Airport Guide

History of Norwich International Airport

The city of Norwich first benefited from an airport just after the First World War, with commercial services to the East of England making use of an aerodrome which saw little action during the 1914-18 conflict. However, this site, on Mousehold Heath was soon neglected, in spite of it being used as a base for bombers during the first couple of years of the Second World War.

However, the airport's proximity to mainland Europe, and most notably to Holland, ensured that it didn't remain dormant for long, with Dutch national carrier KLM moving in to establish frequent flights to the capital, Amsterdam.

At the same time, Norwich Airport has blossomed with the establishment of helicopter shuttle services to the offshore oil fields in the North Sea, ferrying workers from the east of the country to the rigs on a daily basis.

Following the decision of Norwich City Council to sell an 80 per cent stake in the airport to private operator Omniport, work has been carried out to construct a new £3.5 million terminal, though the future looks less certain after a number of operators recently announced that they intend to limit the number of services they offer from the Norfolk city.

Travelling to Norwich International Airport

Situated around three miles north of the city centre, Norwich International Airport is one of the easiest UK airports to reach, whether by public transport or under one's own steam.

Norwich itself is served by a number of cross-country train services, including regular links to London's Liverpool Street as well as to the north and the Midlands. From the city centre, there are regular bus services to the airport itself, with most also serving the University of East Anglia, with these being operated until the final flight of the night has departed.

For those driving to or from the airport, Norwich Airport is easily reached along the A140, with a number of other A roads providing easy link to the rest of the East of England, as well as to the capital and even the south-west.

Airlines Flying from Norwich International Airport

Presently, the airline operating the greatest number of services out of Norwich is Flybe. The budget carrier offers regular services to Edinburgh, Exeter, Guernsey, Jersey and Manchester within the UK, as well as to Dublin, Paris Charles de Gaulle and, on a seasonal basis, Geneva.

Eastern Airways flies to Aberdeen, as does bmi Regional, with the rest of the routes being offered to overseas destinations. Notably, KLM continues its Cityhopper service to Amsterdam, LTE International Airways allows locals to swap the Broads for the beaches of Spain with flights to Alicante, Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca, while Thomsonfly offers services to Corfu, Ibiza and Palma de Mallorca.

In the summer months, these are supplemented by flights to Luqa by Air Malta and to Dalaman by Pegasus Airlines.