East Midlands Airport passengers are being urged to allow extra time for their journeys next month as 95,000 music fans head to nearby Donington Park for Download Festival.
The line-up, including more than 90 acts, is expected to attract 95,000 music fans to the site from Wednesday 10 June, when campsites open for the extended weekend of live rock and metal acts that is now in its 22nd year.
The festival inevitably brings significant extra traffic to the roads near the airport, including the M1, A42, A50 and A453. Festival organisers work with the local highways authorities and the police to manage the huge influx of people, with traffic management plans proving successful in recent years.
East Midlands Airport still advises its customers to allow extra time for journeys to and from the airport if they are travelling while Download Festival is underway.
The airport has 624 flights arriving and departing over the five days during which people will arrive, stay and leave the festival, and has arranged for airlines to alert their passengers to potential delays. Airport representatives have been in regular dialogue with festival organisers to understand their traffic plans.
Operations Director at East Midlands Airport, Lauren Turner, said: “Every year, we meet frequently with the festival organisers to plan how the traffic will be managed to minimise the impact on our operations and our customers.
“The arrangements for getting people to and from the festival site are now well established and effective, but with extra traffic on the roads around the airport during this time, we always advise our customers to allow extra time.
“The other potential impact on our operations is the use of drones to film at the festival. It is illegal to do so close to the airport, which we know is a message organisers emphasise with festival-goers, as it could create diversions, delays and risks for passenger and cargo flights.”
