London Oxford Airport invests in major new apron development

London Oxford Airport will shortly start work to create a further 17,800m2 (4.4 acres) of new high strength apron. At the same time it is resurfacing a further 5,000m2 of established surfaces with both projects scheduled for completion by year end.

This US$3.4m (£2.2m) project comes hard on the heels of the announcement of a new 4,440m2 (47,800 sq.ft.) hangar which has just commenced construction on the south side of the main airport site.

“The apron development represents a considerable enhancement of capacity and infrastructure development which will effectively double the parking capacity at the airport for aircraft weighing up to 50 tonnes. On a busy day we can sometimes be stretched for space, but now Oxford Airport will be able to accommodate far more aircraft, for visiting operators and based residents, at rates that represent better value than most of our London-centric airport peers,” remarked Business Development Director, James Dillon-Godfray. “Adding the equivalent of over four football pitches-worth of additional space will give us a great deal more flexibility and allow with greater ease, the handling of modern regional airliners including the Bombardier Q400 and the Embraer family of regional aircraft, including the EMB-190 and the Lineage 1000 business jet."

Well prepared for major event demand - including the 2012 Olympics

"On occasions when we need to clear the main apron for major events in the future like the Silverstone Grand Prix, and the forthcoming Olympics, Oxford will be able to accommodate typically 40 or so mid to larger-size executive jets opposite the new award-winning Oxfordjet FBO terminal facility,” he added.

In June the airport started work on a brand new 4,440m2 (47,787 sq.ft) three-bay hangar in an investment worth £3 million. The new three-bay facility will offer independent landside access, office space and car parking tailored to clients’ requirements. It will be the largest single facility built at the airport to date and when complete in December, it will have increased the total hangarage at the airport by 78% since 2005 to 240,500 sq ft (78,000m2 )

BlueSky Business Aviation News | 29th July 2010 | Issue #86

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