The JFK of short-haul

Discover a day in the life of British Airways' Edinburgh Airport Manager

- BY NIGEL THOMPSON

With almost 16 million passengers a year and more than 160 routes, Edinburgh Airport is a busy place. One of its major operators is flag carrier British Airways, with 24 flights between the Scottish capital and London every day.

James Birch, BA's Airport Manager for Scotland since June 2024, is overseeing 800-plus departures from Edinburgh this summer, with his role ranging from supporting check-in colleagues to managing the airline's renovated lounge and ensuring flights leave on time.

We asked James - originally from Blackpool and who is also responsible for the airline's operation at the airports in Glasgow, Aberdeen and Inverness - to take us through a day in the life of an airport manager...

“My days are usually structured around my priorities at the time, and these can change week to week,” James explained. “On some days I could be checking customers in at 4am for our first departure of the day, and on night shifts I could join the team on the ramp (the area of the airport where aircraft are parked before departure and after arrival) to greet the arrival of our night-stopping aircraft at 10pm.”

On its busiest days, BA checks in a large volume of customers at its desks in Edinburgh.

James said: “We have such a high volume of flights and customers passing through the Scottish capital every day, which is why we refer to Edinburgh as the 'JFK of short-haul”.

Although his role varies, James tries to spend a few hours at check-in first thing each morning.