February 9 2011

BAA, the operator of Glasgow Airport, have formally ditched plans to construct a second runway at the terminal after slashing their expectations of passenger growth.

Previously BAA had predicted more than 20 million passengers would be making use of the facility each year by 2020 but this has now been revised down to 10 million.

By comparison in 2010 6.5m people passed through the terminal.

The economic downturn rather than over optimism is being blamed for the cutbacks, which mean that a planned £200m investment programme over the coming decade will be conducted within the existing airport perimeter.

These include the construction of an additional 39 stands to accommodate long distance aircraft, a second international pier and a new pier to the east of the main terminal.

Amanda McMillan, the airport’s managing director, said: “Our plans must be affordable, achievable and sustainable. Given the decline in passenger traffic across UK airports, it is right we revise our long-term development strategy to reflect the reality of a changed market.”

Glasgow Airport is expected to hit 16.4 million passenger per year around 2040, well behind Edinburgh on around 20 million.

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