Work begins on redevelopment of London Luton passenger terminal

Secretary of State for Transport, Patrick McLoughlin MP and Nick Barton, CEO of LLA

Major work has begun to transform London Luton Airport’s (LLA) passenger terminal as part of a £110 million project to expand the airport.

Secretary of State for Transport, Patrick McLoughlin MP and Nick Barton, CEO of LLA

Secretary of State for Transport Patrick McLoughlin MP has praised the £110m transformation of London Luton Airport (LLA) and the role it will play in meeting the immediate demand for air travel in London, the South East and South Midlands.

McLoughlin’s comments came as he officially broke ground on the redevelopment of the passenger terminal at LLA. The transformation will increase annual capacity at the airport by 50 percent from 12 million to 18 million passengers per year by 2020.

Artist impression of London Luton Terminal front

In support of the Transport Secretary’s comment, LLA highlighted a recent report by independent consultancy Oxford Economics which showed that the £110m transformation, planned with the support of the Department for Transport, will add £1billion to the UK economy and create an extra 10,000 jobs by 2030.

Secretary of State for Transport Patrick McLoughlin MP, said: “The transformation of London Luton Airport is adding to the UK’s reputation for world class aviation infrastructure. Not only will its development help to meet demand for aviation but will also create thousands of jobs.”

“Expansion at London Luton Airport is strategically vital to ensure that we can meet rapidly rising demand”

Nick Barton, CEO of LLA, added: “As the Secretary of State made clear, expansion at LLA is strategically vital to ensure that we can meet rapidly rising demand for air travel in the South East over the next 15-20 years. Our £110 million transformation is also set to give a huge boost to the local economy and will create thousands of new jobs for local people.

“Passengers will benefit from a more efficient, friendly and convenient airport. We’re working hard to improve their experience further by seeking to introduce a dedicated new Express rail service with four fast trains per hour and a fixed link to the terminal from Parkway train station.”

London Luton terminal development timeline

At the event LLA also formally announced the appointment of McLaughlin & Harvey as principal contractors on the terminal redevelopment works. In addition, local firm Buckingham Group has won the contract to build a new multi-storey car park at the airport. Another contractor, Whitemountain, is already on site delivering a new bus interchange, improved drop-off facilities and airport road upgrades.