Work begins on Birmingham Airport extension

19.6.2008   (UK Airport News)

Work has begun on the construction of a massive £45 million state-of-the-art
extension to Terminal One at Birmingham Airport.     The new pier will replace the outdated facility constructed in 1984 and is
the single biggest investment that the airport has made in more than 20 years.

The new International Pier will be a three-storey building 240m long and 24m
wide.  Departing passengers will be accommodated on the top level, with arriving
passengers on the middle level and office accommodation for airline and handling
agents on the ground floor.

The new facility will provide air-bridged aircraft parking for seven wide-bodied
aircraft and enough space to service 13 smaller aircraft at any time. It will
also provide vertical segregation to separate inbound and outbound passengers,
in line with national security requirements. New gate lounges for passengers will
also be created.

Will Heynes, the airport’s operations director, who has overall responsibility
for the project, said: ‘This investment will provide the airport with facilities
to enable it to meet the growing demand for international services to global destinations.
Once complete, the pier will provide a high quality gateway into the Midlands
for foreign visitors.’

‘The building will be capable of accommodating ‘next generation’ environmentally-efficient
wide-bodied aircraft such as the Airbus A350 or the Boeing 787 ‘Dreamliner’, as
well as the larger aircraft types we see at Birmingham today like the Airbus A330
and Boeing 747 and 777.’

The building has been designed to meet the latest environmental standards and
performances for buildings of this type.

19.06.08 Work begins on Birmingham Airport extension