Airport's new security hall at halfway stage

The complex e project to transform the airport is one of several upgrades in its £300m capital investment programme, which will take it from 12 million to 18m passengers a year by 2033.

Work on the new security hall has made significant progress since April, with the state-of-the-art facility due to open in June.

New scanning equipment will ensure the airport complies with new regulations that come into force in June and enable it to process customers more effectively and efficiently.

The airport is also using this as an opportunity to make the terminal more pleasant and welcoming for customers.

A new, solar panel-clad roof is being built across part of the terminal, providing natural light, and helping power the terminal with green electricity.

The external facade of the terminal is being extended outwards and four 50-person lifts are replacing the existing escalators.

This will create more space inside the building and make the walking route to the departures and the air-rail link station area simpler and easier for customers.

The project team is working 21 hours a day to get the work done safely and on time.

Stephen Barker, development director for the airport, said: “We have made great progress in the last six months on delivering a reconfigured facility which will transform the passenger experience at Birmingham Airport with a more efficient pre-flight screening process capable of serving greater volumes of people more effectively.

“We thank customers and staff for bearing with us as we carry out this work in our operational areas. To date we have been successful in maintaining our programme and, with continued support and cooperation, we expect to meet our shared goal of providing a great new facility for everyone.

“There will be further changes to walking routes in the next few weeks. We’d ask everyone to remember that, in June 2024, the result will be worth it.”

Pre-pandemic in 2019 Birmingham Airport served 12.5m passengers a year. It supports 30,900 jobs and contributes £1.5 billion in gross value added to the region’s economy.

The increased capacity which will result in GVA rising to £2.1bn and jobs supported to 34,000.