Murcia flights from Ryanair
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Ryanair boosts numbers at Liverpool Airport
Posted 11th April 2005
THE number of foreign visitors to Liverpool has increased by more than 600% in the past eight years.
The massive rise in people from across Europe travelling to the city is largely due to the growth in budget airlines, with 670,000 passengers travelling to Liverpool John Lennon Airport last year.
A survey by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has revealed that around 20% of passengers were travelling from abroad, mostly for leisure purposes.
The figures represent a massive boom to Merseyside's economy, with each foreign visitor spending an average of £43.75 per day.
Factors such as the European Capital of Culture announcement, and the World Heritage status awarded last year to Liverpool waterfront, have proved powerful attractions.
From only three flights to destinations outside England in 1997 - Belfast,, Dublin and the Isle of Man - there will be a total of 25 by this summer, including Rome, Budapest, and Warsaw.
Last November, Irish budget airline Ryanair named Liverpool as its latest European hub airport, adding 11 new routes, including Venice's Treviso airport and Murcia Airport, in Spain.
Other new routes to Pisa, Limoges and Barcelona Airport (Reus) are to be launched on April 19.
This has led to a massive expansion programme at the airport complex, increasing capacity from 3.5m passengers a year to 5m and making it the fastest-growing base in Europe.
Due to the marked rise in foreign visitors, more JLA staff are now trained in foreign language skills and are able to converse in French, Italian or Spanish.
Full Article- Liverpool Echo
