THE owner of Bournemouth Airport has been criticised for making a corporate video in which the Dorset operation barely rates a mention.

Manchester Airports Group (MAG) posted a three-minute promotional film which represents 24 hours in the life of the company.

It extols the benefits of its airports to their local communities.

But although East Midlands Airport, Manchester and Stansted are all described, Bournemouth is conspicuously absent.

The name Bournemouth only appears momentarily on a map.

The film, posted to the video sharing website Video, says MAG’s airports serve 56million passengers a year, with 70 airlines serving 282 destinations.

It notes: “Our airports are economic catalysts employing 45,000 people.”

The video adds: “When our business prospers, the communities in which we operate prosper.”

The clip notes that Manchester carries 27m passengers a year and that “on Premier League transfer day, dozens of jets arrive carrying extremely valuable cargo”. East Midlands is described as “passenger airport by day, the UK’s largest pure freight airport by night”.

Industry-watchers in contacted the Daily Echo about the lack of similar detail about Bournemouth.

One Bournemouth local told the Daily Echo: “A very noticeable lack of reference to Bournemouth. Is it a sign that they are disengaged?”

Another said: “Why no investment, with routes going to other airports?”

In a public comment on the Vimeo site, Nick Webster said: “No lowdown for Bournemouth? Just goes to show that MAG does not care for Bournemouth Airport.

“I hope at some point a local coalition of businessmen buy out the commercial side of your Bournemouth operations, because clearly MAG are not exploring the full potential of what the airport could achieve, such a shame really.”

Bournemouth Airport was given a £50million overhaul a decade ago, with a new terminal, arrivals hall and aprons.

However, the aviation industry was hit by the financial crash shortly afterwards. Bournemouth has also suffered from the loss of a lucrative Royal Mail contract and the ending of a short-lived schedule with Flybe.

In a statement received after this story was published, MAG said: "The focus of this promotional video is the larger airports in our group and it is not intended to provide a full representation of all of our interests, hence also the absence of any mention of our property and US businesses.

"The long term outlook for passenger demand remains strong and our priority continues to be to work with airlines to bring in new routes and services from Bournemouth Airport."