Birmingham airport is the fifth busiest airport in the United Kingdom, and handles (as of 2003) eight million passengers a year. It presently offers nonstop flights to Newark International Airport in Newark, New Jersey, near New York and to destinations across Europe and some flights to the Indian subcontinent and the Middle East.
The airport is next to the M42 motorway and A45 main road. It is also served by Birmingham International railway station on the West Coast Mainline.
The airport was opened at Elmdon on 8 July 1939, and was owned and operated by Birmingham City Council.
The airport was requisitioned by the Air Ministry during the Second World War and was used by the RAF for military purposes.
It returned to civilian use in July 1946, though still under government control.
During the post-war years, public evensts, such as air fairs and even circuit- races, were held.
The City of Birmingham took over responsibility again in 1960, and ownership of the airport passed to the newly-formed West Midlands County Council in 1974.
As the airport became busier, and international flights became more frequent, the airport was gradually expanded. 1984 saw a new terminal open, which could handle three million passengers a year. A second terminal, "Eurohub", supposedly the first terminal in the world to combine domestic and international passengers, opened on July 26 1991 (with Concorde in attendance), more than doubling the airport's capacity.
The original art deco 1939 terminal and control tower are still evident, alongside hangars to the west of the main runway.
On 1 April 1987, the ownership of the Airport transferred to Birmingham International Airport plc, a public limited company owned by the seven West Midlands district councils.
The airport was privatised in 1993 although the local authorities still own a 49% share.
Concorde made a final visit on 20 October 2003.
It is possible that a second, parallel, runway will be built in the near future, or the existing runway extended, to cope with increasing demand. These proposals are very controversial, with much opposition from environmentalists and local residents.
History
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