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Ambitious Kent airport expansion outlined
Plans have been unveiled to expand a little used UK airport to handle two million passengers a year by 2014.
Lydd Airport in Kent – part of a Middle East-based company FAL Holdings – plans a new terminal and extended runway to handle flights to European and North African holiday destinations.
Owner London Ashford Airport expects to create up to 4,000 jobs on its Romney Marsh location in nine years time if the plans receive official approval. A 75-room hotel is part of the planned expansion.
More than £7 million has been spent on improving the existing runway and infrastructure including a 13-acre aircraft parking apron and a VIP terminal for executive jet users.
The airport owners believe Lydd would provide an “evironmentally friendly” solution to runway and arispace congestion in the south east of England.
The company claims that air travellers in Kent, Surrey and Sussex are being forced to drive north to Luton or Stansted due to constraints at Heathrow and Gatwick, resulting in added vehicle emmissions and environemtnal pollution.
Chief consultant Jonathan Gordon said: “The problem is that Gatwick is now at the limit of its runway capacity and with the dominance of scheduled services, it no longer offers room to grow for the leisure sector.
“Lydd is the closest UK airport to the popular Euroepan and North African holiday destinations and we are currently developing excellent facilities for the leisure sector.”
Report by Phil Davies
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