Blackpool, UK – 3 December 2025
Blackpool’s visitor economy is having a pivotal week. Within 24 hours, the resort has seen a Jet2 Boeing touch down at Blackpool Airport for the first time in years and the sale and rebrand of one of its best‑known seafront hotels, Daish’s Blackpool Hotel, confirmed by new owners. [1]
Taken together, the developments signal both opportunity and tension in a town that is betting heavily on aviation, regeneration and year‑round tourism.
Blackpool Airport Welcomes First Jet2 Boeing in Years
On Tuesday 2 December, a Jet2 Boeing charter flight landed at Blackpool Airport carrying representatives from Championship side Ipswich Town, who flew in from Stansted before travelling on to Ewood Park for their league fixture against Blackburn Rovers, which finished 1–1. [2]
It was a routine sports charter on paper – but locally, it was anything but.
Spotters and residents quickly shared photos and comments on social media, describing the sight of a Jet2 aircraft on the tarmac as being “like the old days” and expressing hope that holiday flights might one day return. [3]
The excitement is understandable. Blackpool last operated as a public airport with regular commercial flights on 15 October 2014, when terminal and air traffic control services for scheduled passengers were closed. A short‑lived attempt to restore limited services to Belfast and the Isle of Man in 2015 ended in March 2017 after the collapse of operator Citywing. [4]
Today, Blackpool functions as a busy general aviation hub: around 40,000 aircraft movements a year – including flight training, offshore gas support, corporate jets and medical evacuation flights – make it one of the UK’s 20 busiest airports by movements, despite the absence of scheduled airlines. [5]
The airport is owned by Blackpool Council and run by its subsidiary Blackpool Airport Operations Ltd, which has said it will comment on the charter flight but has not announced any plans to restore full commercial services. [6]
Infrastructure Investment: New Terminal, New Road, New Jobs
The high‑profile Boeing arrival comes against the backdrop of a multi‑year capital programme designed to strengthen Blackpool Airport’s niche in corporate, executive and charter aviation rather than mass‑market holiday flights.
New passenger handling facility
Work is well under way on a compact new passenger handling and administration building on the Squires Gate site, following planning approval in 2024. [7]
Key features include:
- An enhanced arrivals and departures area for up to around 45 passengers per flight
- A larger security checkpoint with upgraded X‑ray and scanning equipment, re‑purposed from Anglesey Airport
- Office space, meeting rooms and amenities for airport staff and operators
- A 60‑space car park, security fencing and luggage holding space
The project, expected to complete in 2025, is funded from a £54 million infrastructure pot controlled by Blackpool Council and is described by airport director Steve Peters as a step that will let Blackpool handle larger corporate aircraft and more charter work in partnership with specialist operator Hangar 3. [8]
East‑side expansion and hangars
Alongside the terminal, plans are progressing to redevelop the east side of the airfield with new hangars, a new air traffic control tower, fire station, an aircraft maintenance facility and a proposed solar farm and fuel farm capable of providing sustainable aviation fuel and battery storage. [9]
Modular buildings for a new vehicle security point and administration block have already been delivered, with the first phase designed to streamline arrivals for corporate and charter clients. [10]
£18.5m Enterprise Zone road and Eastern Gateway
Perhaps the most transformational element sits just beyond the runway. A new £18.5 million spine road, to be known as Vickers Way, is under construction to link Common Edge Road with Amy Johnson Way, easing congestion and unlocking 10.5 hectares of new development land within the Blackpool Airport Enterprise Zone. [11]
The scheme – funded mainly by Blackpool Council with an additional £7.5m from the Government‑backed Town Deal – is designed to support up to 5,000 new jobs by 2041 through new business units and employment space. [12]
On the eastern side of the site, the Eastern Gateway masterplan sets out fully serviced plots (5,800–22,366 sqm) aimed at advanced manufacturing, food and drink production and digital firms, all accessed from the new road and supported by gigabit‑speed full‑fibre broadband. [13]
Taken together, these projects suggest that, while a full return to package‑holiday flights is still officially considered “very remote”, the airport is positioning itself as a specialised hub for business, training, offshore energy support and high‑value charters – the kind of work a Jet2 sports charter neatly illustrates. [14]
Daish’s Blackpool Hotel Sold and Set to Become Hotel Santamaria
A few miles up the Promenade, another symbol of Blackpool’s visitor economy is in transition.
