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Cumberland Council backs efforts to restore Carlisle airport flights

Summarised from 6 outlets · Updated 4 Nov, 18:52 · Archive

Cumberland Council has approved a motion to explore returning commercial flights to Carlisle Lake District Airport, which stopped operating them in 2020.

Cumberland Council has approved a motion committing to explore the return of commercial flights to Carlisle Lake District Airport. The airport operated commercial routes briefly from 2019 to 2020, when operations ceased due to the coronavirus pandemic and did not resume.

Independent councillor Robert Betton proposed the motion at Cumberland Council's meeting on Tuesday, 3 November, and it was seconded by Liberal Democrat councillor Chris Wills. Council leader Mark Fryer, from the Labour group, proposed an amended version which he described as 'pragmatic', and it was widely supported by other members apart from the green councillors.

Betton said the motion was about recognising the airport's potential. He explained: 'It does not ask the council to promise flights or commit to major spending. It asks us to work with the airport's owners and other partners to explore what is possible.' Wills added: 'It is not about making expensive commitments or raising unrealistic expectations.'

Council leader Fryer acknowledged the difficulty of the undertaking. He said a commercial airport would benefit the area but added: 'The difficulty is the really, really, difficult economic times.' He said the council would need to work together with other authorities, including the mayoral combined authority, Westmorland & Furness Council, Scottish Borders Council and the borderlands project, because everybody had a part to play in developing the airport. The council would also lobby at Government level.

Fryer noted that the nearest airports to Carlisle are in Newcastle, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Manchester, which already attract high numbers of passengers and have good infrastructure. He said a mayoral authority, coming into being next year, would be best placed to liaise with Government to seek funding. 'It'd be difficult for a small local authority to plough millions of pounds into a project like that,' he said.

Separately, Carlisle Lake District Airport has announced that it aims to regain its licensed status in spring 2027, which would allow for small-scale private charter flights. The airport is currently operating as an unlicensed aerodrome, restricting the types of aircraft and operations it can accommodate. The airport plans to introduce a modern satellite-based approach system, known as RNAV/GNSS, in 2028.

A challenge facing the airport is its lack of an instrument approach system, with aircraft currently relying on visual approaches. Poor weather or reduced visibility can therefore prevent landings, limiting its appeal to potential operators. The previous system, in use until 2020, dated back to the 1940s and is now obsolete. The airport has invested in a new remote runway lighting system and reopened its café. It has also seen increased military training exercises and begun supporting HM Coastguard's Search and Rescue helicopter operations.

Cumberland Council backs efforts to restore Carlisle airport flights
Image: NW Evening Mail

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How it is being reported

In this story: Cumberland Council · Carlisle Lake District Airport · Robert Betton · Mark Fryer · Chris Wills · Westmorland & Furness Council · Scottish Borders Council

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