September). Newquay is the first new domestic destination to have commenced operation since Eastern’s short lived Edinburgh service in 2002.
The start of the aviation Summer season on 27th March saw KLM increase their Amsterdam route to operate five times per week with further increases to eleven times per week over the course of the season.
For the first time since August 2020, Humberside Airport regained a conventional ‘timetabled’ bus service on Tuesday 19th April. Hornsby Travel service 4 between Scunthorpe and Brigg had five daytime Monday to Friday journeys (every two hours) extended to Kirmington Village via Wrawby, Barnetby and Humberside Airport. Prior to this extension, the airport’s only bus access was via the ‘demand responsive’ CallConnect and JustGo services, which require pre-booking in advance.
May brought the return of international ‘sun’ flights for the first time since 2019, as TUI resumed their weekly Palma charter on 3rd May; this also brought the first appearances of a B737-8 (B737 MAX) to Humberside Airport occasionally throughout the Summer. Balkan Holidays also resumed their twice weekly Bourgas charter flights, nominally operated by BH Air but regularly subcontracted to European Air Charter. Eastern Airways seasonal scheduled service to Jersey, which had managed to operate in Summer 2021, also returned.
On 7th August, Eastern Airways converted their Sunday Aberdeen service from a one-stop flight via Newcastle to a non-stop rotation, the first time in many years it hasn’t been shared with another airport.
Good News November
In November 2022 2Excel Aviation moved some of their Doncaster operations to Humberside, due to the closure of Doncaster Airport. Utilising Hangar 5, most recently used by Eastern Airways for storage of out of service Jetstream 41’s, 2Excel relocated King Air and PA-31 Navajo’s used on Coastguard, Oil Spill Response, Training, Capability Development and Charter operations.
Also relocating to Humberside Airport after the closure of Doncaster were Hummingbird Helicopters, who offer helicopter flight training and experiences.
Further good news came on 16th November when Eastern Airways announced their second new route of 2022 – a year round Esbjerg link to commence on 14th December, operating three times a week on a Jetstream 41. The service is primarily aimed at the offshore wind industry that has significant operations both in the Humber region and in Denmark. The addition of Esbjerg restores the link to the Danish airport for the first time in around 30 years, since it was last served by Newair in the early 90’s. It is however the third attempt at a Denmark service from Humberside in the past decade, after SAS attempted Copenhagen in Winter 2013-14 and Sun Air attempted Aalborg and Billund in Summer 2016. Additionally, a frequency increase for Eastern’s Summer Newquay service was announced for 2023, from two to four times per week.
To finish the year off, a busy period was enjoyed for ‘special departure’ charter flights. At the end of November, Hull City chartered two Corendon Airlines B737’s to take their team and fans to Antalya in Türkiye during a World Cup break in the football season. Corendon – sponsors of Hull City used flight codes CAI1904 and CAI1482, a nod to the year of Hull City’s formation – 1904 – and the Hull phone dialing code – 01482.
These flights were followed by a busy season of Lapland departures, with six flights in total, albeit some diverted due to poor visibility; some were late additions to the programme from Humberside, so were potentially transferred from Doncaster.
Conclusion
CAA Statistics record that during 2022, Humberside Airport handled:
· 92,465 Terminal and Transit Passengers
· 92,280 Terminal Passengers
· 185 Transit Passengers
· 47,716 Passengers on the KLM Amsterdam service
· 11,190 Passengers to Oil Rigs (which includes offshore wind related flights)
· 10,272 Passengers on the Eastern Airways Aberdeen service
· 8,874 Passengers to Palma (almost entirely on the TUI service, but may also include private flights)
· 4,853 Passengers on the BH Air Bourgas service
· 2,187 Passengers on the Eastern Airways Newquay service
· 2,081 Passengers on the Eastern Airways Jersey service
· 142 Passengers on the Eastern Airways Esbjerg service
· 74 Tonnes of Freight
· 13,103 Movements
(Domestic route data is taken from the Humberside Airport data, not the Aberdeen, Jersey or Newquay data).
2022 feels like a year of slow recovery post the COVID-19 pandemic, aided by gains following the closure of Doncaster Airport. Overall passenger numbers, and the frequencies of scheduled services to Aberdeen and Amsterdam, remained significantly below their pre pandemic levels. However with gains in frequency on both those routes, plus new routes to Esbjerg and Newquay, and the return of Bourgas and Palma, the direction of travel finished the year positive.
Sources
My own notes and observations plus:
· Air Humberside Forum
· CAA UK Airport Data 2022 – https://www.caa.co.uk/data-and-analysis/uk-aviation-market/airports/uk-airport-data/uk-airport-data-2022/
· 2Excel Aviation Press Release: 2Excel Aviation aircraft to depart Doncaster-Sheffield Airport – https://www.2excelaviation.com/dsa-departure/
· BBC News Website Article: Humberside Airport: Animal Rights Protest over ‘Beagle’ Flights – https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-humber-60102507
· Eastern Airways Press Release: Cornwall Newquay Flights from Humberside announced with Eastern Airways – https://www.easternairways.com/news/82/-cornwall-newquay-flights-from-humberside-announced-with-eastern-airways
Section last updated 27th November 2023.