The first phase of Gatwick Airport’s 8,000sq m North Terminal departures level expansion is due to open later this month, while construction continues on multiple other phases, including the £21m ($31.8m) investment to create a new ‘world-class’ departure lounge – complete with expanded retail and restaurant outlets.

 

This follows the commencement of building work a year ago on this £36m ($45.5m) project which will create the world’s largest self-service bag drop zone, with a phased opening from 20 October.

 

Interesting, Gatwick management says that this follows successful trials of a self-service bag drop in the South Terminal which demonstrated that queuing times can be significantly shortened by allowing passengers to take charge of their own journey through the airport using automated machines.

 

 

In theory this could improve the time that customers have to clear security and move through to the airside shopping and dining options. These machines allow passengers who have checked in on-line to print their luggage tags, apply it to their bag and load it straight into the baggage sorting system.

 

Ultimately, Gatwick will have 60 of these check-in points with 48 expected to be self-service bag drop units. A total of 28 of these will be operational this month, with an average check-in time of less than two minutes per passenger.

 

 

Other aspects of the North Terminal development programme will include: a £30m ($45.4m) new security area opening next summer; a £21m ($31.8m) new North Terminal departure lounge with additional retail and restaurant space; and a £10m ($15.1m) investment in the North Terminal arrival area – opening next summer.

 

In addition there will be another £10m spent on upgrading the North Terminal border zone and 15 state-of-the-art new e-gates to help cut passenger queuing; £250m ($378.6m) to maintain and replace facilities including lifts, escalators and technology infrastructure; plus £80m ($121.1m) to reconfigure the Pier 5 facility.

 

Last, but not least, there will also be a £185m ($280m) investment to construct a state-of-the-art new Pier 1, offering new aircraft stands, gate rooms, new lounge facilities, and storage for 2,600 bags.