BAA says it will invest a further ”40m ($79m) in a bid to reduce congestion at its seven UK airports.
Passengers had to endure severe disruption last year, with many forced to wait in marquees as the August bomb alert and fog, caused Heathrow in particular, to suffer massive delays.
The British airports operator, whose remit includes the London bases of Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted, as well as Southampton, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen, has ambitious plans to cut queuing times to just five minutes or less for 95% of the time.
Quite whether the five-minute target can be achieved is a moot point, but BAA is clearly gearing up, in tandem with several UK transport providers and infrastructure operators, for the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
BAA will spend the extra ”40m to recruit 1,400 security guards and open 22 new security lanes, as well as planning an, unspecified, multi-billion pound investment in what it describes as ”vital new facilities,” in time for the Games, which are expected to attract enormous numbers of competitors and tourists.
”As well as tackling the immediate issue of queuing times, we are ready to make major, long-term investments in British Airports,” said BAA chief executive, Stephen Nelson, adding: ”This will free the travelling public from congestion and provide a good experience, all for a few extra pounds per passenger.
”The onus is on the regulatory authorities to deliver the stable regulatory system and sensible financial incentives to deliver these plans.”
Now owned by Spanish company, Ferrovial, BAA has come under fire from some quarters over its potential effect on competition, but is hoping that its flagship Terminal 5, whose opening is just a year away, will improve the situation at Heathrow.
”When Terminal 5 opens in a year”s time, we will have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to re-develop Heathrow,” said the airport”s chief executive, Tony Douglas. ”By 2012, we aim to have either re-built or re-developed all our ageing terminals and returned Heathrow to its rightful status as the world”s leading airport.”