Taken from the Daily Echo website.
BOURNEMOUTH Airport has unveiled a major expansion plan to deal with an expected three million passengers a year.
The £32 million, five-year scheme is designed to meet a predicted trebling of passenger numbers within a decade.
Plans will be submitted to Christchurch council for approval early next year and the first phase of the work, construction of a new arrivals hall, could be completed by spring 2008.
As well as extending and revamping the terminal buildings, the scheme also includes enlarging the apron, extra car parking, and improvements to the airport access and infrastructure in line with the master plan published earlier this year.
Airport managing director, Peter Duffy, said the announcement of the funding by owner the Manchester Airports Group was a huge vote of confidence in the potential both of the airport and the surrounding area.
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He said: "By committing to an investment of £32 million, the group's shareholders have clearly shown their confidence in Bournemouth Airport and its ability to grow so it's important that we start planning for this growth as soon as possible.
"By phasing the work over a four- to five-year period we will be able to build in a logical, cost-effective manner which will match year-on-year growth as it occurs."
Mr Duffy said the threefold rise in passenger numbers would not be matched by a similar increase in flights if the airport could attract airlines operating large planes on medium and long haul services in addition to the current European destinations offered by budget carriers.
He also stressed that the expansion plans included environmental improvements both in the buildings and the services, with additional parking halving the number of car journeys made by so-called "kiss and fly" passengers being dropped off and collected by friends and relatives.
Travelling would also be reduced by attracting local passengers to use Bournemouth instead of London and other airports.
The news has been welcomed by council and business leaders as a boost for the local economy.
Peter Scott, chief executive of Dorset Business, said: "This is another important step towards ensuring that Dorset has the prominence on the national and international air transportation scene that it rightly deserves."