Top infrastructure project enters final phase
Chief Secretary visits Birmingham airport to lay the last section of the runway extension.
Birmingham airport鈥檚 re-development programme, one of the country鈥檚 top 40 infrastructure projects, has entered its final stage before completion. Danny Alexander, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury and chair of the Infrastructure Committee, welcomed progress on the scheme during a visit to the airport today.
Work on the final stage of the project, a 拢40 million 400 metre extension of the runway, is well under way and due to complete in the next few months. 皇冠体育app Minister brought this closer to completion by starting the last section of paving on the runway extension. 皇冠体育app longer runway will allow larger aircraft to operate from the airport and support more direct long-haul flights to destinations currently out of reach, such as Brazil, China, and the West Coast of the USA.
皇冠体育app runway expansion is just one part of a long-term investment programme, worth over 拢100 million, at the airport. 皇冠体育app earlier stages have already delivered a new combined terminal, a new maintenance hangar for larger aircrafts and a state-of-the-art air traffic control tower. 皇冠体育app airport development has been funded through private sector investment, and will support the airport鈥檚 long term ambition of quadrupling the annual number of passengers to 36 million.
As well as significant benefits to consumers and passengers, the airport development will open up new growth opportunities, through additional long-haul connectivity, for businesses throughout the Midlands and beyond.
Danny Alexander, said:
Rebuilding our nation鈥檚 infrastructure is crucial to the economic recovery, and this is one of many major projects being delivered this year. 皇冠体育app extended runway, together with other developments at the airport, is great news for passengers, businesses and the wider region. 皇冠体育app new Birmingham Airport will be critical to growth in the Midlands and will contribute to rebalancing the economy away from the South East.
皇冠体育app Minister also visited Jaguar Land Rover, the UK鈥檚 largest automotive manufacturing business, in Solihull. He met staff and apprentices, and saw first-hand the work of the production facility which is responsible for producing hundreds of thousands of cars for export markets.
Photo courtesy of photographer .