London Ashford Airport - demand fuels recruitment

A sharp increase in business at London Ashford Airport (Lydd) in Kent has sparked a recruitment drive to meet rising demand.

Staffing levels at the Romney Marsh airport have been strengthened across the board, including ground operations, Air Traffic Control, catering, customer services and the airport's Rescue and Fire Fighting Service.

The airport's managing director, Zaher Deir, said: ‘We've had a very busy few months and expect the trend to continue during the spring and summer.'

Aircraft movements during September, October and November last year soared compared to the same period in 2006. October alone saw 2,458 movements - an increase of 45% on October 2006. The rise in aircraft movements has also boosted fuel and restaurant sales.

The number of aircraft using Lydd's state-of-the-art ILS facilities for pilot training has also rocketed, up 220% between June and October last year compared with the same period in 2006.

Lydd's excellent weather record and unrestricted airspace are proving a major draw for flying schools and airlines alike - among them a Dutch-based airline company which spent several hours at the airport last Saturday carrying out ILS training for crew members.

LAA's new recruits include 19-year-old Ben Hart, from Lydd, who joins the airport as Air Traffic Assistant; and trainee firefighters Dean Longhurst, 20, from Dover, and 24-year-old Douglas Thwaites, from Ashford.

Dean joins LAA from Robin Hood Airport in Sheffield, where he assisted in landside-based freight operations. He and fellow newcomer Doug, who served as a security guard for the Home Office before joining Lydd, will now attend a six-week CAA accredited training course at the International Fire Training Centre, based at Durham Tees Valley Airport in Teesside.

LAA, which has invested more than £20m in modernising facilities over the past three years, is awaiting a decision from Shepway District Council on two planning applications: one for a new terminal building, capable of handling up to 500,000 passengers a year; and one for a

294-metre runway extension together with an additional 150-metre starter extension.

Zaher Deir said: ‘We're expecting a decision on our applications soon. We've now submitted environmental reports that have gone way beyond the original scope and have answered all of the stakeholders' concerns, so we're quietly confident of a positive outcome.'

Source: Your County - The Kent website