Birmingham airport has set up an overflow marquee to help it cope with the influx of departing customers over the summer holidays.
A new £40 million security screening hall is currently being built in the terminal building, and with work set to continue until June 2024, the airport itself has described its facilities as a ‘building site’.
Earlier this year Birmingham airport reconfigured the lower floor of the terminal, moving car hire counters to one of its car parks to create alternative queuing areas.
Birmingham airport reconfigures queuing areas during construction of new security hall
It now says that an overspill marquee has been created to give customers a covered walking route, as “large areas of walking route space inside the terminal are now off limits”.
“We are a building site right now as work continues of our state-of-the-art new pre-flight security screening hall,” said Nick Barton, chief executive of Birmingham Airport.
“Customer walking routes have been changing for several months, so by now we hope people are beginning to get used to things being a little different round here.
“We have put up this marquee for those busy days we expect after schools break up for the summer holidays.
“As a departing customer, if you find yourself being directed via walking routes in unfamiliar areas of the terminal, including downstairs, fear not – that’s just us improving your airport.”
The news comes as Birmingham airport prepares to welcome new, resumed and upgraded services by three Middle Eastern carriers next month.
SAUDIA will launch flights to Birmingham on July 2, followed by the resumption of regular Qatar Airways services for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic on July 6.
And Emirates is also set to upgrade its existing B777 flights to the Midlands airport to the A380 superjumbo on July 1.
The airport said that “to help customers know how long they have before they clear pre-flight security, BHX is publishing live predicted wait times on its website at birminghamairport.co.uk“.