Daish’s Blackpool Hotel, a large seafront property on the North Shore, has been a staple of coach‑based package holidays for years, operated by family‑owned Daish’s Coach Holidays, which runs hotels in resorts such as Torquay, Eastbourne, Bournemouth, Llandudno and Scarborough. [15]
On 3 December, the Blackpool Gazette revealed that the hotel has been sold to a small family group led by Declan Scully and his son Leo, who completed the deal roughly a week earlier for an undisclosed sum. [16]
The new owners plan to:
- Rename the property Hotel Santamaria
- Repaint the grey exterior and blue signage in a lighter magnolia colour scheme
- Begin taking new bookings immediately and launch the new branding within about a month
They estimate the hotel has about 70 bedrooms and say there is strong loyalty from returning guests. Declan Scully has spoken of wanting to bring “TLC to the building” and ensure visitors leave happy, expressing confidence that Blackpool’s holiday sector is “flourishing”. [17]
Around 30 staff are currently employed at the site, but Scully says he cannot yet discuss individual employment contracts while the transition is ongoing. [18]
From Hygiene Prosecution to “Fresh Start”: The Hotel’s Troubled Backstory
The sale and rebrand follow a difficult period for the property.
In August 2024, Daish’s Blackpool Hotel Limited, the company running the hotel at 224–232 Promenade, was prosecuted for five food hygiene offences and two health and safety offences after Blackpool Council’s food control officers found dirty surfaces, greasy cooking equipment, poor storage practices and damaged electrical fittings in the kitchen during a 31 August 2023 inspection. [19]
The company pleaded guilty and was fined £14,000 plus a victim surcharge and costs, after previously receiving a simple caution for hygiene failings in 2022. [20]
Soon afterwards, the 72‑bedroom hotel – complete with 130‑cover restaurant and a function room capable of hosting around 120 people – was put up for sale with a guide price of £1.7 million, attracting expressions of interest from potential buyers. [21]
Customer Confusion Over Cancelled “Turkey and Tinsel” Breaks
The transition from Daish’s ownership to the Scully family has not been smooth for every guest.
On 26 November, the Gazette reported that some customers who had booked “Turkey and Tinsel” festive breaks at Daish’s Blackpool Hotel found their stays abruptly cancelled when the sale completed. [22]
Key points from that report:
- One customer, who booked in August and sought reassurance after hearing rumours of a sale, said she was told the purchase would take many months and her December booking would be safe, only to be informed last week that it had been cancelled. [23]
- Guests were offered refunds or the option to transfer to other Daish’s hotels (for example in Torquay), but some said they were left out of pocket for extra show tickets and travel they had already booked independently. [24]
- On social media, some customers accused the company of a lack of transparency about the timescale of the sale, while other Daish’s regulars defended the firm and said they had been kept informed via the company’s Community Page. [25]
Daish’s Group Managing Director George Brown had previously issued a statement explaining that the decision to market the Blackpool hotel, along with properties in Newquay and Kendal, was a strategic move to ensure long‑term sustainability and growth. He told guests their bookings were secure and that, in the event of a sale, they would be offered transfers or refunds in line with terms and conditions. [26]
An updated message on 18 November confirmed contracts had been exchanged on the Blackpool sale, with completion expected on 24 November, and said affected guests were being contacted in order of arrival date to choose between transfer, credit or full refund. [27]
What the New Owners Are Honouring – and What They Aren’t
The new Hotel Santamaria team have moved quickly to clarify what happens to different categories of booking:
- Bookings made via Booking.com for Christmas stays – when the hotel was still owned by Daish’s – will be honoured by the new owners, according to Declan Scully. [28]
- Coach‑based package holidays booked directly with Daish’s, which bundle transport and accommodation, are not being carried over to the new business; Daish’s has been handling refunds or re‑bookings to other hotels within its portfolio. [29]
From a consumer perspective, the distinction matters: for many guests, the contract is with the tour operator rather than the hotel building itself. In practice, that means anyone who booked through Daish’s needs to pursue their options – refund, transfer or credit – directly with the company, while those who used online travel agents may find their reservations are still valid under the new ownership.
