The private sector only cares about rewarding senior execs and shareholders in that order. Any new longhaul at STN can easily be accomadated in Sat 1. Projected traffic volume growth is loco and so the tin shed minimalism will be fine. Remember the original vision of the Norman Foster terminal was to be an iconic London gateway for the country, the easiest to use and simplest for the passenger. The current model is private ROI on volume driven low cost passengers being fleeced in shops.
So unless the Finance team are feeling especially generous, tin shed add ons are all that's needed. Remember, the original plan for STN was an expensive failure and the BAA took a hit, and also remember it was partially paid for via cross subsidy from other group profits as well as HMG as it was a public sector org back then. None of the considerations above, of which I agree, will apply in 2022. It is what it is, I'd love to be wrong (again)
