The local authority owner of Luton Airport – Luton Borough Council – has made clear that it wants to expand the airport’s operations, even if that means terminating the contract with the company that operates the airport on its behalf ahead of the end of its concession.

The airport currently handles around 10 million passengers a year, making it the fifth busiest airport in the UK. The Council wants to increase the airport’s capacity, using the existing runways, to 18 million passengers a year. The operator of the airport, 90% owned by Spanish firm Abertis Infraestructuras, says that the expansion would see Luton leapfrog over both Stansted and Manchester airports. It also says that Luton Borough Council would face substantial early termination payments if it went ahead with its plan.

The news comes at a time when capacity in the south-east is heavily constrained.

Our chart this week looks at passenger numbers at the three airports in question and how they have changed in the past two years. Click on the chart to see it at full size.

Source: CAA

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