Gatwicks Pier6!!!

World first for Gatwick as pier 6 construction gets underway
06 November 2003

Construction is well underway on the biggest development at Gatwick Airport since the opening of the North Terminal in 1988.

BAA Gatwick is investing £100 million in Pier 6, which will provide 12 pier-served aircraft stands for the North Terminal.

The development is the first of its kind at any airport in the world, as it features a bridge connecting the pier to the terminal by spanning a live taxiway. Aircraft up to the size of a Boeing 747-400 will be able to pass beneath.

The bridge will provide a pedestrian link for passengers, with travelators and walkways in both directions, and a glazed façade giving passengers unique and spectacular views across the airfield. The pier building itself will feature a range of shops and cafes.

Gatwick currently handles around 30 million passengers a year, a figure forecast to rise to around 40 million by 2011/12. In 2001 BAA Gatwick launched its Sustainable Development Strategy, in partnership with local authorities, which outlined how the airport would accommodate this growth in traffic, using its single runway, two terminal operation.

Pier 6 forms a key part of this strategy, along with a range of other new developments, to which BAA has committed £1 billion investment over the next 10 years.

Construction work began on Pier 6 this summer, and the project is due to be completed and fully operational by Spring 2005. The bridge itself is pre-assembled at a special construction site on the boundary of the airfield to avoid disruption to airport operations, and will be transported into position and assembled in the Summer of 2004.

The project will provide vital extra pier service for passengers. At the moment, nearly 30% of passengers have to be taken by coach between the terminal to the aircraft stand. The new development will increase pier service for passengers at the North Terminal from 78% to 92%, which will save an estimated 50,000 coach journeys a year. While it is too early at this stage to confirm which airlines will be using Pier 6, the 12 stands will be able to accommodate Boeing 777, 757, and Airbus 330 and 320 aircraft.

Construction work was originally due to begin on Pier 6 on the eve of the September 11th 2001, but the impact of events that day on the travel industry caused the project to be put on hold.

BAA Gatwick’s managing director Roger Cato said: “It is great news for everyone at the airport that work is starting again on Pier 6. This is a real sign of confidence in the future prosperity of Gatwick.

“This hugely important development for Gatwick means we can increase the level of pier service and bring a balance between operations in the north and south terminals. The bridge itself will be a bold and unique feature to Gatwick, changing the landscape of the airfield and providing spectacular views for passengers. Pier 6 will be a tremendous asset and Spring 2005 cannot come soon enough.”

As a part of BAA Gatwick’s Sustainable Development Strategy, the project incorporates a range of features to ensure environmental impacts are managed. An estimated 3.5 million passengers will use the pier in its first full year of operation, which will save 50,000 coach movements to and from the North Terminal, reducing fuel emissions and ground noise on the airfield.

Also, the building will generate the lowest Co2 emissions of any other building within the BAA group, while each of the 12 stands will be fitted with Fixed Electrical Ground Power, providing aircraft with a silent, zero-emissions source of power.

Sean Horkan is general manager of the North Terminal and chairman of the Pier 6 project board. He said: “We have a great team working on the project and there is a real buzz around the airport now construction is underway again. We have worked closely with our airlines to ensure we create a truly unique development which everyone at Gatwick can be proud of.

“I am confident that Pier 6 will be a big hit with our passengers, and we are already looking forward to welcoming the first to use it in Spring 2005.”