Birmingham Airport (BHX) is investing £10.6 million in infrastructure upgrades to ensure a smoother and more efficient travel experience for its customers.
As part of its previously announced £100 million capital expenditure plan for the period up to 2033, the airport is focusing on improving services for arriving passengers.
The first project, which will see a £4.2 million investment, involves the addition of a new baggage carousel.
This new carousel will complement the existing six in the ‘north’ departure baggage area.
With passenger numbers at Birmingham Airport steadily increasing, the demand for additional baggage capacity has become more pressing, the airport said.
The new carousel is expected to be ready in time for the busy summer travel peak.
The second phase of the development targets improvements for passengers arriving in the 'south' arrivals area. This includes a full reconfiguration of the area to expand both the immigration and baggage reclaim sections.
The project will add three more primary control points operated by UK Border Force, bringing the total to eight. This expansion is aimed at future-proofing the introduction of E-gates, which will further streamline the passenger processing experience.
Additionally, existing baggage carousels will be upgraded to accommodate more bags, enabling the airport to handle up to eight arriving flights per hour. This second phase of development will cost £6.4 million.
Al Titterington, terminal operations director at Birmingham Airport, explained the importance of these upgrades: “Birmingham Airport was the airport of choice for over 13m customers to the end of the financial year. With forecasts of up to 13.8m passengers this year, we want to ensure we provide the best possible customer service."
He continued: “Last year investment was focused on the outbound customer journey but with these projects the emphasis is providing the right welcome to the region, with increased baggage capacity and additional immigration desks to be resourced and operated by our Border Force colleagues as well as catering for the increased outbound demand. By investing in these areas, we can adequately cater for the increase in customers and ensure we are on our way to hit our 13.8m target this year.”
Image: Birmingham Airport