£50m terminal extension opens to passengers

In an important statement of BAA’s confidence in the future growth of Stansted, the airport opened phase one of its new terminal extension early today as part of a £50m investment in new passenger facilities.

The extension provides nearly 6,000 square metres of additional space for arriving passengers, including a sixth baggage reclaim belt and extra desk space for immigration control managed by the UK Border Agency.

Later phases to be opened by December 2008 will include new shops, more comfortable waiting areas for friends and relatives and new transport facilities for those requiring onward travel by bus, coach, train or taxi.

To emphasise the commitment of Stansted to reducing the environmental impacts of developments and day-to-day operations, the new extension will be carbon neutral following installation of a state of the art biomass heating boiler, one of the biggest ever seen in commercial use in the UK. 

An initiative recognised by DEFRA who awarded a grant of around £250,000 under its prestigious Bio Energy Capital Grants Scheme in July 2007. 

Nick Barton, Stansted’s strategy director, was on hand to meet the first arriving passengers today, and commented:

“At peak times we can expect over 3,300 arriving passengers an hour through the terminal, so this new extension is all about us continuing to provide the best possible facilities for passengers. This means meeting the travel demands of today as well as planning ahead for passenger growth in the future which is forecast to see numbers rise to 35 million a year by 2015.

“We take enormous pride that we have delivered this project on schedule, thanks to the construction team that has devoted 40,000 man hours a month to keep to this targeted opening date. And of course, great pride too in introducing biomass technology that will ensure this new development will be carbon neutral.

“This is a great day for Stansted. It’s a big statement of confidence in our future, and as passengers begin to experience the new space and facilities we get on with the job of delivering the next phases of the project, ready to be fully open before Christmas.”

To keep up to date on all Stansted Airport expansion plans visit www.stanstedairport.com/future

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Notes to editors:

• 1,500 tonnes of steel used in the development
• Planning permission granted by Uttlesford District Council as part of the airports phased expansion plans to 25 million passengers per annum.
• Stansted currently handles around 23.5 million passengers per annum (mppa).  BAA’s Capital Investment Programme forecasts Stansted passenger growth as follows: 23.5mppa (2008/09); 26.6 mppa (2011/12); 33 mppa (2014/15) and 38 mppa (2015/16 )
• Construction of the terminal extension began mid-April 2007.
• Its success is attributed to the partnership working of BAA, MACE and all contractors responsible for getting it phase one opening on 1st July 2008.
• Other environmental initiatives incorporated into the extension include:
  - low-emission lighting;
  - continued use of Building Management System (BMS), ensuring most efficient use of lighting, heating and cooling mechanisms within terminal which monitor actual levels rather than pre-set timers to determine and manage most efficient use.