EDINBURGH AIRPORT has received a new £50 million investment which will triple the capacity for long-haul flights from the airport.
The plans will see an extensive redevelopment of the airport’s immigration and baggage reclaim facilities with a second immigration hall and baggage reclaim area created and extensive construction of new aircraft stands and air bridges.
Prime Minister David Cameron visited the airport for the announcement which stated that work will begin this week on the new 2000m2 state-of-the-art immigration hall, around which a bigger structure will be built over the next five years.
David Cameron said: “Having first class infrastructure is a crucial part of our long term economic plan to support business, create jobs and secure a brighter future for hard working families across the country.
“The expansion of Edinburgh Airport is great news for Scotland and for the whole of the UK. It will open the door to more long-haul flights and new routes, meaning more tourism, more trade and more jobs for people here in Edinburgh and beyond.
“It will also help Scotland to compete on an international scale and of course the UK’s large network of embassies across the globe will continue to keep banging the drum for Scotland and help maximise any opportunities, whether it is bringing in overseas investment or supporting businesses in Scotland to export worldwide”.
Cameron was met by Chairman, Sir John Elvidge, and CEO Gordon Dewar, who took him on a tour of the new airside construction site.
Gordon Dewar said: “The work we’ll be carrying out over the next four years will transform our airside facilities, tripling our capacity to handle bigger aircraft and paving the way for the next 10 years of increased international connectivity.
” We’ve grown significantly over the last several years and have worked hard to redefine our airport strategy with the passenger at the core of everything we do. It’s wonderful that we can showcase the ongoing investment in Edinburgh Airport and our plans for continued growth to the Prime Minister and to the millions of passengers which travel through here each year.”
The first phase of the programme is due for delivery this summer, ahead of the arrival of Etihad Airways on 8th June when it launches the first link between Scotland and Abu Dhabi.
The new £50m airside expansion is the second major project in an ambitious plan following the completion of the terminal extension late last year.
The work is part of a larg scale investment programme that was announced in 2013 where the Board of Edinburgh Airport committed a total of £150m to be invested in Scotland’s busiest airport over five years.
Long-haul traffic was up almost 90% in 2014, thanks to new routes with Qatar Airways, United Airlines and US Airways, and increased services from Turkish Airlines.
