Confirmed today that temporary arrivals will close and new arrival route will open at 0001 on Wednesday 4th April. Still seems like rather a lot of work to be done before then!

So is Taxiway Delta code D or E since the Eastern Apron was made 8 metres wider? Did El Al bring in any B777 last summer?

It actually looks awful and yes it is because no ceiling has been put up so I was quite shocked when I saw it for the first time. Luton has a bit of a history in accepting projects that arn't finished or have not been snagged properly. This isn't helped by the airport always going for the cheapest finish to save money while throwing money away in other areas by digging up what has already been completed.

The mid term car park wasn't finished when they accepted it as there were piles of material abandoned over a large area by the entrance for over a year. It has only just been completed by a different company who are doing other work on site as they prepare for the DART.

As mentioned before by others the footbridges and cores where handed over in a filthy state, many of the internal supporting beams were covered in thick indelible pen markings by the builders who used the beams as chalk boards. There was builders dust everywhere and a year later the walls could still do with a power wash as the walkways looks like they are from an east end slum.

Even when all the work is finished I really can't see the airport coming off the bottom position in the Which passenger survey.

For some reason my eyes are just drawn to the roof space. Work in progress or this is it? Answers on a postcard.

https://i.imgur.com/VInd6On.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/LSEHMT5.jpg

To me, that looks half finished. Hopefully the ceiling beams will be going in at a later date. They have finished that way upstairs so it would be weird if they didn't finish in the same style here. Although it is Luton...

I am thinking one of the new entrances will be open for the moving of arrivals next week.

M&S isn’t due to open until halfway through the summer !

Pret looks like it will open soon. Starbucks and Costco seem a long way off with M&S behind a still closed off section of concourse. Don’t think Burger King will be opening any time soon either. Also the bar seems to be going.

Anyone have more information on the new retail units in departures and when they will open? Still waiting for Chanel, Collection Duty Free, Hamleys, Next, Oriel Brassiere, Skinnydip London & The Bookshop by WH Smith (maybe more?)

With the exception of WH Smith and Oriel most of the new retailers in the departures extension will have low passenger footfall so will the overcrowding inside departures actually be reduced this summer? Can’t see any new free seating areas being created either.

The airport have confirmed the opening of one of the new entrances will coincide with the opening of the new arrivals area and have mentioned the lack of retail units for a while.

WH Smith have opened their new shop and closed their old shop by the check-in area.

My flight to Nice was delayed by 4 hours last night, so I took a few pics:

https://i.imgur.com/jzTH7uS.jpg
First outside, a shelter for people waiting for the shuttle bus. Not sure how long this has been up, but I haven't noticed it before.


https://i.imgur.com/IXbEI2Y.jpg
Gates 1 and 2 in the old "portacabin" area.


https://i.imgur.com/7YFKLe1.jpg
Gates 3, 4 and 5.


https://i.imgur.com/mPDXNct.jpg
Gate 6


https://i.imgur.com/UNViiGa.jpg
Gate 7


.. and it never occurred to me before, but there are no gates 8 and 9 now. At least I couldn't see them!


https://i.imgur.com/wZ0YalU.jpg
Gate 10


https://i.imgur.com/1Ks51Ho.jpg
Looking back up the departures link to the main terminal and pier A. The area on the left behind the hoardings is the first floor extension above the immigration hall, which I think will be a new boarding gate and retail unit.


https://i.imgur.com/vupZjh6.jpg
Given the recent posts, I thought I'd take a picture of the ceiling in the new retail departure lounge area. I agree with other posters that surely they will apply the same finish downstairs.

The shuttle bus shelter has been there for around a month or two. There was meant to be a covered walkway to the shuttle bus stop but it was never installed. The shelter is quite rough and where it is attached to the ground the tarmac around the feet are like mole hills as seen in Clearland08 photo

The third photo shows the former duty free shop. The photo below shows the entrance by what was the departure lounge to the original terminal extension around 2000

https://i.imgur.com/U8GnPS1.jpg

The photo below is looking at gate 6 in the 90's. It is ironic that the departure lounge had more free seating then than now. Make a note of how ceilings used to look like at Luton!!! Seems better than putting up planks of wood with large gaps between them.
https://i.imgur.com/iAJAECM.jpg

The fifth photo shows the mezzanine floor that was added to the departure lounge. I was there the day it opened, it was an exciting day for the airport

Taxiway Delta is Code D but on the few occasions Code E types need to use it a follow me etc is provided to ensure wingtip clearance is not compromised.
I believe the proposed taxiway Foxtrot will be Code D but should a larger Code E type need to use Delta then it's likely to be restricted to Code C to ensure wingtip clearance between the two
taxiways is maintained. Should be easily managed.

Looks like six diversions this evening due to the problems at Stansted.

Let me guess, easyjet and Ryanair

The bus shelter looks like it is open on all four sides? If so, then 'shelter' not the correct term!

Does anyone know why the new taxiways to the Eastern and Western ends of the runway don't go to the ends of the runway but cut in 500ft or so from each threshold? Doesn't seem to make sense to me?

The land cuts downwards very quickly at both ends, 08 will have the DART soon and would have come in much deeper if a taxiway went right to the end. It's all down to costs vs benefit.

The actual reason given is that all aspects of the airport ie runway capacity/ stand capacity / terminal capacity/ CTA capacity is optimised for 18 million passengers. If the taxiways went to the ends of the runway the money spent would be wasted as the rest of the airport infrastructure could not cope with a higher runway rate. Worth noting that some biz jets still backtrack on 08.

Now with the airport planning to bring in up to an extra 18 million passengers it might well have been a false economy. All will be revealed in June!!!

I don't think there would have been any additional capacity had the taxiway been extended to the 08 turning circle. It's a small backtrack now that can be done without increasing the gap on the approach compared to a departure from Bravo now.

It's more dictated on how quickly an aircraft can vacate the runway and without RET's (which won't happen) there won't be any further capacity gains in terms of runway movements until there's airspace and SID changes.