You are not joking either! I just have to ask this, what happens if they cannot find a new concessionaire prepared to do this? I think the Council Tax might go up more than 5%!

Construction update
 

Last Friday LLAL/ Luton Council announced their proposals to expand the airport to 32 million passengers. Fronting this multi-story that is under construction together with its access road and ring road will be a new pier linked to pier B with a 4 aircraft apron that will be constructed in this temporary drop off zone. This will be part of the interim expansion for 21-22 million passengers.
https://i.imgur.com/NGIxbA6.jpg

Last week I claimed the construction of the steelwork would slow down due to a lack of completed foundations. Clearly I don't know what I am talking about.
https://i.imgur.com/fcrN5SX.jpg

Piling has been taking place this week
https://i.imgur.com/pgqwLxB.jpg

The station walls are taking shape. Meanwhile the maintenance area to the right is starting to be dug out from under the roof.
https://i.imgur.com/neJbori.jpg

Interesting to find this part of PPrune - I've also followed the evolution of DART. The question in my head is how are they going to tackle the slight difference in elevation between Luton Airport parkway and the end of the runway? Will it be like the start of an Alton Towers ride?

I can't see the Britannia Fuselage in this impression? I guess they'll drag it into even longer grass...

Leave Parkway on a viaduct, crosses the A1081 and goes through the approach lights in a trough and is pulled all the way by a rope.
Think it will be scrapped as the ground will be raised to accommodate a new apron.

Doppelmayr Cable Car are no strangers to up & down rides!

The blue line shows the course of the DART across the taxiway. The red arrows show the 4 taxiway diversion points that were used when the road runnel was built in two halves. Seems the airport will have a lot less space to play with when the existing taxiway is dug up. I am thinking that contractors can only move the taxiway temporarily south due to the existing road tunnel and the location of the multi-story.

https://i.imgur.com/0zxZGRc.jpg

Luton record February !
 

Almost 1.2 million passengers travelled through London Luton Airport (LLA) in February 2019, a 13.1% increase on the same month last year and the airport’s busiest February on record.

The busiest routes for the month were Amsterdam, Geneva and Bucharest as more passengers chose to travel from the airport for both business and leisure. Ryanair also announced a new route to Krakow, which will begin flying in October 2019, offering passengers even more choice when flying from LLA.

In addition to new destinations to choose from, passengers travelling from LLA have also benefitted from the expanded retail and dining space within the newly upgraded terminal. The area features 48 new shops and restaurants, from Chanel to Oliver Bonas, and will soon include buffalo mozzarella specialist store Fattorie Garofalo. Travellers will also soon be able to relax in a second executive lounge which will be run by No. 1 Lounges when it opens in April.

Alberto Martin, CEO of LLA, said: “The diversity in destinations that we offer is just one reason why more passengers are choosing to travel from LLA, both for business and leisure. Since the opening of our newly upgraded terminal, our passengers have been able to experience a more comfortable journey thanks to the addition of new shops and restaurants, more seats, and new boarding gates.”

Leaving aside the 'more comfortable journey' ... I suggest that the reason more people are travelling through LTN is that they live in the catchment area and the price is right. If the price is no longer right - they won't go. There are some destinations that I should like to go to but they are served by STN or LGW and both are long car journeys for me around the M25 so I don't use them. I find other ways and use LTN and LHR as they are very close by. I have said here before that some prices from BHX are very good - but the cost/time of getting there is too great and the balance returns to the local field. But I'm sure the CEO knows what he is talking about.

Luton now over 17m ?
 

With this latest 13.1% increase the rolling year is now over 17m

Fantastic achievement, lets hope Nick Barton can do similar at BHX ?

It will peak at 17.7 million passengers this year according to LLAL. Worth noting that LTN has not attracted a new airline since 2016. I guess they have stopped offering discounts to new Luton carriers.

This doesn't seem to matter going the other way - I live in Warwickshire and simply do not have the time to list the huge amount of flights friends have taken by friends living locally from LTN in the last year or two. LTN seems to be the 'first choice search' in Skyscanner and other such search engines for many Midlanders looking for flights to Europe. LTN trumps BHX by a mile in terms of the range of European destinations it serves and in frequency on those routes that BHX does have.

No chance as things stand! BHX is only hoping for 18 million as the end result of a decade long masterplan! The FR base is stagnant (and has been for years) and there will never be an Easy or Wizz base (the only carriers who could send pax figures up in such a way) due to their 'fortress' hubs at LTN and MAN (EasyJet only of course), both of which are readily used by Midlanders due to the relative lack of choice at BHX for such flights.

Construction update
 

The multistory continues to head towards the second core.

https://i.imgur.com/rdyMILi.jpg

View from the top
https://i.imgur.com/W43dHYa.jpg

To the right where the digger is located can be seen where the 61 year old Redcoat Britannia was half buried before being moved to the boundary fence. In the background the ground is being raised for potential new aprons while the fire training ground is proposed to move south of the runway. Photo is taken from what will be close to the edge of the second terminal. All this is subject to planning permission.
https://i.imgur.com/aAyyMKJ.jpg

Amy aged 61
https://i.imgur.com/k6F6hx6.jpg

If it hasn't been posted already Wizzair appear to be introducing Stavanger. Interesting destination.

Nothing on the Level website, but in April the morning flight on the Vueling website says "operated by Level"