Bournemouth Airport is a popular, local airport for the surrounding area.
The official website can be found here:visit link
Flights go to the following summer destinations: Akureyi(Iceland), Alderney (Channel Islands), Alicante (Spain), Bilbao (Spain), Corfu (Greek Islands), Crete (Greek Islands), Dalaman (Turkey), Dublin (Ireland), Faro (Portugal), Funchal (Madeira), Girona (Spain), Guernsey (Channel Islands), Ibiza (Balearic Islands), Isle of Man, Jersey (Channel Islands), Lanzarote (Canary Islands), Larnaca (Cyprus), Malaga (Spain), Malta, Marseille (France), Menorca (Balearic Islands), Montenegro, Murcia (Spain), Nantes (France), Naples - Sorrento (Italy), Palma (Balearic Islands), Paphos (Cyprus),
Pisa (Italy), Prestwick (Scotland), Pula (Croatia), Reykjavik (Iceland), Rhodes (Greece), Sardinia (Italy), Sicily (Italy), Tenerife (Canary Islands), Venice (Italy), Verona (Italy), Wroclaw (Poland), Zante (Greek Islands).
Winter destinations are: Acapulco (Mexico), Alderney (Channel Islands), Alicante (Spain), Barbados, Dresden (Germany), Dublin (Ireland), Edinburgh (Scotland), Enontekio (Finland), Faro (Portugal), Fuerteventura (Canaries), Funchal (Madeira), Geneva (Switzerland),Girona (Spain), Gran Canaria (Canaries), Grenoble (France), Guernsey (Channel Islands), Innsbruck (Austria), Jersey (Channel Islands), Kittila (Finland), Malaga (Spain), Malta, Milan Bergamo (Italy), Monastir (Tunisia), Murcia (Spain), Palma (Spain), Paris Beauvais (France), Prestwick (Scotland), Rovaniemi (Finland), Salzburg (Austria), Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic), Tenerife (Canaries), Turin (Italy), Venice (Italy), Wroclaw (Poland).
The website describes the history of the airport:
'Our History
August 1941
The airport opened as RAF Hurn and as part of its wartime duties, it was home to a range of aircraft, including Spitfires, Wellingtons and Typhoons. Towards the end of 1942, it became a base for a number of American squadrons.
November 1944
Towards the end of the war, the airport was transferred to the Ministry of Civil Aviation, and, for a couple of years became the UK’s only intercontinental airport (until the opening of Heathrow Airport). Among the destinations served from Bournemouth were Accra, Cairo, Calcutta, Johannesburg, New York, Sydney and Washington.
1950s to 1970s
Bournemouth Airport was heavily involved in aircraft production. Vickers Viscount aircraft were built there during the 1950s and 1960s, followed by production of the BAC 1-11 jet aircraft during the 1960s and 1970s. In fact, more than half of all BAC 1-11s were built at Bournemouth. Components for Concorde were also built at the airport during this period.
October 1958
The first Palmair flight – a 36 seat BEA Viking aircraft – took off bound for Palma, Majorca – one of the UK’s first charter holiday flights. The Bournemouth-based company is still operating out of Bournemouth Airport today and flies to a dozen holiday destinations as well as operating a popular series of day trips.
April 1969
The airport was sold by the Government to Bournemouth and Dorset Councils.
April 1995
The airport was sold to National Express Group and, during the following winter the main runway was extended to 2271 metres, making it one of the longest in southern England.
April 1996
The longer runway is officially opened, with Concorde the first aircraft to fly in. Thousands turned up to see her spectacular arrival. In the following years, Bath Travel regularly chartered Concorde and it became a frequent visitor to the airport.
May 1996
Ryanair began its Bournemouth-Dublin route.
March 2001
The airport was sold to the Manchester Airport Group, which also owns Manchester, East Midlands and Humberside Airports. Over the next couple of years Ryanair added new routes to Girona and Prestwick. Le Cocqs Airlink (now Blue Islands) began regular flights to the Channel Islands.
March 2005
Thomsonfly opened a new base at Bournemouth, locating two Boeing 737 aircraft at the airport. As well as flights to a range of European holiday and city break destinations, it also created around 100 jobs and brought a significant number of inbound visitors into the region.
December 2005
easyJet began a daily winter service to Geneva and Air Berlin started a new route to Paderborn, Germany. During 2005, passenger numbers double from 494,000 to 917,000.
June – Nov 2006
Ryanair added new routes to Pisa, Shannon and Madrid.
December 2006
Manchester Airports Group agreed to commit £32 million to redevelop the airport. The programme will include terminal development, a new international arrivals hall, improved surface access facilities, realignment of the east apron stands and additional car parking.
June - July 2007
The Government Office South West approved the airport’s planning application (approved by the previous month by Christchurch Borough Council) and work began on the redevelopment programme.
Wizz Air started a new service to Katowice, Poland – the airport’s first route to Eastern Europe – and Ryanair added new routes to Marseille and Nantes.
In addition to commercial flights, Bournemouth Airport is a hive of other aviation activity, including cargo - with flowers from the Channel Islands as well as Royal Mail flights – in addition to the operation (by Cobham’s FR Aviation) of a fleet of Falcon jets for service with the RAF and Royal Navy. The airport is also home to three flying schools training private and commercial pilots.'
The airport has a large car park, Wi-Fi access and all of the usual facilities.