Birmingham Airport is proud to support the Birmingham Post Business Awards for the third year running.
We're proud to support a business community which excels in financial services, manufacturing, engineering, R&D, science, technology, education and the arts.
The Midlands is a powerful engine of growth at the heart of the country and needs global connections to succeed. Our region has the largest trade surplus with North America and is the only region to have a positive balance of trade with China. It is no surprise that passengers want to fly direct to the US, the Indian subcontinent, the Far East and South America from Birmingham Airport.
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Connecting Midland businesses and manufacturing with these important markets, the airport has launched a series of new long-haul routes in recent months, including New York JFK with American Airlines and Beijing with Hainan Airlines.
Flights to New York JFK launched in May and marked the return of a British Airways code share, allowing business passengers to earn and redeem BA air miles and Avios points.
This was quickly followed by the introduction of direct charter flights to Beijing, operating throughout July and August. Welcomed by the Secretary of State for Transport, the Rt Hon Patrick McLoughlin MP, the route could deliver an additional £81 million to the 海角视频 economy each year, including £62 million per year for the West Midlands, if it was developed into a daily service.
Underling Birmingham Airport's position as a major connector of people and businesses to important markets, the Airport has also seen a number of existing routes increase their frequency in the past 12 months.
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Air India's service to Delhi and Amritsar has increased from four flights per week to daily services and flights to Istanbul have increased from ten flights per week to 12 with Turkish Airlines. Only this summer, Emirates added a third daily service to Dubai, providing greater onward connectivity to Africa, the Far East and Australia.
A key milestone in Birmingham Airport's recent history, which has allowed Midland businesses to access these important markets more easily, was the expansion of its runway in Spring 2014.
Extending the runway by 405 metres means business and leisure travellers can access cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Tokyo, Bangkok, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Johannesburg directly from Birmingham Airport, and vice versa.
Now boasting a runway that is 3,003 metres long, this will support the Airport's long term ambition of quadrupling the annual number of passengers to 36 million and is just one part of a long-term investment programme, worth over £300 million at the Airport.
The earlier stages have already delivered a new combined terminal, a new maintenance hangar for larger aircraft and a state-of-the-art air traffic control tower.
An extended runway means aircraft can not only fly further, but they can also carry more freight. With the Midlands being the 海角视频's manufacturing hub, the runway extension and growth of Birmingham Airport's freight capability is of real benefit, as manufacturers are able to export goods to new routes and new markets.
One sector in particular which benefits is the region's automotive manufacturers. Where shortages of components can lead to costly production line stoppages around the world, the value of often small consignments of seemingly inconsequential parts can make a massive difference.
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Whilst we concentrate on exports, as the 海角视频 looks to rebuild its manufacturing industries and promote an export led economic revival, the value of air freight imports shouldn't be overlooked either.
Whether it's fresh fruit from Asia or automotive parts from Europe, Birmingham Airport is well positioned to ensure that supply chains for the retail sector and manufacturing are kept running.
Birmingham Airport's success in attracting new airlines, serving new long-haul routes, is already beginning to bear fruit. Throughout 2015, the airport has recorded seven record-breaking months so far.
Building on a strong performance in 2014, this year has seen the airport smash record after record. On the back of announcing its busiest ever July, where over one million passengers passed through the terminal, the airport also enjoyed another major milestone – achieving two record days consecutively.
The tarmac has been laid, our network of flights continue to grow and more people are choosing to fly from Birmingham Airport than ever before. This is welcome news for Midland businesses and the region's economy.