Smaller airports mean big benefits
Airports come in all shapes and sizes.
From the world’s biggest international airport, Dubai International Airport (which overtook London Heathrow earlier this year).
To tiny airports, such as Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport on the Caribbean island of Saba, which has the shortest commercial runway in the world at just 396 metres. Or there’s Barra Airport in Scotland’s Outer Hebrides, which doesn’t have a purpose-built runway at all – aircraft land on a tidal runway, directly on the beach.
But bigger is most definitely not better as far as airports are concerned. A recent survey by UK consumer group Which? found that airline passengers had a better holiday experience travelling from smaller airports, than from large hubs. In the UK, London Southend Airport and Robin Hood Doncaster Airport topped the table of customer satisfaction ratings.
The survey focussed on the efficiency of the airport’s services. So customers were asked to rate key services such as baggage handling; passport control; queues at security; and ease of pick-up and drop-off. It seems that large airports are letting customers down in these areas.
The results were no surprise to us. The benefits of smaller airports are well-known within the private jet industry.
If a customer comes to us asking to fly from London for example, we wouldn’t consider suggesting they fly from Heathrow or Gatwick. While these airports can and do handle private jet flights, the sheer task of navigating in and out of such a large airport site can add time and complications.
If efficiency is the top priority, then we would tend to recommend the much smaller London City Airport. Where private jet passengers can move through the Jet Centre in as little as 60 seconds. Or London Luton which, while obviously a big international airport, offers greater slot availability and infrastructure for private jets through its dedicated private jet terminals (FBOs) – which are accessed separately from the main airport.
The same logic applies to other big cities. Private jet travel is all about time-saving, efficiency and a bespoke service. And a smaller airport generally fits much better within these aims.
That’s why when you see a list of the world’s busiest private jet airports, it won’t be the big names you see. Airports such as Paris Le Bourget (the busiest in Europe) and New York’s Teterboro (the busiest in the world) are by no means small, but they are dwarfed by the size of major international airline hubs.
Smaller airports usually mean a faster turnaround. And for the vast majority of private jet customers, that’s the most important reason for choosing private aviation.
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