The renaissance of Britain's regional airports – and the curious destinations they now serve

Things have never looked so good for Britain’s regional airports. At the start of the decade, with the impact of the global financial crisis still being felt, they were in the doldrums. Passenger numbers were falling fast, routes were being cut, and many faced an uncertain future.

The last few years, however, have seen unprecedented growth, helped by economic recovery, a lack of spare capacity at Heathrow, the continued growth of easyJet and Ryanair, and the rise of the low-cost long-haul specialists - led by the likes of Norwegian.  

Passenger numbers at Birmingham, Belfast International, Newcastle, Leeds Bradford, Inverness and Newquay rose by at least 10 per cent in 2017, while the previous year was even more impressive, with no fewer than 13 airports outside the capital experiencing double-digit growth.

Carlisle Airport, meanwhile, is expected to welcome passenger flights for the first time in decades from September - another welcome sign for those who’d rather not start their holiday with a trip to London.  

Here we look at how Britain’s 10 busiest regional airports are expanding - and unearth some of the more curious routes they now offer.

Manchester

The first direct flight from Manchester to Seattle, the lesser-visited home of Starbucks, Frasier and the Space Needle, took off last week. Thomas Cook’s twice-weekly summer service means Britons can now fly non-stop from Manchester Airport to an impressive 11 US cities (the others being Atlanta, Houston, Philadelphia, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas, New York City, Orlando and Boston). “Seattle is one of America’s coolest cities,” says Telegraph Travel’s Chris Leadbeater. “Maybe New York can trump it on its food and drink scene – but it is a place of lively bars and restaurants. Maybe Miami can out-do it for party spirit – but you can stretch the night to its limits here. It is an artistic treasure trove with excellent museums; a musical playground which has nurtured the melodic musings of Jimi Hendrix, Nirvana and Fleet Foxes.”

Manchester is the UK’s third busiest airport, and growing fast. It welcomed 27.8m passengers in 2017, an increase of 8.5 per cent on 2016. That’s a far cry from 2011, when numbers plunged to 17.8m.

Rise of the regionals | Growth at Manchester Airport

Among the more exotic cities on Manchester route map are Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Doha, Beijing, Islamabad, Lahore and Jeddah. And there’s more to come. Flights to Mumbai with Jet Airways start in November, a service to Riyadh with Saudi Airlines begins on June 23, and from December there will be a link with Addis Ababa courtesy of Ethiopian Airlines.  

You can also fly to not one but two airports in Montenegro - Tivat and Podgorica - as well as, er, Norwich.

Birmingham

Britain’s seventh busiest airport is also growing fast - up 11.5 per cent in 2017 and 14.3 per cent the year before. 2018, meanwhile, has seen the arrival of Primera, an Icelandic/Latvian/Danish carrier that now flies from Brum to New York (Newark) and Toronto. The service to the Big Apple, which took off in May, provided a timely boost for fliers in the Midlands - last year’s decision by United Airlines to cancel its Birmingham-New York left Britain’s second city without a US air link for the first time in 20 years. There are problems on the horizon, however. Primera announced today that its services from Birmingham will be suspended for the summer, starting on June 21, due to a delivery delay from Airbus.

Rise of the regionals | Growth at Birmingham Airport

Birmingham’s most curious direct route has to be Hahn Air’s very occasional service to Ashgabat in Turkmenistan. It is due to run on July 27, August 7 and August 24 - and that’s it for the year. Hahn Air, by the way, is a German carrier based in Dusseldorf, which clears up little. Ashgabat is the gateway to an intriguing country, and the dust of the Karakum Desert which spreads beyond the city.

One can also fly non-stop from Britain to Amritsar, home to the spectacular Golden Temple, but not from London - only from Birmingham.

Other routes less ordinary include Cluj-Napoca, Bydgoszcz, Poznan, Wroclaw, Toronto, Delhi, Doha, Dubai and Islamabad.

Belfast

Three US cities have a direct link with Belfast: New York, Orlando, and… Providence. Norwegian flies to this Rhode Island port from Belfast and Edinburgh - but not London. Take that capital dwellers.

An hour from Boston, Providence combines heritage with fun, and has been described as New England's coolest city.

“College Hill is the posh side of town, home to Oxbridge-like Brown University and RISD, the Rhode Island School of Design, whose fine museum inspires students and visitors alike,” says Telegraph Travel's Boston expert, Kathy Arnold. “Downcity has seen the renaissance, with restaurants, shops and artists' studios, plus Riverwalk and the revitalised Providence River. On summer evenings, catch a free outdoor performance of WaterFire, a mix of music and blazing braziers along the city's waterways.”

Rise of the regionals | Growth at Belfast International Airport

Edinburgh

As outlined above, you can fly to Providence from Edinburgh, as well as New York, Orlando, Chicago, Washington, Toronto and Abu Dhabi. New for 2018, meanwhile, are Beijing and Tel Aviv.

There’s a host of unpronounceable Polish cities too: Szczecin, Katowice, Poznan, Gdansk, Wroclaw...

There’s also a link to Kaunas in Lithuania, but - curiously - not the capital Vilnius.

