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major milestone reached in the £150 million
transformation of London Luton Airport (LLA)
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International Trade Secretary welcomes King of Spain to
UK-Spain Business Forum at Mansion House – London
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business forum brings together more than 250 senior
business delegates from across the UK and Spain to strengthen
trade and commercial ties between the 2 countries
Today (Thursday 13 July), International Trade Secretary welcomed the completion of the
first phase of the £150 million transformation of London Luton
Airport (LLA), during
a speech at the ‘UK-Spain
Business Forum’ in London.
LLA, which is operated
by Spanish company AENA, in partnership with Ardian, a major
European investor is currently undergoing the biggest investment
programme in its history. When fully complete in 2020, the
redevelopment will increase the airport’s capacity by 50%, from
12 million to 18 million passengers per year.
Today marks the completion of phase one, following the opening of
the new road network, a 1,700 multi-storey car park and a
remodelled and expanded bus and coach terminal. Construction is
already well underway on phase 2, which will see the airport
terminal redesigned to double the size of its immigration,
security search and retail and dining area.
The announcement, which falls on the Department for International
Trade’s first anniversary, complements the billions of pounds in
export opportunities already secured by the department, as it
strengthens ties with commercial and trading partners across the
globe.
, joined by His Majesty the King of
Spain at Mansion House, celebrated the strong bilateral trade and
business ties between the 2 countries as he outlined key
investment projects across the UK.
The UK and Spain are close trading partners. In 2015, bilateral
trade between both countries amounted to £41 billion - exports
from the UK to Spain were worth £15 billion, and UK imports worth
£25 billion from Spain. Around 700 UK companies are investing in
Spain, while over 400 Spanish companies are registered in the UK.
International Trade Secretary said:
I’m delighted to welcome the ongoing role Spanish investment is
playing at Luton Airport, expanding capacity at this key
transport connection. Every year millions more people will be
able to visit London and the rest of the UK for business
ensuring the UK remains Europe’s number one destination for
Spanish direct foreign investment.
As an international economic department over the past twelve
months we’ve helped secure more foreign direct investment
projects than ever before, supported thousands of UK businesses
on their export journey, and continue to promote British trade
values across the world.
Nick Barton, CEO of London Luton Airport
said:
LLA is a
fantastic example of the close partnership between the UK and
Spain. LLA is the fastest growing
major airport in the UK. The support and experience of AENA has
been a key contributing factor to our success.
LLA’s transformation
will provide much-needed air capacity for the South East and
improve the experience of the millions of passengers who travel
with us each year.
In particular, the forum will highlight:
• The ongoing £150 million transformation of London Luton Airport
by Spanish airport operator AENA, in partnership with Ardian, a
major European investor. The project, which has just completed
its first phase of construction, is forecast to create 10,500 new
jobs and contribute an additional £1 billion to the UK economy by
2030.
• Today’s announcement by Spanish manufacturer CAF that it is to
start building trains and trams at a new factory in South Wales.
The company will invest £30 million in the facility near Newport,
creating 300 jobs and giving a boost to UK manufacturing and the
Welsh economy.
• Spanish infrastructure company Sacyr’s decision that it will
soon open a new London office close to Victoria Station, which
will provide a base for further investment and job creation in
the UK.
• The construction of a £26 million factory on a Steel &
Alloy Processing site in Oldbury, as Spanish steel producer
Gonvarri Steel Services, part of the Gestamp Group, scales up its
production capacity in the West Midlands. The project has been
supported by the Department for International Trade and will
create more jobs in the local area.
• The recent launch of new clinics in the West Midlands and
London by Spanish fertility specialists IVI as they invest in
their UK expansion, creating jobs and supporting research.
