Luton Airport bosses say the Government decision to allow its expansion will help drive the local and national economies as well as create thousands of new jobs.

The Government has given approval for airport owner Luton Rising’s plans to expand, increasing annual passenger capacity from 19 million to 32m.

London Luton Airport Operations, a company owned by Aena and InfraBridge which operates the airport, says its partnership with Luton Council means expansion will generate increased revenue for the authority.

Alberto Martin, chief executive of London Luton Airport, said: “Once complete, these plans will generate an additional £1.5 billion for the economy every year and create up to 11,000 jobs.

“Our priority now is to finalise a commercial agreement with Luton Council to renew our successful partnership so together we can deliver on the Government’s growth policy, and make the expansion plans a reality as soon as possible. This will put Luton at the heart of a collective mission to achieve sustainable economic growth.”

The expansion, set to be completed by the mid-2040s, will enable the airport to accommodate an extra 77,000 flights annually, compared to the 132,000 it handled last year.

Rodrigo Marabini Ruiz, director of international subsidiaries at Aena, said: “Increasing the airport’s capacity by 70 per cent sustainably will require an investment and operating partner with specialist skills and expertise and, as the world’s largest airport operator, we are ready to support Luton’s next chapter.

“LLA contributes a sizeable proportion of Luton Council’s revenue each year, and we are proud to operate one of the UK’s most community-driven infrastructure assets that is focused on making a positive impact for that purpose.”

Graeme Ferguson, head of airports at InfraBridge, said: “Together, InfraBridge and Aena are committed to building on LLA’s success, providing the expertise and capital required to deliver new infrastructure and achieve an ambitious passenger target that closely aligns with the government’s growth mission.

“Our successful public-private partnership with Luton Council has driven exceptional outcomes for Luton and all users of LLA, including our airline partners who will benefit from enhanced efficiency and increased capacity under these expansion plans.”

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