Liverpool John Lennon Airport says it generated £44.4m in revenues in the year to March 31, 14% higher than last year, with passenger numbers also up 15%. Tony McDonough reports

Liverpool John Lennon Airport has seen a 14% rise in annual revenues

Liverpool John Lennon Airport (LJLA) has revealed its annual revenues for the year to March 31.

They increased by 14% to £44.4m with passenger numbers in the 12-month period hitting 4.3m, 15% higher than the previous year and just 10% under its pre-pandemic levels. The airport remains on track to handle more than 5m passengers in 2024.

LJLA has not revealed its pre-tax profit figure for the year but that will be publicly available when it publishes its full accounts on Companies House. 

In early September it was revealed the airport had been named the UK’s best airport for the second year running in a survey of thousands of air travellers.

Consumer bible Which? asked 5,000 about their experiences of using airports up and down the country over the past 12 months. It rated them in 11 categories including seating, staff, toilets and queues at check in, bag drop, passport control and security.

In March this year Jet2 and Jet2 Holidays began flying from Liverpool for the first time. This has boosted passenger numbers along with extra routes announced by easyJet and Ryanair.

In the first half of 2024 LJLA handled 2.36m passengers, a 22% rise compared to the same period in 2023. In August the airport handled 550,000 passengers, 25% up on a year ago. Top three routes during the month were Dublin, Mallorca and Alicante.

LJLA  has also launched a £9m overhaul of its food and drink, retail and lounge facilities, and introduced a new sensory space to help relax passengers with sensory or cognitive impairments.

It has also started plans to install new security scanners to streamline required checks. These initiatives look to further enhance the airport experience for all customers.

In the past year, the airport has obtained planning permission to install a solar farm on site. The solar farm will generate up to 25% of the electricity it consumes each year.

The first Jet2 flight from Liverpool John Lennon Airport took off in March

John Irving, chief executive of LJLA: “We have continued to make significant improvements at Liverpool John Lennon Airport as we look to return to pre-COVID passenger numbers. 

“Everyone who works at the airport is dedicated to providing our faster, friendlier, easier experience for all of our customers.

“We are actively exploring how we can better accommodate increasing passenger footfall while maintaining our high standards for customer service. We are also investing heavily in projects which will enable us to enhance the airport.”

Liverpool Airport’s continued growth has been enabled by its joint shareholders Ancala, a leading infrastructure manager, Peel Group and Liverpool City Council.