Liverpool John Lennon Airport (LJLA) expects a much busier summer this year as it continues its recovery from the covid pandemic and a £2m investment is now underway to introduce new passenger facilities that will also create a further 200 jobs at the airport.
With flights to over 60 destinations across Europe and the UK operating from Liverpool this summer, plus onward connections to a host of global destinations with the new Lufthansa Frankfurt service starting in May, passenger numbers at the airport are expected to be the highest since 2019.
Airlines commence their summer schedules at the end of March and work is well underway across parts of the airport terminal to enhance the shopping and dining experience for both departing and arriving passengers, creating new and improved passenger facilities in time for Easter and the first of the Summer season holiday periods.
In the Departure Lounge, leading airport food and beverage operator SSP, who already operate a range of units to cater for passengers at the airport, will shortly be opening a new ‘Upper Crust’ freshly baked baguette specialist store, whilst fashion sports retailer JD Sports are upgrading and expanding their premises to offer a wider range of sports clothing, footwear and accessories.
Popular High Street bakery chain Greggs will shortly be opening a store at the Airport for the first time, with a unit near the Arrivals area for returning passengers and those waiting to ‘meet and greet’ friends and relatives, along with a new WHSmith unit that includes a Marks & Spencer’s Food To Go offer for the first time too.
In addition, a number of existing retailers will be re-opening in time for the Easter holiday period and the increase in flights. These include designer clothing retailer Traveller and popular restaurant Frankie and Benny’s, as well as several other food and beverage areas to give passengers a wider choice of shopping, eating and drinking options whilst waiting for flight departures.
The Airport will also be introducing an enhanced parking offer for passengers with a new ‘Meet and Greet’ valet parking facility, enabling passengers to drop off their vehicles close to the terminal hassle free, with airport staff parking their car for them on site at the airport and then returning them ready for collection when passengers return.
In total, this £2m investment in these new facilities will also create a further 200 jobs at the airport, which is in addition to over 200 vacancies that a host of employers at the Airport recently filled, following a successful Recruitment Day held in January and attended by over 750 applicants.
The Airport is continuing to build on its faster, easier, friendlier passenger experience with these latest improvements complementing the many well known benefits of flying from Liverpool, with its lack of queues, reduced security processing times and one of the best on-time departure records of any UK airport.
Lucy O’Shaughnessy, LJLA’s Commercial Director commented, “It’s great to be opening units back up again and adding some fantastic new brands to the mix including Greggs and Upper Crust and we are really looking forward to welcoming back our regular passengers and hopefully many new ones too. These great new additions combined with the return of many of our popular existing shopping and food and drink areas will mean passengers have an even greater choice of quality passenger facilities in time for Easter and the Summer season ahead, here at the region’s faster, easier, friendlier airport.”
