LLA handled 15.7m passengers in 2017. Source: LLA.

London Luton Airport (LLA) grew its traffic by 8.6% in 2017 to reach 15.7m – its busiest on record – as the operator turns its attentions to the opening of new commercial units by late Spring.

Upcoming plans to open its newly extended terminal building, which is set to offer passengers a fuller mix of retail and F&B outlets alongside a new boarding pier and eight new boarding gates, comes as LLA celebrates its 80th anniversary this year.

Brands understood to be arriving at LLA include Hamleys, Ted Baker and Oliver Bonas, with upgraded units from Kurt Geiger and Victoria’s Secret, as the airport prioritises retail expansion following the delivery of several F&B projects last year.

TRBusiness also understands that Aelia Duty Free’s departure store will undergo a slight reconfiguration in terms of its layout and passenger mapping to complement the arrival of the new retail units, however, this is yet to be officially confirmed.

According to a LinkedIn jobs page, a number of brands including Sunglass Hut, Ted Baker, Hugo Boss and Fiorelli are also seeking staff for operations at the airport.

“We are breaking through the schedule [for the construction of the new terminal-Ed]  in the next week, but not many retail units are open,” an LLA spokesperson updated TRBusiness. “New units handed over to the retailers are ready to be taken on.”

LLA’s ongoing transformation programme expects to deliver new retail units in the coming months in line with the construction of its newly upgraded terminal building. Source: LLA.

CAPACITY BOOST

As reported, the £150m ($176m) terminal upgrade plans build on a long and un-interrupted period of month-on-month passenger traffic growth at the airport.

LLA says the investment itself if targeted at delivering a ‘much-needed’ capacity injection of 50% to handle 18m passengers by 2020.

As reported, the airport received a timely boost in November when passenger traffic exceeded the one million mark (1,008,184), an increase of +5.6% year-on-year.

Nick Barton, CEO of LLA commented: “Throughout 2018, passengers will see the airport transformed as we officially open our new terminal and reach the first phase of construction for the Mass Passenger Transit system, which will replace the current shuttle bus and create a rapid link between the train station and the terminal.”