Luton Airport has revealed plans that, if successful, would see the airport expand to take 18 million passengers annually. The expansion has the added benefit of creating up to 6000 new jobs, according to the announcement made by London Luton Airport Limited (LLAL), the company that owns the airport on behalf of Luton Borough Council.
The project, which has been named “futureLuToN: Optimisation”, was pitched to the Luton Airport Consultative Committee, who made the decision to implement a four-week public consultation due to commence on February 4th.
The plan to increase the passenger turnover by 57 per cent came as a response to predictions of a shortage in air travel capacity in the south east of England by 2020. Currently, around 10 million travellers pass through Luton Airport’s doors every year, so improving facilities to cope with almost double that amount of traffic would be a huge economic and efficiency achievement.
Chairman of LLAL, Councillor Robin Harris, said “We’re at the beginning of a journey that builds on the tremendous success we have seen through the last decade and will ultimately bring huge benefits to Luton and the wider region – with jobs and much-needed income.”
“We will consult actively and listen carefully ahead of submitting a planning application to enhance this important people’s asset but we must be ready to embrace market demand in the future. The need for additional airport capacity in the south east of England and the enormous growth that low-cost carriers have demonstrated in recent years gives us every confidence that London Luton Airport will continue to become ever-more attractive to both existing and new airlines.”
The announcement follows news last week of plans to develop Manchester’s Airport in order to allow the city to be seen as a competitor on a European scale, rivalling cities such as Barcelona, Dusseldorf and Amsterdam. Luton, as the UKs fifth biggest airport, similarly must be seen to be a competitor in the UK market, especially due to its proximity to Heathrow and Gatwick airports.
Councillor Harris continued “The benefits that will flow from the airport’s development will be realised in the local, regional and national economies.”
“While we will have to work hard to meet our aspirations, I am encouraged by the vast majority of people and businesses in Luton and the wider region who believe strongly that the airport is a terrific asset for job creation and our biggest wealth creator.”
While Councillor Harris agrees that the plans which will go out for public consultation next month are “ambitious”, he promises that environmental issues, noise and traffic flows will be fully considered and hopes that “the airport’s development [will] continue to be as sustainable as it has always been.”