Or what about Eindhoven? The Dutch narrative rarely touches on the country’s fifth biggest city – but Eindhoven delivers striking architecture in the Evoluon, a UFO-esque landmark which, though built in 1966, still talks of the future. De Bergen, a district of cafes and fashion stores, does urban flair. The Stadswandelpark, south of the centre, is alive with walking trails and sculptures.

Rise of the regions | Growth at Edinburgh Airport

Glasgow

Scots can fly direct from Glasgow to a clutch of North American cities, including Orlando, New York, Philadelphia, Las Vegas, Toronto and Vancouver. But also Halifax in Nova Scotia, a good base for exploring the region’s forested countryside, superb seascapes and strings of pretty coastal villages where restaurants serve up platters of fine seafood.

Beyond that there’s Bydgoszcz, Rzeszow, Katowice - try saying those three after a few shandies - and Palanga. It might sound like it's in Spain but it's actually much further east. Miles of pure white sand and beer at ￡1.50 a pint, what's not to like about this Lithuanian seaside destination? It is the country's largest coastal resort town, which has earned it the region’s “summer capital” moniker. As well as the beaches, there's the 470m-long pier, ideal to enjoy some captivating sunsets, and Basanavi?iaus Street, a bustling pedestrianised road packed with restaurants, cafes, fountains and funfairs.

Rise of the regionals | Growth at Glasgow Airport

Bristol

The South West’s premier airport (sorry, Newquay) has welcomed new flights to a host of seaside favourites this year, including Costa Brava, Kos and Preveza in Greece, and Hurghada in Egypt. City break fans, meanwhile, can now fly direct to Genoa and Seville with EasyJet (as of last week).   

And then there’s Burgas, Bulgaria’s fourth biggest city, but a first-rate choice if you fancy a week on the lip of the Black Sea. In fact, this is a place framed by ripples. To the west, north and south, the Burgas Lakes deal in sunsets and serenity.

Rise of the regionals | Growth at Bristol Airport

Newcastle

The North East’s top hub is growing fast - up 10.2 per cent last year, its biggest year of growth this decade. Last month saw the launch of six new routes - Dubrovnik, Izmir and Bodrum in Turkey, Enfidha in Tunisia, Halkidiki in Greece, and - the Black Sea’s finest, Burgas.  

Rise of the regionals | Growth at Newcastle Airport

We’re hugely fond of the fact you can fly direct from Newcastle to Dubai - were there ever two more contrasting cities? There is also a non-stop link with Stavanger in Norway - in case you fancy swapping Newcastle for somewhere warmer...

Liverpool

The city has seen three consecutive years of growth - reversing three years of decline between 2012 and 2014 - and new for this year are services to three of Europe’s most enticing cities: Malaga, Palermo, and Pula.

Rise of the regionals | Growth at Liverpool Airport

For something less orthodox, try Bacau in Romania. Liverpool is the only UK city outside of London with a direct link. Chris Leadbeater says: “High up in the north-east of the country, far beyond the orbit of the capital Bucharest and its niche appeal for a weekend break, Bacau is not even close to being a major European metropolis - it is only the 15th largest city in Romania. But it enjoys a pretty setting, standing a short drive from both the Carpathian Mountains and Transylvania.”

East Midlands

Growth has been a little more modest at East Midlands, with year-on-year growth of 4.8 per cent and 4.6 per cent, respectively, in 2017 and 2016. New for this year are flights to Hurghada and Bodrum.

Rise of the regionals | Growth at East Midlands Airport

Or why not surprise your friends by going to the Polish city of Lodz (pronounced “Woodge”). You can only get there direct from two UK cities: London and Nottingham. Which, considering it is sometimes called the “Manchester of Poland”, seems a bit unfair on Manchester. If you’re a fan of street art, it’s a must. “Across the city - Poland’s third largest after Warsaw and Krakow - colossal, colourful murals are appearing on the walls of derelict apartment blocks, warehouses and factories in ever-growing numbers,” wrote Jonathan Thompson for Telegraph Travel in 2016. “And many of these arresting pieces of art are enormous, ebullient interpretations of traditional Polish tales. One of the most impressive, ‘The Old Lady With The Chicken’, towers over a major junction, depicting a famous children’s poem where an amiable grandma and her gold-feathered hen fly to the moon.”

Leeds Bradford

Our final stop is Leeds Bradford, Britain’s highest airport (208m) and renowned for its strong winds and wobbly approaches.

Rise of the regionals | Growth at Leeds Bradford Airport

It saw growth of 12.9 per cent last year, the biggest rise in passenger numbers this decade. New routes for 2018 include Seville, one of the tastiest and most beautiful cities you’ll ever visit.

Less obvious are the delights of Gdansk. Despite being integral to modern history (it was where the first shots of the Second World War were fired, and is the birthplace of the Solidarnosc movement), few Britons know much about the Polish city, and even fewer visit. Those that do can admire an astounding mixture of medieval, Renaissance and Gothic architecture, including St. Mary's Church, one of the largest brick churches in Europe, and visit a clutch of engaging maritime and military museums. Unesco-listed Malbork Castle, meanwhile, is an easy day trip.