The History of Bournemouth International Airport
The Growth of the Airport at Hurn Near Bournemouth
Oct 26, 2009
Originally named RAF Station Hurn, then called Hurn Airport, then Bournemouth Airport and now known as Bournemouth International Airport with an IATA code of BOH, the airfield to the north east of the town of Bournemouth on the south coast of England, on the edge of the village of Hurn, will celebrate its 70th birthday in 2011.
The Birth of RAF Station Hurn
In 1940, just after the Battle of Britain, the UK’s Air Ministry requisitioned an area of land just to the north east of Bournemouth, between the villages of Hurn and Parley, for the purposes of air defence. In August 1941, RAF Station Hurn came into being. It had three runways and was originally planned to be a fighter base.
In 1942, it was handed over to the USAAF who used it as a transit base for troops taking part in the invasion of North Africa. In 1944, the airport was home to three squadrons of Typhoons which took part in the D-Day landings and the subsequent invasion of France and other western European countries as part of Operation Overlord.
RAF Station Hurn Becomes a Civil Airfield
In late autumn, 1944, when the need for its use as a base for fighter planes had reduced, the RAF relinquished the airport into the hands of the Ministry of Civil Aviation and was a major home of the state owned airline, BOAC, until the new London Airport at Heathrow was opened in 1946.
In 1947 the fore runner of today’s Bath Travel and its award winning airline, Palmair, began chartered flights to Europe, and by 1958 had begun package holiday flights to Majorca. These proved so popular with the locals that the services were quickly expanded and Palmair still provides holiday makers with a local service to Majorca and other European and Mediterranean destinations today.
Bournemouth International Airport is Born
By 1966, a new runway at Southampton airport saw the transfer of scheduled services from Hurn to Southampton because the road links there were better. Hurn was in danger of being closed but after lengthy negotiations, it was finally bought from the Government by Bournemouth and Dorset Councils in 1969. It was renamed Bournemouth-Hurn airport and quickly saw an increase in popularity as a holiday flight airport.
By the early 1990s, both Councils recognised the need for expansion of the airport but didn’t have the funding for such a large capital project so they offered it for sale. In 1995, it was bought by National Express Group on a 999 year lease. By 1996 the new owners had extended the runway to allow larger aircraft to land. The longer runway was officially “opened” by Concorde on 21 April 1996.
Bournemouth International Airport Set to Expand Again
By 2000, the National Express Group decided to sell off its airports and Bournemouth Airport was bought by the Manchester Airports Group in 2001. It is now known as Bournemouth International Airport and is currently the subject of a multi-million pound expansion. It’s nice to know that the future of this little jewel of an airport on the South coast is secure.
Bournemouth International Airport has hosted many interesting aircraft in its time. Not only did Concorde visit but, in February 2006, Steve Fossett made his dramatic emergency landing at the end of his Virgin GlobalFlyer flight. The airport is also regularly used as a base by the Red Arrows when they are displaying in the area. During the Bournemouth Air Festival, it acts as host to many display aircraft such as the Eurofighter.
Sources:
- Civil Aviation Authority website
- Bournemouth International Airport, Mike Phipp,2002
 |
 |
 |
 |
