Anglesey Airport Explained

Anglesey Airport
Nativename:Maes Awyr Ynys Môn
Nativename-R:RAF Valley
Image2-Width:250
Iata:VLY
Icao:EGOV
Type:Military/Public
Operator:Bilfinger Europa Facility Management Limited
City-Served:Anglesey
Gwynedd
Location:Llanfair yn Neubwll, Isle of Anglesey
Elevation-F:37
Elevation-M:11
Coordinates:53.2481°N -4.5353°W
Pushpin Map:Wales Anglesey
Pushpin Label:EGOV
Pushpin Map Caption:Location of airport in Anglesey
Website:https://www.anglesey.gov.uk/en/Residents/Parking-roads-and-travel/Travel/Anglesey-Airport.aspx
Metric-Rwy:y
R1-Number:01/19
R1-Length-F:5,377
R1-Length-M:1,639
R1-Surface:Asphalt
R2-Number:13/31
R2-Length-F:7,513
R2-Length-M:2,290
R2-Surface:Asphalt
Footnotes:Source: UK MIL AIP[1]

Anglesey Airport (Welsh: Maes Awyr Ynys Môn) is an airport owned by the Isle of Anglesey County Council on land leased from the Defence Infrastructure Organisation. The airport is situated at Llanfair-yn-Neubwll in Anglesey, Wales. The leased site is part of RAF Valley.

History

Plans put forward in early 2006 by the National Assembly for Wales (now the Senedd) led to a subsidised weekday air service between the airport and Cardiff Airport, 12 miles west of the Welsh capital, in the hope of improving the economy of Anglesey and North Wales in general. A twice daily service began in May 2007, with a journey time of around one hour. The route was variously operated by Links Air, Citywing, and Eastern Airways (on behalf of Flybe).[2] [3] The route was suspended in March 2020 following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.[4] In June 2022, the Welsh Government announced that it would no longer subsidise the route, and service was withdrawn permanently.[5]

The passenger terminal is a single storey building consisting of a check-in desk, departure lounge and baggage handling areas as well as other visitor information areas. The terminal, completed in 2007, was designed by MAP architects and cost £1,000,000.[6] The publicly funded building contract was given to the construction company Yorkon. The building was built off site and brought to the airport when finished.

The airport's principal stakeholders are RAF Valley, the Welsh Government, the Isle of Anglesey County Council and Cardiff Airport. The airport is contract managed and operated by Bilfinger Europa Facility Management Limited, a UK subsidiary of Bilfinger, a publicly quoted enterprise on the German stock exchange.

In March 2018, flights between Anglesey Airport and Cardiff Airport were suspended due to a fatal crash of a Hawk aircraft from the Red Arrows. Domestic flights were being diverted to Hawarden Airport in Flintshire with coaches transporting passengers between Valley and Hawarden.[7]

Statistics

Passenger numbers for flights to Cardiff from Anglesey Airport
YearDestination Passengers handled Percentage Change
2007Cardiff8,553 Airport Opens
2008Cardiff13,471 58%
2009Cardiff11,846 12%
2010Cardiff7,816 34%
2011Cardiff9,605 13%
2012Cardiff8,594 11%
2013Cardiff8,540 <1%
2014Cardiff8,786 3%
2015Cardiff10,860 24%
2016Cardiff9,187 15%
2017Cardiff13,045 42%
2018Cardiff14,629 12%
2019Cardiff13,593 7%
2020Cardiff34 100%

Source: UK Civil Aviation Authority

Ground transport

The airport is located less than two miles from the A55 North Wales Expressway linking Holyhead and Chester. The airport has a car park for passengers on the airport's former scheduled flights to Cardiff. The nearest railway station is . Arriva Bus services link the airport to both and Holyhead.

References

  1. Web site: Airport information for EGOV. UK Military AIP. Data current as of October 2006. Source: Ministry of Defence.
  2. News: Anglesey to Cardiff daily air service finds new carrier . Blake . ALed . WalesOnline . 2016-01-23 . 2022-07-12.
  3. News: Anglesey to Cardiff airlink update as Flybe collapses . Daily Post . North Wales . Hughes . Owen . 2020-03-05 . 2022-07-12.
  4. News: Crump . Eryl . Anglesey to Cardiff airlink suspended over coronavirus outbreak . Daily Post . North Wales . 2020-03-25 . 2022-07-12.
  5. Web site: Suspended flights between Ynys Mon and Cardiff will not resume . Welsh Government . 8 June 2022 . 8 June 2022.
  6. Web site: Yorkon Completes £1m Off-Site Contract to Build Terminal for First Civilian Airport on Anglsey . 25 June 2012 .
  7. News: Fatal Red Arrows crash inquiry continues. 21 March 2018. BBC News. 21 March 2018.

External links