Airport expansion is set for Spring finish
Airport expansion is set for Spring finish
10:00pm Tuesday 27th January 2009
By Katie Clark
THE multi-million-pound expansion of Bournemouth Airport is reported to be on track and within budget, with some phases of the work due to completed in March.
The £45million redevelopment project was boosted by an extra £13million cash injection from owners Manchester Airport group last year, putting the project back on track after several months of delays.
Work at the airport at Hurn was postponed when the New Forest National Park Authority applied to the High Court for a judicial review of Christchurch Borough Council’s decision to grant permission for the development scheme.
But since a High Court judge shot down the action in April 2008, building work has taken off on the new terminal, extra car parks and highway improvements.
The project, which is due for completion by summer 2010, includes the provision of an interim security search area, which will be used while the terminal redevelopment is in progress.
Passengers using the airport since December have started to use the interim departure lounge, which includes a larger tax-free shop, a licensed bar, a Cafe Rittaza unit, seating for around 500 passengers and four departure gates. Outside, the runway resurfacing work has been finished with work on the upgraded lighting and navigation systems said to be going well.
The extension to the eastern apron is also on target with all of these works hoping to be completed by the end of March.
Rob Goldsmith, managing director of Bournemouth Airport, said: “Despite the recent spell of bad weather, everyone has worked hard to ensure that this project stays of schedule.
“During this work our emphasis is obviously on the safety and security of our passengers, as well as maintaining high levels of customer service during the redevelopment process.”