Edinburgh’s new departure lounge is a £40 million project to double the size of the existing facility, enabling the airport to handle as many as 13 million passengers.

The new lounge will provide a new, bigger security search area, more relaxation space and extra facilities, and a wider choice of shops, bars and restaurants.

When will this project be complete?
The project is due for completion in Spring 2011 but the new facility will open in phases during 2009 and 2010. The first phase is due to be completed in November 2009.

Why does the airport need a bigger departure lounge?
At the heart of this project is a desire to further improve the passenger experience at Edinburgh Airport. 

The existing departure lounge was designed to handle between eight and nine  million passengers, and at peak times can become heavily congested. Edinburgh Airport is now handling nine million passengers and is expected to welcome as many as 13 million passengers by 2013.

What will the new departure lounge look like?
The airport’s existing lounge will be extended over the baggage hall, towards the airfield by 4,720 sq metres to create a total space of approximately 10,000 sq metres (double the size of the current facility).

The project will include the creation of purpose built security search area which will provide additional capacity to ensure that a high service standard of screening is maintained, even with increased passenger numbers.

More than 20 additional food, drink and retail outlets – including leading high street brands – will be included to give passengers more choice, and more space to relax before their flight.

Extra seating (there will be 1,200 seats compared to the current total of 800 seats) and additional toilet facilities will also be provided.

Will there be any disruption while the work is ongoing?
The project has been planned with the passenger experience in mind and every effort will be made to minimise the disruption caused by the works.

However, this is a major project which is expected to take more than two years to complete and there will inevitably be some disruption to our passengers, airlines, our staff and third party companies.

In order to minimise the disruption to the airport’s operation, a phased gate closure will take place. This enables passengers to continue to use the gates in the main lounge for as long as possible until the gates have to close. When the gates in the main lounge close, passengers will be directed to alternative gates in the south east pier. Here, we have invested £2.5 million in a separate project to provide five new gates.

One noticeable change is that the front of the current departure lounge will be hoarded off in order for the extension works to take place. A 270-metre long hoarding will be erected along the length of the departure lounge, which currently gives passengers airfield views. This will be temporary and every effort will be made to make the environment during construction as light, noise-free and as pleasant as possible.   

Will it mean any changes for passengers flying out of the airport?
Passengers will check-in as normal at the airport but there will be some changes once they are through security search and in the departure lounge. For example, at various points in the project, we will be required to close certain gates. Passengers will need to use different gates in the south east pier, and they will have to take a different route to normal to access their aircraft. They will be directed as and when necessary. The change will also mean more passengers will have to be coached to aircraft.

During the project there will also be changes to the locations of some retail outlets and services in the departure lounge. We will ensure that passengers are kept informed of the changes through maps and leaflets, and through information on our website www.edinburghairport.com.

Why is the project expected to take so long?
The project to construct the new departure lounge is BAA’s single biggest investment in Edinburgh Airport and will create an extra 4,720 sq metres of space.

It is a complex project: the extension is at first floor level, therefore foundations and structures below must be enhanced to support the building. The site of the extension is also directly adjacent to the main airport stands, the baggage handling area and the existing lounge spaces, bringing challenges in terms of maintaining the airport’s operation.

In order to reduce the project’s impact on the airport operation, it is being phased in order to keep the main lounge and sufficient access to gates ‘live’ during the entire works. The impact of this is an extended construction programme.

What about the environmental impacts of the development?
Aviation has social and economic benefits, but it also has social and environmental costs. It is a vital industry in its own right, and it is also a catalyst for a modern, open, trading economy. Good aviation links to the rest of the world attract businesses to the UK.

But that doesn’t mean that growth should be met at any cost. We’re clear that aviation should pay its external costs. We think the best way to do that is through a carbon trading system, which will deliver the environmental outcome that we all want – lower overall emissions – in the most economically efficient way.

How are you keeping people informed about the project?
We will be keeping our passengers informed through providing posters and leaflets in the terminal. We will also carry information in our airport magazine, Capital, which is free to pick up within the terminal, and we will regularly update the website.

We will also communicate information about the project and any essential information for passengers via the media, the wider airport community and through key stakeholders.

How can I find out more about the project?
You can email edinburghdeparturelounge@baa.com to obtain more information about the development.