This week plans were announced to expand Luton Airport so it could take 18 million passengers per year - a scheme which could see an extra seven million pass through the town. Sophie Scott looks at the proposals and speaks to Steve Heappey, lead officer of London Luton Airport Limited (LLAL), which owns the airport on behalf of Luton Borough Council.
You can pretty much guarantee that anyone you meet in the country will at least know Luton for one major thing - its airport.
And now the plan is to make it possible for it to take even more people off on their holidays in the coming years.
London Luton Airport Limited (LLAL) confirmed its intention at the beginning of the week to submit an application to Luton Borough Council which would see modifications made to the existing airport - without having to purchase more land - to increase capacity.
Changes would include the aircraft taxiways, aprons, piers and parking stands, the road network, airport car parking and the passenger terminal.
One of the major points of the proposal is that it will bring a massive 6,000 jobs to the town, both directly at the airport and indirectly in the town.
At a time when the country is still in economic crisis, if permission is granted it could see the town prosper, as Steve Heappey (pictured right) of LLAL explains.
He said: “The shareholders of LLAL are the people of the town.
“It is expected that £23 million worth of income comes from the airport into the town.
“That money is essential for services like the Citizen’s Advice Bureau which are a real interest to local people. Without that money those services would be in jeopardy.
“It also funds infrastructure in the town. The Aquatic Centre in
Stopsley [which is due to open in July] was made possible by the airport.
“The airport is one of the town’s biggest employers, if not the biggest. These plans would create job opportunities for Luton and the surrounding region.” On Monday, Cllr Robin Harris, chairman of LLAL, said: “We’re at the very 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.”
It is estimated that at the end of this financial year the airport will have handled almost ten million passengers. But in the next year figures put it at exceeding that milestone.
Last year the Department for Transport said in a report the airport would only handle 15 million by 2050, but Mr Heappey said considering its ‘staggering’ growth since 1998 it would be reasonable to expect that to reach 30 million.
While LLAL owns the airport, it is actually run by London Luton Airport Operations Ltd (LLAOL), which has a 30-year concession which lasts until 2028. However, LLAL could, if it chose, break that concession within the next two years.
Mr Heappey said: “There is always the chance that LLAOL could come up with their own proposals.
“No decision has yet been made to break the current concession. They have the chance to make proposals on how they will fund and develop it. We need to resolve the issue of what to do with their 16 years remaining.
“We could get a new concession, which could be LLAOL, over a much longer term that the airport now needs.
“If there were ways more airlines could travel at off-peak times passenger numbers would be significantly more than 11.5 million.
“If we don’t get the additional capacity then the airport would start to stagnate. Airlines such as Wizz Air, which has grown phenomenally, and easyJet, have plans to grow even further and if they are not able to do that in Luton then they will go to other airports.”
Hugh Aitken, commercial manager of Luton Airport-based airline easyJet, said: “The plan is an important step for the airport’s long-term future which will enable us to continue making travel easier.
“However, we need continued focus now on improving access to the airport and the speed at which passengers can transit through it.”
This week a project called ‘futureLuToN:Optimisation’ was introduced to the airport’s consultative committee representing residents, councils and community groups.
If you want to find more information about the plans visit www.futureLuToN.co.uk from tomorrow.
