TAG Farnborough airport, the UK's only dedicated business aviation airport, is planning a multimillion-pound revamp and expansion in preparation for an expected market rebound.
TAG has acquired a 38,000ft² (3,530m²) office and associated land on the airport's northeast boundary, which will be developed for staff currently based in the terminal.
"This purchase will allow us to free-up space in the VIP terminal for additional passenger lounges and enhanced facilities for our customers," says Brandon O'Reilly, chief executive of TAG Farnborough Airport, which has spent more than $150 million in infrastructure programmes and improvements since becoming leaseholder of the site - home to the biennial Farnborough air show - in 2001.
TAG is also seeking to reclassify airspace above the airport from uncontrolled to controlled which, it says, should speed up departures and landings and reduce delays on the ground.
"Once NATS [UK's principal air navigation service provider] has completed the airspace design [scheduled for year-end], we will then make our application to the UK Civil Aviation Authority," says O'Reilly. "These projects are vital if we want to be on the front foot when the market returns."
TAG Farnborough's overall movements have fallen from a peak of 27,800 in 2007 to 24,000 in 2012, mainly because of a fall in movements of medium and light cabin aircraft.
"This sector of the market has been hit hard by the economic downturn. In contrast, however, the number of VIP airliner movements is growing month on month. In 2012, we recorded 700 movements - 45% more than in 2011 - and that trend is continuing thanks to the increase in traffic from China, India and Brazil," adds O'Reilly.
TAG Farnborough has an ultimate movement ceiling of 50,000, being phased in year on year until 2019. "We hope the market will be back in full swing before then, but we don't have a crystal ball," says O'Reilly.
"We are getting the airport ready for the rebound, and plan to be prepared on the ground and in the air so we can offer our customers a seamless travel experience."
Source: Flight International
