Kicking a teenager out of bed has never been a problem for the man in charge at Biggin Hill Airport.

Managing director Will Curtis is very proud of some of the young people he has steered towards fantastic future careers.

Now, he wants to lead the drive to create 2,300 more new jobs in Bromley, and, at the same time, protect the future of our favourite airport.

In fact, he is so keen on creating new local jobs for young people he wants to build a new college for anyone interested in following a career in aviation.

A father of teenage boys himself he knows only too well how difficult it can be to get them out of bed.

Mr Curtis said: “I’ve employed teenagers before who might otherwise have gone off the rails and even had to call round to get them up in the morning.

“One lad has gone on to be a top aviation engineer, I’m very proud of him.”

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Biggin Hill Airport MD Will Curtis

Launching his strategy for the future of the airport he stressed the most important thing is “buy-in” from local people.

Mr Curtis is so determined to get the strategy right he wants to hear from anyone and everyone before he puts a plan forward to Bromley Council for consideration.

Surprisingly he is not suggesting increasing the number of flights in and out of Biggin Hill, but instead to spread them more evenly across the day.

He is also keen to stress that he wants to protect the future of both airport and the area by putting business aviation first.

He said: “This airport is a gateway to London and is a real jewel in the crown for south London.

“What I want to do is to protect its future and develop and manage it sensibly, the last thing I want, particularly with commercial flights increasing at other airports, is to have anyone stepping in to say we must run commercial flights from here.”

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Noise reduction plans are part of the promises to reassure residents

A resident for 12 years, Mr Curtis says he is acutely aware of, and understands, the concerns of local people.

He said: “I live just round the corner from the airport and I don’t want commercial flights over my house any more than anyone else does.

“But, I would like to change the opening times of the airport by one hour so we can spread the flights we already have more evenly and provide our customers with the best possible service.”

However, before any plans are drawn up, Biggin Hill Airport is launching a full consultation and is happy to hear from any Bromley residents.

This week thousands of newsletters will be distributed to residents inviting them to take part in the consultation. Alternatively, anyone can have their say about the future of the airport by visiting bigginhillfuture.co.uk

A public information display will be run by the airport between Monday, October 13, and Saturday, October 18.

Residents can call in at the Biggin Hill Airport visitor centre, at Maitland View, off Churchill Way, to see the consultation plans.

The centre will be open from Monday, October 13, to Friday, October 17, from 3pm to 7pm, and on Saturday, October 18, from 10am to 2pm.

Every response will be entered into a prize draw to win a £5,000 holiday.

THE PLAN FOR CONSULTATION INCLUDES:

  • Building more hangars and offices so more companies can be based at Biggin Hill, creating 2,300 new jobs by 2030.
  • Developing a training college so local people get the well paid, skilled jobs.
  • Building a hotel for flight crews, engineers and the public.
  • Being more competitive on airport opening hours, which means staying open an hour longer. In order to attract the business aviation market, the airport hopes to open until 11pm.

PROMISES TO RESIDENTS

To reassure residents, the airport has come up with a 10-point pledge to the community:

  1. No increase in flights over 2010 levels.
  2. A 50 per cent reduction in the agreed noise footprint.
  3. No new runways.
  4. No scheduled or holiday charter airline services.
  5. No expansion beyond the existing airport boundary.
  6. New noise limits enforced by Bromley Council.
  7. New approach procedures, keeping planes higher for longer.
  8. Preventing light aircraft flying over residential areas.
  9. Annual festival of flight protected.
  10. A new aviation training college.

What do you think about the Biggin Hill Airport plans? Would the aviation college and the other proposals be good for the local area? Have your say below in the comments.