Airport sets out £300m spending plans

New foot outlets, improved heating and cooling and airfield alterations have been promised

Birmingham Airport has set out how it plans to spend £300m over the next four years as passenger numbers look set to increase.

It said projects included new food and drink outlets in the departure lounge, improvements to the airfield and extra capacity to handle baggage, with more e-Gates introduced.

Improvements are also planned to heating and cooling system, with new airport vehicles and more solar panels also in the mix.

In April the airport announced £10m would be spent on its arrivals area to add a baggage carousel and enlarge the border control area. The latest detail, however, has drawn a mixed response from customers, with some suggesting there should be other priorities.

The airport said the commitment would mean £75m being spent every year up until 2029.

The work on the airfield would involve reconstructing parts of the taxiways, new stands for aircraft, new lights and work to the runway, at a cost of £40m.

Alterations to the baggage capacity, involving self-service drop off and new sorting and handling systems, will cost another £40m.

Three new food and beverage outlets were to be unveiled within the departure lounge, the airport said, adding that throughout the works it would attempt to minimise disruption, working overnight where possible.

People commenting on the airport's Facebook page pointed to other improvements they wished to see.

The airport experienced long delays in 2024 and some users suggested security checks needed to be speeded up.

"I'd be happy to get through security in a sensible time each way, get my bags quicker and not need to sell a kidney for parking," one wrote.

Others also said they would like to see improvements to parking, along with toilets.

Some people said the site created a poor first impression overall.

"Positive investment in Birmingham Airport has to be celebrated," one user wrote.

"The frustrations shared by many is the arrivals experience, namely the poor lighting, dirty state of air bridges and stairs, [and] immigration and toilets far inferior to most/all international airports, making the whole experience deflating, whether arriving home or visiting."

Nick Barton, the airport's CEO, said the site was experiencing its "most successful year ever" and he was expecting growth to continue.

He said the airport was also working on updating its masterplan for beyond 2040.

Richard Parker, West Midlands mayor, said the airport was "backing the West Midlands even more with a £300m investment" and the work would help to "drive economic growth across the West Midlands and the whole of the UK".

But the airport said the investment was dependent on "a stable and reasonable taxation environment" in the upcoming budget.