Luton breaks ground on major redevelopment
Luton Airport has broken ground on a redevelopment which will allow it to increase annual capacity at the airport by 50% by 2020.
The £110m transformation will mean the London airport can grow from 12 million to 18 million passengers per year by 2020.
Secretary of State for Transport Patrick McLoughlin, who performed the official ceremony, said the development will play a vital role in meeting the immediate demand for air travel in London, the South East and South Midlands.
"Not only will its development help to meet demand for aviation but will also create thousands of jobs," he said.
The work includes a redesign of the terminal, a new executive lounge, a doubling of the existing capacity in the security search, immigration and baggage reclaim areas, and a new multi-storey car park with 1,700 spaces.
Major transport improvements include the addition of overnight trains from London St Pancras and the introduction of Oyster card services.
The airport also expects to attract more airlines and routes, including more frequent services to popular cities and flights to new destinations such as Dubai, Orlando and Cancun.
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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