16 iconic photos at Birmingham Airport from 1998 to 2020

Birmingham Airport is the starting place of some happy memories for many of us as we head off on our holidays.

Or welcome loved ones back after time away.

But the destination has also been at the heart of some internationally significant meetings of heads of state, sports stars and rescue missions.

Here’s a look back at 16 photos taken at Birmingham Airport from 1998 to 2020.

The first photos show former Russian President Boris Yeltsin arriving at Birmingham Airport for the G8 summit in 1998.

It was the first time that Russia had been accepted as a full member of the Group of Eight countries. Russia was later removed in 2014 and the organisation reverted back to G7.

Former US president Bill Clinton is also pictured at Birmingham Airport - then known as Birmingham International Airport - ahead of his attendance at the summit which was held at the ICC in Birmingham city centre.

A photo of former Japanese Prime Minister Ryutarou Hashimoto and his wife Kumiko is also featured ahead of their attendance at the 1998 G8 summit.

Away from G8 another international figure pictured at Birmingham Airport is Pope Benedict XVI who visited England in 2010.

Birmingham Airport also facilitated ambulance teams which transferred education campaigner Malala Yousafza to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in 2012 when she arrived from Pakistan.

Coaches were also seen at the airport to transport passengers from California who had been on board The Grand Princess cruise ship upon which almost two dozen people had tested positive for Covid-19.

The ship had 3,500 people from 54 countries, including over 140 British nationals at the start of the pandemic in March 2020.

Major sporting triumphs have also been celebrated at Birmingham Airport along with some exciting airline launches with celebrities.

So many important events over time - with many more to come now that the airways are open more freely and the Commonwealth Games on the way.