Edinburgh airport creates 200 new jobs

[February 13th 2009]

A £40 million terminal extension at Edinburgh airport is set to create 200 new jobs.

Airport operator BAA, which also owns Glasgow and Aberdeen airports in Scotland, is spending the money in order to increase capacity at the airport. The terminal extension is expected to take two years to complete, and about 200 new jobs in the construction and retail sectors will be supported or created as a result of the development.

"The terminal at Edinburgh Airport is now at capacity, so we face a choice - we either develop the airport in a responsible, sustainable manner, or risk Edinburgh falling behind other European cities by allowing our competitors’ airports to take the lead,” explains Edinburgh airport MD, Gordon Dewar.

Edinburgh is now the busiest airport in Scotland and in the past decade passenger numbers have doubled, from 4.5 million in 1998 to almost 9 million in 2008. Already this year more than a dozen new services have been confirmed, including new flights to Italy, Spain, Croatia, Germany, France and Malta.

"This investment will create a modern, well equipped terminal providing state of the art security, more space to relax and a wider choice of bars, shops and restaurants for our passengers. More importantly, it will ensure that when the economy recovers, as it will, Scotland's busiest airport is well placed to compete with Europe's biggest and best airports," comments Dewar.

A new purpose built security screening area will have capacity for 14 x-ray machines, enabling Edinburgh to handle up to 13 million passengers a year.

The £40 million terminal extension is the first phase of a planned £100 million investment in Edinburgh airport over the next five years. The cost will be met entirely by BAA, which also currently owns Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted airports, with no cost to Scottish taxpayers.

The airport expansion plans have been welcomed by local tourism groups. "Edinburgh Airport is such a crucial part of Scottish tourism. It offers direct access to Edinburgh and everything that the city has to offer visitors around the world,” says Edinburgh Tourism Action Group chair, Barbara Smith.

“These new facilities will further enhance Edinburgh as a first-class destination to visitors, as well as making travelling to and from Scotland easier," Smith adds.

Written by: Nick Purdom

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