MD interview

Why Tony Lavan is still a top flight director at Humberside airport
Wednesday, October 20, 2010, 08:00
Comment on this story

That was until the start of this financial year, when the now infamous Icelandic ash cloud grounded flights across Europe, sending aviation into chaos.

The Humberside Airport director said: "It's been an interesting year. I've been more than 30 years in this business but it's the first time I've spent a week watching what was happening with a volcano.

"For everyone in the whole airport community, there was no income whatsoever – no flights, no passengers, no spending in the shops or buying food in restaurants. "It affected everybody."

On top of the ash cloud, there was also the recession to deal with and the Kirmington-based business faced another headache when Goldtrail, one of its passenger operators, went into receivership, affecting 18,000 holidaymakers from the airport.

Mr Lavan said: "Year on year, passenger numbers over the summer have remained static, if you take away Goldtrail.


"The aviation industry as a whole has only just started to see a small amount of growth after the recession.

"Our passenger numbers probably dropped by 25 per cent and I'd anticipate for UK airports it'll take three years to get passenger figures back to where they were three years ago."

Mr Lavan said his target now was to "start to grow back the leisure market in sustainable and incremental steps", much of which depends on introducing new destinations.

And with market research showing the majority of travellers would opt for their local airport, if their choice destination was available, why aren't airlines banging down Mr Lavan's door with offers?

"It's very difficult to get airlines to take a risk in this environment," he said.

"If we go for a big step change and introduce routes, then don't provide passengers for them, they'll have gone forever; you never get the chance again.

"Our strategy is to pick out what we believe are locally strong routes."

Flybe's service to Malaga from Humberside is a fitting example, with the majority of flights this summer operating at full capacity.

Mr Lavan said: "We knew from the information from our own travel agency, the level of demand was there and it has exceeded everyone's expectations.

"This allowed us to have a different conversation with the airline about extending the service and other routes that will work."

"It is about building confidence, so airlines can trust what we are saying, understand the market and deliver."

Of course, not everything works as well in reality as it does on paper, as was the case with the proposed Flybe flights to Belfast, which were pulled this year – before they even took off – following low ticket sales.

Mr Lavan said: "Using data from the Civil Aviation Authority we know at least 40,000 passengers with a Humberside and Lincolnshire postcode travelled there in the previous year, and also know a percentage of those were travelling from Doncaster, or further afield.

"On that basis we anticipated the route would be successful."

Mr Lavan said with hindsight he wishes the route had been operated for a month, to prove demand, adding: "I still firmly believe that for that type of market, people only book a couple of weeks ahead."

About four years ago Ryanair operated flights from Humberside to Dublin, but they too were pulled due to what My Lavan describes as "an overcapacity in that market".

However, he maintains there is a place for so-called budget airlines to fly from Humberside and said he was in talks with "a number of airlines" about new routes.

Mr Lavan also has his eye on the cruise market, which has experienced significant growth among UK holidaymakers, and using its link with KLM, the airport has booked a number of 2011 cruises out from Dubai.

This connectivity, to 700 destinations across the world via KLM, was "the absolute jewel in the crown" for Humberside, according to Mr Lavan.

But he accepts awareness needs stepping up.

"With families travelling to far away destinations I think they probably expect it to be quite expensive to go via KLM, so there's some education to do in terms of the offers available."

While attracting holidaymakers remains an important feature of the airport's future plans, one area showing no sign of slowing is the offshore business.

This has enjoyed year-on-year growth and now 60,000 passengers are flying annually from Humberside to the North Sea rigs.

And it has got Mr Lavan thinking about another market he believes will bring huge benefits to the local economy, particularly the airport.

He said: "The link to Europe with KLM will be more important to us and will grow if we can deliver what I think are fantastic opportunities in developing this region.

"If this region becomes a centre of offshore developments and renewables, construction and shipping, then investors and business people from Europe will need airport travel to this region.

"This airport is six miles away from what could potentially be one of the largest construction development sites in the UK over the next ten years.

"I think there are massive opportunities for the airport and absolutely for this region to make a big step change."