EMA - East Midlands Information

Opened 1965 the Airport started life with the basic requirements of a 5,850ft runway, 60ft taxiway, new hangar floor and aprons and parking for 850 cars.

In 1970 agreement was reached on creating a new freight complex and both the runway and the terminal were extended.

Significant change in the running of the Airport came about in 1987 when it became a public limited company following Government legislation demanding that local authorities ran the operation as an ‘arms length’ public sector enterprise.

In 1992 another major terminal extension was proposed but the owning local authorities could not fund the development. So in 1993 the local authority shareholders took the bold decision to become the first major regional airport to enter the private sector and the Airport was purchased for a price of £24.3 million by the National Express Group.

During the 8 year period in which they owned East Midland Airport they invested heavily in the airport infrastructure and passenger facilities, including a major runway extension and new air traffic control tower, which is the second highest in the country and has been built to serve the airport for the next 50 years.

However, National Express Group made the decision in 2000 that it wanted to concentrate on its core transport business of buses, coaches and trains and put East Midland Airport, together with its sister Airport, Bournemouth, up for sale, which were finally purchased by the Manchester Airport Group in March 2001.

Since then the Airport has continued to perform well. Passenger figures in 2001 soared 7% to 2.38 million and low cost carriers Go and bmibaby commenced operations from East Midlands Airport in March.

Cargo operations too have continued to grow and EMA is now widely recognised as the UK’s largest pure cargo airport. As well as DHL, TNT and UPS both have bases here and the Airport is also one of Royal Mail’s primary hubs.

How to get to East Midlands Airport
East Midland Airport is in the centre of the country, surrounded by the cities of Nottingham, Derby and Leicester and within easy reach of Sheffield, Stoke upon Trent and Tamworth.

To get to East Midlands Airport from the South use Junction 23A of the M1 Motorway and from the North use Junction 24 of the M1 Motorway. The Airport is clearly signposted from all directions.

The nearest petrol station to East Midland Airport is Castle Donnington Service Station, Station Road, Castle Donnington, Derby, which is approximately 1.6 miles away.

map - East Midlands Airport