BOURNEMOUTH Airport bounced back to nearly pre-Covid passenger numbers this summer, its owner has said.

Regional & City Airports (RCA) says short security queues, good local teams and the absence of the baggage handling problems that plagued other airports have all played a part in bringing back airlines and passengers.

Passenger numbers from April to September stood at 509,000, only marginally below the pre-Covid level of 526,000.

Numbers for the year are expected to reach 760,000 - 95 per cent of the pre-Covid figure.

The company – which also operates Coventry, Exeter, Norwich and Solent airports – said Bournemouth had performed particularly strongly.

Steve Gill, managing director of Bournemouth Airport, said: “We are incredibly proud of the what has been achieved at Bournemouth Airport and the way in which we have bounced back so strongly, with passenger numbers significantly ahead of industry trends, matched by table-topping customer service scores which put us in the top five of UK airports.

“It is no mean feat, given the unprecedented disruption caused by the pandemic, and it is a huge tribute to everyone in the team here which is brim full of enthusiasm and commitment.

“Thanks are also due to our customers who have returned so quickly to support their regional airport and to our partners and operators who share our vision for Bournemouth Airport as the regional airport of choice, serving a wide range of destinations and providing an exceptional level of customer experience.”

The Hurn site offered 33 destinations in 17 countries this year, largely through Ryanair and TUI. Its recovery was boosted by new Ryanair summer routes including Zadar in Croatia, Bergerac in France, and year-round flights to Malta, Wroclaw in Poland and Budapest in Hungary.

A twice-weekly service to Venice starts on December 22 and will operate all year, while Easyjet will restart its winter ski flights to Geneve on December 10.

Bournemouth is also growing its air cargo business through its handling operation, Cargo First.

The service was launched on the back of the airport’s role in bringing Covid-related cargo into the UK, including millions of pieces of personal protective equipment and test kits.

The airport says it has proved it can get air freighted goods to London warehouses in half the time of going through a London airport.

RCA chief executive Andrew Bell said: “While recovery from the devastating impact of the pandemic is still a work in progress, the compelling alternative that our regional airports offer to major sites in London and elsewhere has underpinned some very encouraging results.

“A combination of shorter airport journey times, reduced security and passport control congestion and lower overall costs provides passengers with a more convenient, speedier and less stressful travel experience, and our performance this summer shows that customers are responding to that.

“We have made great progress rebuilding our network of destinations and are aggressively targeting the replacement of those few pre-Covid routes not yet back in operation, while simultaneously enjoying success in encouraging new airline customers to partner with us in the creation of all new services.”