West Midlanders keen to fly long-haul from local airport – survey

RESEARCH carried out by Qatar Airways has found that nearly two thirds of respondents would be more likely to use a local West Midlands airport if it had better long-haul connections.

The findings, based on interviews with 1,000 people in the region, show a massive 65% of respondents would be more likely to use a local West Midlands airport if it had better links to long distance destinations.

Its figures also show that West Midlanders love to travel far and wide, with one in ten in the region likely to plan a trip Down Under within the next two years.

Qatar Airways – which commences flights between Birmingham and Doha in March – says the results prove that travellers in the West Midlands are keen to fly from a local airport if it offers a choice of long-haul destinations to rival those available elsewhere.

Richard Oliver, Qatar Airways country manager, UK & Ireland, said: “The results from our survey clearly illustrate a demand for long-haul travel from the West Midlands that Qatar Airways is delighted to meet.

“To be launching our new service from Birmingham with eight flights a week shows confidence in the city and the wider West Midlands as a place to visit and do business.”

Birmingham Airport aviation development director William Pearson said: “In 2015, we experienced over 20% growth in long-haul passengers alone, so this survey supports the trend that we are seeing at Birmingham Airport.

“Qatar Airways will give Midlanders world class customer service offering daily connectivity across the globe through its state-of-the-art hub in Doha and we look forward to welcoming this in March.”