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Feature: South coast airport plans VIP makeover with Bournemouth's entry into Premiership football

Xinhua, May 11, 2015 Adjust font size:

Bournemouth's promotion to England's football elite, the Premiership, is forcing the town's small airport to prepare becoming a high-flyer.

The airport's owners are now working on a make-over to create a VIP area in readiness for jets arriving with teams and executives from around the world.

Luckily the airport is owned by same publicly-owned operation that runs Manchester Airport, the city that is home to two of the most famous clubs in the world, Manchester United and Manchester City.

Bournemouth is, in footballing language, a "lower league" airport, handling around 800,000 passengers a year, compared to the more than 25 million using Manchester in the past year.

A spokesman for the airport said Sunday: "Following the historic promotion of A.F.C Bournemouth to the English Premier League, we are considering plans to ensure we are 'Premier League' ready and able to cope with next seasons influx of global football superstars, their accompanying wives and girlfriends and football fans representing some of the world's richest clubs."

Bosses are now taking advice from Manchester and East Midlands airports who are familiar in dealing with the often unique requirements that come with football fliers.

Manchester Airport regularly sees the city's two rival teams and their international opposition come through its doors.

Ideas currently being considered at Bournemouth include a dedicated lounge for friends and families of the team and the creation of a "fast-track" processing lane at the arrivals area for football kit.

The airport is also working on a new cocktail range plus a spa and manicure units as well as a new level of attractive landing rates for football-related private jets on match days.

The airport has also received requests to re-name the terminal in honor of Bournemouth manager, Eddie Howe, who successfully guided the team, known as the Cherries into the Premier League for the first time in history.

Paul Knight, General Manager at Bournemouth Airport said: "We are still celebrating the fantastic achievement of The Cherries, but we will liaise with our colleagues at Manchester and East Midlands airports to ensure we are Premier League ready."

"The promotion is a massive boost for the town. We are keen to play the best role we can in ensuring that their first season in the Premier League is as successful as possible and choosing to fly to away games as opposed to making long journeys by road seems a smart move in any coaching manual," said Knight.

Bournemouth is almost 590 km from the most distant Premiership club, Sunderland. A journey by air would take less than an hour, compared to a more than six-hour road trip.

Bournemouth currently operates flights to destinations including Manchester, Amsterdam, Alicante, Paris, Tenerife and Dublin. Endit