Airside Support

BAA owns more than 100,000 m² of space leased for airside support in the heart of the airports.

Our airside support accommodation includes ramps, used for forward servicing and located under the piers; motor transport depots, used for servicing the vehicles and equipment that attend the planes; catering bases for the preparation and delivery of inflight catering; and aircraft hangars for maintenance at a local base to minimise disruption to flight schedules.

In addition, the umbrella of airside support covers the supply of aviation fuel to the airlines, which is facilitated by the airport constructing pipelines, storage tanks and the hydrant system for leasing to the fuel companies.

This business alone generates around £25 million per annum from the south-east airports. At Heathrow, seven billion litres of aviation fuel pass through the hydrant system each year - equating to 210 litres per passenger departure - and demand for fuel has increased to such an extent that an additional 4.5 million litres of capacity are being developed.

BAA recognises that the complex nature of an airport requires a diverse range of airside support accommodation. Since the successful operation of any airport depends on fast and easy access from the aircraft and runways to these support facilities, we also acknowledge that location is critical.

Because of this - and the fact that increasing passenger numbers has led to a growing demand for additional support facilities - we have recently provided 5,000 m² of new prime space. This incorporates high quality buildings and an emphasis on health and safety issues in a challenging operational working environment.