Birmingham Airport (BHX) in the UK has begun work on its new £20m (US$23.1m) security screening area.
The airport’s contractors, Tilbury Douglas, began work on October 25, 2022. Initial steps include setting up site compounds before moving on with the project itself. BHX’s landside Burger King and Frankie & Benny’s eateries have closed to accommodate the new screening area.
The facility, which is being built within the existing terminal building, is expected to result in a speedier, simpler pre-flight security screening process for customers. The project coincides with the UK Government’s requirement for all airports to be compliant with its new standards by June 1, 2024 – which is also the completion deadline for the project.
In its 2018 masterplan, BHX outlined its intention to grow customer volumes from 12 million a year (before the Covid-19 pandemic) to 18 million a year by 2033. The improved security screening area is expected to support growth of up to 18 million passengers a year and, in turn, help drive economic growth in the West Midlands region.
Al Titterington, terminal operations director for Birmingham Airport, said, “We are seizing this as an opportunity to improve our operation and, crucially, the customer experience we offer at BHX. Installing our next-generation security (NGS) system will deliver a speedier and simpler pre-flight screening process capable of serving significantly more passengers per hour at peak times.”