The owners of Southend airport aims to have expansion plans completed well before the start of the London Olympic Games in 2012.
Transport and logistics company Stobart has won government green light to extend the runway at the Essex airport.
The company Stobart aims to attract two million passengers a year to the airport by the year 2020.
Work has already started on new railway station and control tower, which are due to open in summer 2010 and spring 2011 respectively.
The 300-metre runway extension work will begin shortly, with completion due to coincide with completion of a new passenger terminal in 2011, “in plenty of time” for the London 2012 Olympics, the company said.
“The runway extension will also allow Southend airport to play a major role in handling visitors to the 2012 Olympic Games in London, with trains taking just 40 minutes to reach the main Olympics park at Stratford in East London,” Stobart said.
The extended runway will allow the airport to handle Airbus 319, Boeing 737 and Embraer 195 aircraft, with up to 160 seats.
Stobart CEO Andrew Tinkler said: “The go-ahead for this project represents another core step in our multi-modal offering with air complementing our road, rail and sea businesses.
“The airport has fantastic potential being well positioned for passenger travel to London and the 2012 Olympics, via our new railway station.
“This is reinforced by the fact that Southend is part of the Thames Gateway blueprint plan which together with the new DP World Gateway Port opening in 2010, will become one of the UK’s fastest growing development regions.”
Airport managing director Alastair Welch added: "We are incredibly pleased that the project can finally and fully get underway.
“It is not just about the convenience of a local airport serving popular destinations, it is about the regeneration that this will bring to the wider Southend-on-Sea area, with the potential to enable many thousands of additional jobs over the next ten years.
“Southend will also now be able to showcase what it does best in time for the 2012 Olympics."
by Phil Davies
