London Stansted Airport, UK, has completed the first phase of its airfield works after making four new aircraft parking stands operational. The 40,000m² (430,000ft²) echo stand extension boosts the airport’s ability to handle more aircraft during peak hours, making airfield operations more efficient.
Phase two of the project is already underway and includes new taxiways, additional aircraft holding areas and a further 20 new aircraft stands.
Paul Willis, program delivery director, Stansted Transformation Project, said, “It is always a challenge undertaking large scale construction programs in a 24/7 live environment, however, our principal contractor VolkerFitzpatrick and our team here at Stansted have provided an excellent standard of build and project management.
“London Stansted is the only major airport in the Southeast that has potential to grow in line with the government’s aviation strategy of optimizing existing runway capacity. These new stands will provide extra capacity for aircraft to park, unlocking spare capacity and improving operations from the airport’s single runway.”
Chris Evans, managing director of VolkerFitzpatrick’s Civils Division, said, “We are delighted to be part of London Stansted’s transformational journey and continue to successfully deliver challenging airside projects, as part of our core business.
“This project, like many of ours, has been delivered on time and to budget; and we look forward to continuing to work in partnership with Stansted – providing our usual high level of service and satisfaction and helping to enable the airport’s potential.”
The airfield works are part of the £600m (US$780m) Stansted Transformation Program, which includes a new arrivals terminal and the reconfiguration of the existing terminal into a departures only facility. It also features a revamped retail and restaurant offer, as well as new car parks and airfield infrastructure.
