Expansion plans for London Luton airport are expected to be given the go-ahead “in the coming weeks”, according to the airport’s owner, Aena.
The airport had almost 10 million passengers in 2013 and under the new plans is hoping to increase that capacity to 18 million.
According to Aena’s chairman Manuel Vargas expansion of the airport and runway would require an investment of £98 million.
“The contracting of the work will begin as soon as the necessary permits are acquired, after a long and complex process that we hope will come to a positive conclusion in the coming weeks," Vargas said.
Aena is the world’s largest airport operator, with 47 airports in countries including Mexico, US, Sweden and the UK. In August last year it aquired the airport in a deal worth £433 million.
Last month Luton airport signed a new 10-year deal with Easyjet, the airport's largest which could see new routes added and increased frequency on existing services.
The agreement is expected to double the number of Easyjet passengers using the airport to more than nine million a year.