Gatwick Airport has announced it will invest £1.15 billion (€1.26bn) over the next five years, with £240 million (€308m) planned for 2017/18 alone, as it plans for more growth and improved efficiency, while also maintaining its record levels of passenger satisfaction.
The airport’s 2017 Capital Investment Programme (CIP) sets out Gatwick’s investment strategy which continues to improve facilities and transform service. Since the airport changed ownership in December 2009, Gatwick has invested £1.5 billion (€1.7bn).
Projects include: reconfiguring stands to facilitate a changing aircraft mix, building a new hangar in partnership with Boeing, extending Pier 6 to increase pier service levels well beyond its 95% target, adding a new domestic arrivals facility in South Terminal and continuing to roll out its popular self-service bag drop product.
The commitment in this current Capital Investment Programme will bring Gatwick’s total investment plans, since change of ownership through to 2022, to £2.7 billion (€3bn). The CIP has been developed to ensure that Gatwick’s ambitious growth plans keep pace with rising demand, while also providing the best experience for passengers.
Raymond Melee, Director of Construction, Gatwick Airport: “We will continue to develop the airport to meet the needs of our airlines and passengers with improvements to the way we operate on the airfield and the service we offer in our terminals.”
Gatwick’s Director of Construction Raymond Melee said: “Since coming into independent ownership, Gatwick has delivered record growth in passenger numbers and long haul services, while also taking passenger satisfaction levels to an all-time high. As we plan to grow towards 50 million passengers per annum, we will focus on efficiency and service so that our passengers continue to receive the airport experience they expect, in the most sustainable manner possible.
“We will continue to develop the airport to meet the needs of our airlines and passengers with improvements to the way we operate on the airfield and the service we offer in our terminals. These projects will be delivered in a way that will help us realise our ambition to become the UK’s most sustainable airport.”
Gatwick is also committed to maintaining its existing facilities and continuing its programme of improving resilience to ensure passengers consistently receive the best experience possible during their journey through the airport. All of these measures and projects will help accomplish Gatwick’s ambition to take passenger numbers from 45 million a year towards 50 million, with growth expected to come from larger aircraft, more long-haul routes, and growth in the winter months.
Significant projects identified to help the airport continue to grow efficiently and sustainably include:
- Enhancing passenger service, and supporting airlines to operate on time with an extension to Pier 6, as well as stand re-configurations to provide more aircraft parking and the expansion of the North Terminal border facilities to handle more long-haul arrivals
- A new domestic arrivals facility, including a new baggage reclaim, in South Terminal
- A suite of IT projects supporting core airport functions
- Expanding the departures lounge in both terminals
- A new hangar built in partnership with Boeing to better service and maintain aircraft onsite
Appointment of Engineering Services Framework and Professional Services Resource Framework
Gatwick recently announced the appointment of two new Frameworks for construction activity. The Design and Engineering Services Framework and the Professional Services Resource Framework will have a pool of 18 specialist consultancies to select from to support the five-year plan. This follows a rigorous procurement process, which involved interest from more than 250 organisations, with more than 130 formal applications being evaluated by Gatwick.
“I look forward to working with these specialists to boost our in-house teams as we move through the various stages of our projects,” says Raymond Melee, Director of Construction, Gatwick Airport.
The Design and Engineering Framework has awarded preferred bidder status to 13 consultants:
- Low Complexity Architecture: Pascall + Watson, Atkins, 3DReid
- Low Complexity Structures & Civils: WSP, Jacobs, RPS, AMEY OW, Ramboll
- Low Complexity Engineering (M&E): WSP, Cundall, TSP, Hulley & Kirkwood
- Medium/High Complexity Design: WSP, RPS, Chapman Taylor/Arcadis, Arup, Jacobs
