Article from BTNews 12 AUGUST 2019
Gatwick unveils five-year investment plan
A new five-year Capital Investment Programme (CIP) was published last week by Gatwick in a £1.1bn commitment to more automation and technology as an enabler of sustainable growth.
New initiatives backed by owners Vinci Airports and Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) include robotic parking and automated boarding technology, which Gatwick said would simplify procedures and give passengers more choice on how they spend their time.
A statement said while setting out an exciting long-term future vision was part of Gatwick’s newly-published master plan, the CIP provided a strong focus on improving facilities and continuing to enhance operational performance.
The single biggest project to be delivered within the next five years is the Pier 6 western extension (below), enabling more than 500,000 more North Terminal passengers to embark and disembark aircraft via jetty-served stands and improved gate waiting areas.
Other new projects identified in the CIP include check-in automation, significant expansion of the international departure lounges in both North and South Terminals, and biometric auto-boarding technology development and next phase of testing.
Also planned is main runway technology optimisation using techniques such as Time-Based Flow Management, which offers the potential to increase the capability of the main runway to create opportunities for resilience and growth.
A fly-through video of the new Pier 6 extension can be seen at
www.gatwickairport.com/business-community/future-plans/our-five-year-plans
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