£100m investment heralds Birmingham Airport as key transport hub

BIRMINGHAM Airport is set to become one of the most important transport hubs in the country, spearheading the economic revival of the West Midlands.

Transport Secretary Philip Hammond made the claim when he officially opened the latest phase of the £100m redevelopment of the airport.

The multi-million project has been taking place over a number of years culminating in the One Terminal strategy which has seen the airport’s two former terminals combined into one entity.

Mr Hammond said the new facility could not be more different than the old terminal and was set to underline Birmingham’s growing importance to the UK transport network over the next 15 years.

“The airport is now not only a gateway to the West Midlands for the business community but is performing an increasingly important function as a crucial part of the UK national airport infrastructure,” he said at the ceremony to officially mark the opening of the new terminal.

The Minister said another key aspect of the transport strategy would be the development of HS2 rail link which will pass within a kilometre of the airport and will whisk passengers direct from London to the airport in around 35 minutes – roughly the time it takes commuters to travel from the centre of London to Gatwick.

“There is pressure on capacity in the South East. It is obvious we have to make this better and regional airports will play an important role in this, especially when they have the facilities here,” said Mr Hammond.

He said HS2 would change the economic geography of Britain and it would transform the fortunes of Birmingham, the airport and the NEC.  

Mr Hammond said the extension of the airport’s runway would also be significant and would pave the way for direct long haul flights to the United States and China.

Paul Kehoe, airport chief executive, said the £35m project to link the two terminals had been worthwhile and had delivered facilities unrivalled by any other UK regional airport.

However, he said the £100m invested in the airport so far was only the start of a process that would transform Birmingham into a global gateway.

Work has started on a new £40m new control tower and tenders will shortly be sent out for the £65m runway extension. The extension, aided by a recent settlement through the Regional Growth Fund, is scheduled for completion in 2014.

The first phase of investment has included the £50m International Pier, which will allow the airport to serve long-haul airliners up to the size of the giant Airbus A380. The £35m scheme to link the terminals has seen an improved security area and passport control plus the creation of new retail and catering facilities such as the 50,000sq ft of retail space for WorldDutyFree.

The airport has also rebranded itself, dropping the ‘International’ part of its name and introducing a new logo.