The episode is a reminder of how important clear communication is during hotel sales, especially in a resort where many visitors are elderly or travelling in groups and may have booked months in advance for specific shows and seasonal events.
Tourism Context: Blackpool Backs Regeneration and Year‑Round Visitors
The twin stories of a newly‑landed Boeing and a rebadged seafront hotel are playing out against a much wider regeneration push.
Blackpool has secured £39.5 million in Town Deal funding for seven major projects, including £7.5m for the Blackpool Airport Enterprise Zone road that will open up those 10.5 hectares of development land next to the airport. Other funded schemes include the Blackpool Central leisure destination, an upgraded Illuminations programme and a new Multiversity campus, all intended to drive jobs, skills and visitor numbers. [30]
At the same time, national and international airport operators are investing heavily:
- Bristol Airport has begun a £60 million terminal upgrade, part of a £400 million plan to nearly double terminal space and add new retail, food and accessibility facilities. [31]
- Manchester Airport is in the midst of a £1.3 billion redevelopment of Terminal 2 and considering a Metrolink tram extension to handle an extra eight million passengers over the next five years. [32]
- Liverpool John Lennon Airport is spending around £9 million on a new premium lounge and wider refurbishment. [33]
- Globally, India’s Adani Group plans to invest about $15 billion in airport expansion by 2030, underlining the scale of competition for air traffic. [34]
- Closer to home, Coventry Airport will close in 2026 to make way for a gigafactory, showing that not every regional airfield survives the shake‑out. [35]
Against this backdrop, Blackpool’s more modest – but targeted – investments in a small terminal, business aviation facilities and an enterprise zone look like a pragmatic attempt to carve out a sustainable niche rather than chase mass‑market airline volumes it can no longer easily support.
Outlook for 2026: Measured Optimism, With Caveats
Looking ahead from 3 December 2025, several trends emerge:
- Airport growth will likely remain specialised
The infrastructure being built at Blackpool Airport is tailored to executive jets, training flights, offshore operations and small charters, not large‑scale airline operations. Unless there is a major shift in policy – for example on funding border and security infrastructure – the Jet2 Boeing landing should be seen as a symbolic charter rather than a preview of scheduled holiday flights returning. [36] - Enterprise Zone development could reshape employment around the airport
If Eastern Gateway and associated plots fill up with advanced manufacturing, warehousing and digital firms, the area could support thousands of jobs and create a stronger business base for the airport itself, from maintenance and training to logistics. [37] - Hotel Santamaria has a chance to reset the property’s reputation
A refreshed brand, lighter exterior and a focus on guest experience give the former Daish’s Blackpool Hotel a clean slate after its hygiene prosecution and sale‑related cancellations. But the new owners will have to invest consistently in standards and communication if they want to win over both loyal Daish’s regulars and independent travellers. [38] - Customer trust remains fragile
The recent confusion around festive bookings shows how quickly trust can be eroded when communication lags behind corporate decisions. In a market where visitors have plenty of choice – and can share their experiences online within seconds – operators in Blackpool’s tourism ecosystem will need to prioritise transparency, especially during handovers and refurbishments. - Blackpool’s broader regeneration may support higher‑value tourism
Investments in education, leisure, business space and transport are gradually reshaping the town’s offer beyond traditional seasonal tourism. If the airport can continue to grow higher‑spend corporate and leisure charters, and if rebranded hotels like Santamaria lift standards on the seafront, Blackpool could see a more resilient visitor economy over the next decade.
For now, the sight of a Jet2 jet on the runway and a new name going up on a once‑troubled hotel are powerful symbols: Blackpool is not simply chasing nostalgia for its travel heyday, but trying to engineer a different kind of future – one Boeing landing and one rebranded façade at a time.
References
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