Bristol Airport in southwest England has announced that work will commence on a £2.3m (US$2.8m) project to enlarge and enhance the immigration hall on Monday, January 16, 2017.
On completion in April 2017, it will take the number of passport control points from the current 10 to a total of 17, including 10 of the latest ePassport gates, which provide a fast alternative to the conventional border control process.
As well as introducing new equipment, the work will enlarge the immigration hall, which will be redesigned to create a more welcoming environment and streamlined border process for passengers.
To enable the new technology to be installed, existing equipment has to be removed first. As a result, ePassport gates will be unavailable to passengers for a period of three months until the installation is complete.
Alison Roberts, head of customer operations at Bristol Airport, said, “These new facilities will be in place for passengers from April onward, in time for the busy summer holiday season, and will make a big difference to the airport experience. In the meantime, we will be working closely with Border Force to keep any inconvenience to passengers during the improvement works to a minimum.”
Written by Dan Symonds