From next week London Luton Airport regulars are in for a real shock.
Instead of using the normal rather dismal and often very crowded airside departure lounge and shopping area they will be directed from the check-in desk towards a set of moving staircases and transported to a part of the airport that they probably never knew existed, the previously unused first floor of the departures building.
It's been there since The Queen opened the current building back in 1999, the upstairs empty and dark, but available.
With the airport currently serving over 8m passengers per year - a four-fold increase in less than a decade - and a forecast of 14m by 2010, the last 12 months has seen the realisation of a plan to provide customers with a dramatically enhanced travelling experience. The airlines too will benefit with new stands and quicker turnaround possibilities. There is elevator access for the disabled.
'Luton Municipal Airport' was officially opened in 1938 owned by the Borough of Luton. During the war years it was home to 264 Fighter Squadron and also the Percival Aircraft Company who built the de Havilland Mosquito under licence and went on to design a whole series of specialist transport 'planes including the Prince and Pembroke plus the Provost and Jet Provost trainers. Euravia was created at Luton in 1962 and went on to become Britannia Airways and now Thomsonfly. Monarch Airlines was founded at the airport in 1968 and Luton was the original home of Ryanair and still is headquarters of easyJet today. In a pioneering public-private partnership deal signed in August 1998, Luton Airport remained publicly owned by Luton Borough Council but operated, managed and developed by a private consortium, London Luton Airport Operations Ltd, for a period of 30 years. A specialist airport management company, TBI plc, became the majority shareholder in London Luton Airport Operations Ltd in March 2001 buying out other investors. They in turn were taken over by Airport Concessions & Development Ltd., (ACDL) a company owned by Abertis Infraestructuras (90%), and Aena Internacional (10%) - both of Spain. Abertis is one of Europe”s leading infrastructure providers with a market capitalisation of some E8bn. Aena Internacional is the international business arm of Aena, the Spanish national airport and air traffic control organisation which owns and operates 47 airports across the Iberian Peninsula with some 155m passengers using its airports. Aena also has operations in Central and Southern America. The package purchased from TBI included Belfast International, Cardiff airport and operations in Florida and Sweden.
Luton airport's new 7400m2 departure lounge, shopping and catering complex is roomy and light and includes latest state-of-the-art boarding facilities. It connects directly to all the airport's existing boarding gates - and 6 completely new ones in a purpose-built, 200m long, multi-level passenger pier (top photo) with not yet completed security, immigration, customs and arrivals halls. The vacating of the existing departure area will allow for this to be finished by early next year. There are also two brand new executive lounges, an indication of the fact that Luton does now cater for the business traveller more and more.
Starting early next year a new dual carriageway link road is to be constructed linking the airport with the M1 (from where the picture on the left was taken - just before the apron bridge), work also starting shortly to widen the motorway towards London. In a sense Luton was a victim of the government policy that created BAA Plc and with it an airport monopoly at both London and in Scotland. Even in spite of the millions diverted from Heathrow to Stansted it has still easily the best motorway access from North London and the major conurbations and will shortly become the only London airport to be directly connected to the Eurostar terminal at St Pancras. It does lack a mass transport system connecting the new Luton Parkway station and the actual terminal, a situation which the airport is actively looking into, perhaps with some European funding. As it is the bus shuttle works quite well although for those with luggage it is a chore. A re-modelling of the terminal access for private cars is considered a priority but this probably have to wait and be combined with the new road from the M1.
Luton Airport's existing 2160m runway can easily cope with current traffic although it is not long enough for large transatlantic long haul aircraft. There is an alternative of building a new parallel runway to the south or infilling (at tremendous cost) land to the west that is available. As with virtually all airports the problem is with a local community which prospers and uses the facilities but is loath to see any changes. Often the most vociferous objectors are those who have moved into the locality and have ”suddenly” noticed that an airport is in their back yard. Whilst Luton is best known as an airport for cheap leisure flights and charter operations it is now probably Europe”s busiest executive operation, even more active than Le Bourget with up to 65 expensive business jets seen on the various aprons at any one time offering the 24 hours operation vital particularly for show business types. It is the easy access to central London that wins every time! Our final photograph shows the new departures hall under construction.
Paul Kehoe has been managing director of Luton International Airport since 2001 although his involvement started back in 1999, a non-executive director of the airport board as TBI”s divisional director and managing director of Belfast International.
Paul has this to say of the future. ”In December 2003, Government published its long-awaited White Paper The Future of Air Transport, which finally provided the aviation industry and UK plc with a clear, national, strategic framework for the development of air travel over the next 30 years. Government forecasts suggest that there is the demand to justify expansion of Luton. Our intention is to deliver the challenge laid down by Government in its White Paper, and we have formally launched Project 2030 as the vehicle to deliver major growth at London Luton. Project 2030 will deliver a full Master Plan by end 2005, as outlined in recent Government guidance, and oversee the timely delivery of the necessary infrastructure thereafter”.
http://www.london-luton.co.uk