Liverpool John Lennon Airport…

Liverpool John Lennon Airport is one of Europe's fastest growing airports, having more than quintupled its annual passenger numbers from 875,000 in 1998 to over 4.4 million in 2005.  The Liverpool John Lennon Airport is located 7 miles south east of the centre of Liverpool adjacent to the Mersey Estuary. Liverpool John Lennon Airport is one of the UK's oldest operational airports. Speke Airport - its original name- started scheduled flights in 1930, however was 'officially' opened in the summer of 1933. In the 30s, as air traffic from Liverpool was beginning to 'take-off' with high demand for Irish Sea crossings, a passenger terminal and aircraft storage facilities were built. During World War II the Liverpool John Lennon Airport  was taken over by the Royal Air Force and was known as RAF Speke. In 1966 a new runway was opened on a new site to the south of the existing airfield. It enabled the airport to be open for business around the clock and is in use to this day. In 1990 ownership of the airport was privatised, with British Aerospace taking a 76% shareholding in the new company. Subsequently the airport has become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Peel Holdings, LTD. In 2000 work on a £42.5 million modern passenger terminal began, tripling the size and increasing capacity, and this development was completed in 2002. The terminal building at John Lennon Airport Liverpool saw the airport being renamed in honour of the late John Lennon, a founding member of The Beatles. Today a 7ft bronze statue of the local icon proudly stands overlooking the check-in hall. On the roof is painted the airport's motto, a line from Lennon's song Imagine": "Above us, only sky". The original terminal building from the 1930s, famously seen on early television footage with its terraces packed with Beatles fans, was left derelict for over a decade after being replaced in 1986. However it has recently been renovated and expanded to become the Marriott Liverpool South Hotel, preserving its Grade II listed art deco style. By road, the Liverpool John Lennon Airport is made accessible by the M53,M56, M57 and M62 motorways. The Knowsley Expressway links Knowsley, Prescot and Huyton to Speke Boulevard for fast access. The Liverpool John Lennon Airport does not have its own railway station. The nearest station is at Liverpool South Parkway, from which there are regular bus shuttle services to the airport and direct rail links from Liverpool, Manchester and Birmingham. There are also fast and frequent rail connections to Hunts Cross, Liverpool, Crosby and Southport, using the Northern Line on the Merseyrail network. There are regular bus services linking the Liverpool John Lennon Airport with both Liverpool and Manchester city centres