Birmingham Airport’s departure lounge extension begins construction

(left to right) Atkins Project Director, Ken Davis; Birmingham Airport’s CEO, Nick Barton; Aviation Minister, Paul Maynard; Saqib Bhatti MP; and Mace Project Management - Operations Director, Andy Summerscales. Credit: Birmingham Airport

The beginning of construction for a £30 million departure lounge extension at Birmingham Airport has been officially marked by multiple government and airport officials. 

Features of the expansion project include a modern two-storey extension with outdoor terrace area – which will increase the available space by 45 per cent – additional seating, new toilet facilities, five new catering units and three additional retail outlets.

In total, the extension will be 21m tall at its highest point and over 130m long, built with 1,000 tonnes of steel and, at peak times, will see 200 construction workers collaborating on the project.

Nick Barton, CEO of Birmingham Airport, said: “The extended lounge forms part of a wider terminal transformation project, known as TE18, which will cater for the forecasted growth in passenger numbers to 18 million per year by the year 2033. The departure lounge extension is the largest component of TE18 and the biggest terminal investment we have made in 10 years, at a cost of £30 million. Once complete, it will provide a spacious and modern facility for our customers with a wide range of shops, restaurants and amenities.” 

Birmingham Airport’s visit from the Aviation Minister is the second stop on his UK tour of regional airports, as part of the Department for Transport’s Regional Air Connectivity Review. 

The UK’s Aviation Minister, Paul Maynard, said: “Our second city’s airport serves more than one million passengers every month, so it is vital that it has the world-class  facilities and state-of-the-art infrastructure it deserves. This modern extension to the departure lounge will be good news for the whole of Birmingham, helping boost the local economy while still supporting the airport’s wider commitment of becoming net zero by 2033.”