London Gatwick will open its new North Terminal departures level this month.
The 8,000 sqm area includes the world's largest self-service bag drop zone - operational testing will start on October 6 for two weeks before gradually opening from October 20 with a one-month trial period ending on November 18.
The check-in hall will open in two phases between this month and April.
North Terminal departures level
LGW said the hall will have "a better layout and more space, increasing peak check-in capacity from 3,000 to 4,350 passengers per hour".
There will be 60 check-in points, 48 of which will be self-service bag drop units that can complete the check-in process "in less than two minutes". Twenty-eight self-service units will be available for use when the level opens this month.
Elsewhere, features include a new staircase linking the ground floor arrivals with the first floor transit shuttle to/from the train station, a new escalator, new flooring, 400 metres of new baggage belts, and new shops.
Next summer will see a new security area that Gatwick claims will halve passenger transit times and enable it to process 5,000 people each hour and a fully-refurbished arrival area.
Other works in progress include a new departure lounge, more retail and restaurant space, 15 new e-gates, a reconfigured Pier 5 facility and a new Pier 1.
Self-service bag drop zone
Entrance from shuttle to check-in hall
The overhaul is part of Gatwick's £1 billion investment programme to update the airport.
Gatwick CEO Stewart Wingate said: "Gatwick has added eight million passengers since we came into private ownership in 2009, and we are about to reach the 40 million mark. This is a decade ahead of industry predictions and we will continue to grow.
"While we wait for a decision on building a new runway, we are investing billions to ensure we can grow from our existing infrastructure."
Rail capacity at London Gatwick will "double" in the next five years with a train departing the airport every three minutes (see news, April 22).
Graham Smith
