Luton Airport's expansion begins
26 January 2016 09:09
London Luton Airport is set to expand
Travellers flying to and from London Luton Airport (LLA) can look forward to improved facilities after expansion work started this month.
The new £110 million upgrade is aimed at increasing passenger footfall by an annual six million before 2020 - up 50% from the current 12 million.
The expansion could not only support over 10,000 new jobs but also add £1 billion to the economy, the Oxford Economics financial consultancy says.
How flyers will benefit from the upgrade
- greater efficiency
- the baggage reclaim area will double in size
- the security section will see similar growth
- a train service will run between London St Pancras and LLA through the night
Travel insurance
Wherever people fly out of, they are boosting their chances of having a happy, fluster-free time by taking out travel insurance.
This can safeguard them should any gremlins arise and threaten to scupper their holiday enjoyment.
The costs of lost luggage, lost cash, flight delays and medical treatment can all add up if holidaymakers are not covered.
Luton flights
Direct flights from Luton mainly focus on Europe with Paris, Zurich, Berlin and Amsterdam all popular destinations steeped in culture with an inexhaustible choice of sight-seeing activities.
But Tel Aviv on Israel's sun-kissed coast is another option.
What the experts say
Patrick McLouglin, the Transport Secretary, who launched the new expansion, calls the scheme "world class".
He says the passenger terminal's expansion will create new jobs running into four-figure numbers, besides helping to satisfy an increasing demand for air travel in the South East.
Nick Barton, LLA's chief executive, calls the expansion "strategically vital" in making sure Luton can soak up the demand for flights during the next decade or two.