Southampton Airport

Southampton Airport

Southampton Airport is an international airport located in both Eastleigh and Southampton, Hampshire, in England. It is found about 3.5 nautical miles north-northeast of central Southampton. The airport is known by the IATA code SOU and the ICAO code EGHI.

In 2016, the airport served nearly two million passengers. The airport has a special license that allows it to carry passengers and provide flying lessons.

The airport is owned and operated by AviAlliance, which also manages Aberdeen and Glasgow airports. Before this, it was owned by Heathrow Airport Holdings. Most flights from the airport were operated by Flybe.

History

Aviation started at the site in 1910 when pilot Edwin Rowland Moon used fields at North Stoneham Farm to take off and land his monoplane, Moonbeam Mk II. The site became known as Eastleigh Airfield.

During the First World War, the site was used by the Royal Flying Corps and later the United States Navy Air Service. Many buildings were built during this time.

After the war, the site became a place where people could stay while waiting to travel to America. In 1932, it became Southampton Municipal Airport. By 1936, it was known as RAF Southampton. In 1936, the first test flight of the famous Supermarine Spitfire happened here.

After the war, the airport kept growing. In 1963, a concrete runway was built. In 1994, a new terminal opened. The airport reached one million passengers in 2003 and two million in 2017. In 2012, the Olympic flame visited the airport. In 2019, it was ranked highly for customer satisfaction. Today, the airport serves many passengers and has many flights to different places.

Operations

Southampton Airport has one terminal with twelve stands, but none have jet bridges. Inside, you’ll find thirteen check-in desks, coffee shops, bars, a stationery shop, a duty-free shop, and an upstairs lounge.

The airport has one main ground handler, Swissport, which manages all passenger services and apron operations for most airlines. The airport has a single asphalt runway, numbered 02/20, which is 1,887 metres long and 37 metres wide. Only runway 20 has an Instrument Landing System, while runway 02 has VOR/DME and NDB navigation aids. Visual approaches are allowed on both runways.

In September 2019, the airport announced plans to extend its runway north by 164 metres to fit larger aircraft and support longer routes. Construction began on 31 March 2023 and it became operational on 15 August 2023, with an official opening on 21 September.

Airlines and destinations

The following airlines fly regularly to and from Southampton Airport:

Statistics

Passenger numbers

Busiest routes

Ground transport

Southampton Airport has a special train station called Southampton Airport Parkway. It connects to places like London Waterloo, Winchester, Bournemouth, Poole, Dorchester, and Weymouth with quick and regular trains. The station is a short walk from the airport.

There are buses, like Unilink, that go to Southampton city centre. Taxis wait outside for travelers. The airport is close to big roads, such as the M3 motorway and M27 motorway, making it easy to reach by car. Cyclists can park their bikes at the airport, and there are cycle paths nearby.