Inverness Airport in Scotland has unveiled its plans to invest more than £900,000 (US$1.3m) in renovating its terminal in order to cope with a series of new services arriving at the airport.
The plans include the construction of a standalone international arrivals hall connected to the main terminal by a covered walkway, which will house Border Force facilities and international baggage reclaim facilities. The project will also extend the existing airside departure lounge to provide seating for an additional 150 passengers and space for four new retail and catering units, including a duty-free store and coffee shop. Engineering firm Kier Construction has been appointed to lead the project.
In a separate project, the airport’s security search area is also being refurbished and expanded, with a revamped pre-screening area offering a faster, more streamlined process for departing passengers.
Graeme Bell, general manager, Inverness Airport, said, “Inverness Airport has enjoyed a sustained period of growth during 2015 and our forecasts show that 2016 could well be our busiest year ever. This is a direct result of our success in securing new services such as Amsterdam and London Heathrow, and our efforts to grow existing hub routes such as London Gatwick and Manchester.
“We are delighted that Inverness Airport is continuing to grow but are acutely aware that the terminal is already congested at peak times. This investment will help ensure that passengers have more space to relax in a much larger departure lounge offering new catering and shopping facilities.
“International traffic has grown significantly at Inverness in recent years and the construction of a new dedicated international arrivals hall illustrates our ambition to expand our international route network further.”