UK Transport Awards 2020

4 SME NEWS / SME Transport Awards 2020 , Cambridge City Airport Best Regional Airport 2020 Feb20301 Situated close to London and Stanstead Airport, Cambridge City Airport is well equipped to handle business travel, equine transport and more. To start, Liz gives us a brief overview of the airport itself and the kind of specialist services on offer to their clients. “Owned and operated by Marshall Aerospace, Cambridge City Airport support the region of East Anglia with commercial flights, while also acting as a hub for flying lessons and commercial airline pilot training.” “Specifically, equine transportation is highly specialised with not every airport having this capability. Having transported some of the biggest names in the equine world, we have the experience under our belt to ensure they are able to fulfil their racing commitments. “Our proximity to Newmarket makes this an especially attractive service and at all times we promise to take very good care of the horses and those who travel with them. In addition, the travelling time for race horses is significantly reduced, which helps keep them in peak condition. With Newmarket being a hotbed for horse racing, we also open on highly popular racing weekends to ensure customers can enjoy the races. “In comparison to other major domestic airports, we offer a very personalised experience where passengers can touch down and be on their way through our state of the art FBO facility within minutes of arrival. With our passengers at the centre of our thinking, we relocated our baggage scanning and screening service to immediately inside the FBO, as we appreciate, they may want to work right up until boarding their flight.” With the transport industry remaining focused on efficiency by reducing costs and improving transport means, a number of opportunities have opened up to Cambridge City Airport. Liz added “The cost of travel is now significantly reduced, meaning even private air charter flights that are traditionally associated with corporate and high-net worth clients, are within reach of groups of people looking to organise something special. As a result, we work with charter providers to ensure we have a broad range of services.” If we take a closer look at the aviation industry today, airports are always looking to be adaptable as you never know what kind of challenges lie ahead. However, as a small airport Liz argues due to their size and specialisms, they are better equipped to handle any changes in comparison to their larger counterparts. Based in East Anglia, Cambridge City Airport is a regional airport with some of the best facilities in the world available to support passengers. Following on from their success in the UK Transport Awards 2020, we got in touchwith Liz Fullick to find out more. “We are small, agile and part of a larger, independent group, so we are perhaps better able to weather these external factors than some of our competitor airports. By focusing on excellent customer service and equine cargo, along with some UK and international military customers, we believe we are presented with opportunities that other regional airports might struggle to capitalise on.” With the environment being a key consideration for the aviation industry, Cambridge City Airport remain committed to complying with any changes to ensure they are playing their part in making the environment safer for everyone. Liz added “Last year, we opened a state-of-the-art Ground Running Enclosure (GRE) which is one of Europe’s largest and quietest facilities of its kind. This significant investment helps reduce the noise for our neighbours and allows our maintenance-based operations to deliver on commitments to our UK and international military customers. In addition, we are also investing in a multi-million development of a new radar system, which will enhance our ability to ensure the skies over Cambridge are increasingly safer.” Delivering the best possible services to their customers is the main goal for the airport and Liz argues the effective internal culture in place helps them achieve their objectives. “As a close-knit team, we are friendly and personal, working collaboratively, while valuing everybody’s contribution. It has always been this way and anyone who joins us fits right into that warm culture.” In conclusion, Liz commented on the future of Cambridge City Airport and the plans that are in place to ensure they remain the UK’s No.1 Regional Airport. “Cambridge and eastern England is a thriving, prosperous and growing region, with an enviable reputation for excellence in a number of areas, not least education, science, medical, and research to name just a few. Moreover, our proximity to Newmarket, puts us in a great place to further develop our services and grow our customer base. “Our recently refurbished FBO has been tremendously well received and we want to build on that. Currently we are installing a new state-of- the-art radar, which gives us not only greater coverage of our skies but also the largest ground running aircraft engine test facility in Europe. As a well-known airport, we have received tremendous support from our local community and heading forward we hope our reputation will precede us as we look to attract people whose outlook and attributes seem to align with ours.”