Television cameras have long been given behind-the-scenes peeks at what goes on at busy airports.
And now fans of everything aeronautical can take a real tour of Norwich International, the only airport in the country to let visitors see its day-to-day activities.
The tours of the airfield include a drive around the vast site, a chance to watch air traffic control and radar in action and a demonstration by the airport’s own fire-fighting crew on the new £1m Boeing 757 simulator.
Each trip is rounded off with presentations and a question and answer session with the air traffic manager, operations managers and managing director.
The tour is the brainchild of deputy managing director Elliott Summers, who will take over as managing director when Richard Jenner retires in the new year.
“Many of the crucial elements of our operation are out of the public’s view, yet we’ve all enjoyed those TV documentaries giving a behind-the-scenes glimpse of how airports work,” he said.
“I’d imagine our passengers would be intrigued to see air traffic control and our fire-fighting training simulator in action.
“This sort of opportunity has never been offered before. A handful of other airports only offer landside tours to groups such as school-children, or one-off open day tours.
“We realise there is a great deal of interest in the day-to-day activities at the airport so we would like to offer people this rare chance.”
Regular three-hour tours start in January and cost £40 per adult, £10 for each accompanied child and are free for infants. There are discounted family and group rates.
To book and for more information, call 01603 420650.
EDP
Worth £40?
Think I might just do it:o
By: rdc1000 - 2nd January 2009 at 12:42
Hmm, £40 for a 3 hour tour of NWI?!?! :confused: For a start, HOW are they going to fill 3 hours, I know NWI quite well, including airside, and short of sitting on the tarmac for a while waiting for a relatively unvaried selection of aircraft to arrive, I’m not sure what else they’re gonna do. If SYD and ZRH are doing tours at those respective prices it would beg the question as to whether NWI are charging a little too much because the other two are surely going to be much more interesting?
I wonder if you need to pay your APD too to get airside? :dev2:
By: T5 - 1st January 2009 at 13:52
Zürich’s airside tour is also a lot of fun. The tour lasts approximately 75 minutes and a bus takes you all around the airport with live commentary. One of the last stops on the tour is the grassy area next to the runway (not sure which one) and aircraft lift off right in front of you. At €8.00 per person, this is definitely worth a go if in the area.
By: Arabella-Cox - 1st January 2009 at 12:57
Wow thanks for the info both of you! I should be in Sydney some point this year, will have to find out more about this tour.
By: steve rowell - 30th December 2008 at 01:53
You can do an airside tour of Sydney’s Kingsford Smith..it’s very interesting and well worth the $20 fee
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December 29, 2008 at 2:13 pm