Ambitious plans to expand one of the UK’s busiest airports have been given the green light, despite fierce backlash from locals and environmentalists. Last week, Labour approved London Luton Airport’s blueprints to transform the hub so it can almost double its passenger capacity by 2034.
Last year, the aviation hub witnessed a staggering 16.9 million passengers pass through its airport. Now, it’s aiming for 32 million – which it says could boost revenue generated by the airport by 81 per cent.
The huge revamp will see the construction of a new terminal, new taxiways, and drastic improvements to its existing terminal to allow for 77,000 more flights pass through each year, compared to 2024. Luton Council’s Luton Rising, which owns the airport, says the project is “ready to go” – adding that the expansion would create up to 11,000 new jobs and an additional annual economic activity of up to £1.5 billion.
Despite being conveniently located outside the ‘Oxford/Cambridge corridor’ – Luton has always struggled with its not-so-shiny reputation. Back in 2018, the hub was crowned the ‘worst’ UK airline by consumer brand Which? for four years in a row – as disgruntled passengers complained about long security queues, limited seating, and airside crowds.
Luton Airport also receives swathes of criticism across social media, with dedicated Reddit threads filled with anecdotal complaints. “[The airport] was full of people but the queuing system at security is ridiculous,” one traveller fumed. “Queue busters didn’t have a clue what they were doing; passengers didn’t have a clue; security didn’t even have a clue. Luton: Never again.”
Despite its poor image, Luton Airport actually boasts one of the best cancellation rates in the country, and improvements to slash queues (such as new security scanners where travellers don’t need to separate their liquids and electrical from their bag) are already up and running. Greg Dickinson, a travel writer at the Telegraph, event went as far as describing the airport as ‘secretly Britain’s best’ – praising its air-side pub, the Hawker Bar, and the efficient Luton Dart shuttle service.
Want the latest travel news and cheapest holiday deals sent straight to your inbox? Sign up to our Travel Newsletter
But one of Luton’s best qualities is its price – which Brits will miss out on if they listen to complaints over long queues and lack of duty free. For example, this month, Brits can grab return fares from the airport to a slew of European hotspots for less than £50. This includes
Flying over to Albania, Bosnia and Herzgegovina, Bulgaria, Malta, North Macedonia, Greece, Germany, Croatia and Turkey, is also possible for under £100. Further afield destinations, which may require a transfer, include Egypt (£203), United Arab Emirates (£209), United States of America (£319), Canada (£364), and China (£445).
*Prices based on Skyscanner listings for April at the time of writing.
Do you have a story to share? Email us at yourmirror@mirror.co.uk for a chance to be featured.
At Reach and across our entities we and our partners use information collected through cookies and other identifiers from your device to improve experience on our site, analyse how it is used and to show personalised advertising. You can opt out of the sale or sharing of your data, at any time clicking the “Do Not Sell or Share my Data” button at the bottom of the webpage. Please note that your preferences are browser specific. Use of our website and any of our services represents your acceptance of the use of cookies and consent to the practices described in our Privacy Notice and Cookie Notice.
