Name: Bournemouth Airport
IATA code: BOH
Address: Christchurch, Dorset, BH23 6SE
Telephone: 0845 478 6714
Website: www.bournemouthairport.com

Bournemouth Airport (IATA airport code BOH) is an international airport located in southern England, 4.5 miles northeast of the town of Bournemouth in the Dorset borough of Christchurch. The airport has long been associated with charter airlines, especially local company Palmair; a 1958 flight from Bournemouth Airport to Palma de Mallorca was one of the United Kingdom’s first ever charter flights. After a period of decline, commercial activities at the airport began to increase in the 1980s and continued through the 1990s. The arrival of major low cost airlines in the 2005 further expanded the services provided by the airport and began increasing the number of scheduled routes on offer. Despite the rising numbers of scheduled flights, the airport is still popular with charter flights; the large majority of travellers passing through the terminal building are holidaymakers off to destinations in southern Europe. The airport provides an important air link to the Channel Islands; scheduled flights to Bournemouth Airport from Alderney, Guernsey and Jersey are provided by the Blue Islands airline. The expansion of services over recent years has seen passenger numbers at Bournemouth Airport steadily increasing; in 2007 the airport served over 1 million passengers for the first time. There is currently a plan to redevelop the airport; the £45 million proposal includes a new international arrivals terminal, upgrades of the departures lounge and security areas, and two new car parks. Transport improvements will also be made with more frequent bus services and expanded road access.

Bournemouth Airport isn’t a major hub for travel within the UK; the only domestic destinations served are the Scottish cities of Edinburgh and Glasgow-Prestwick, and the Channel Islands (as mentioned above). The bulk of commercial flights to Bournemouth come from destinations in Europe. Scheduled flights to and from destinations such as Geneva, Alicante, Malaga, Marseille, Paris, Faro, Ibiza, Las Palmas, Turin, Salzburg and Tenerife are provided by easyjet, Ryanair and Thomson Airways. Palmair is by far the largest charter operator at Bournemouth and provides services to destinations such as Corfu, Enontekio, Fuerteventura, Mahon, Naples and Rhodes. Other charter services are provided by Air Malta, Austrian Airlines, Eurocypria, Jet2.com, Monarch Airlines, Onur Air, Thomson Airways and Titan Airways. European destinations served by these airlines include Valleta, Innsbruck, Heraklion, Bodrum, Barcelona, Venice and Monastir in Tunisia. There are long haul seasonal charter flights from Bournemouth Airport to destinations in Barbados (Bridgetown), the Dominican Republic (Santo Domingo) and the USA (New York). If you can’t find flights to Bournemouth Airport then the closest alternatives are Southampton Airport and Exeter International Airport.

Good transport links mean that Bournemouth Airport is well connected to the town of Bournemouth and the surrounding area. The airport is located just off the A338 and is clearly sign posted on the approach to Bournemouth, so travellers making the journey by car will find it with relative ease. The airport shuttle bus is the most convenient way of travelling between the centre of Bournemouth and the airport. The hourly service runs 7am to 7pm, seven days a week. The journey takes about 15 minutes; single and day return tickets cost £4. More information can be found on the airport website. There are no rail connections at the airport so passengers arriving by rail should head to Bournemouth station and take the shuttle bus.