The Secretary of State for Transport has officially approved the development consent for the expansion of London Luton Airport.
The project will see the airport grow from its current capacity of 18 million passengers per year to 32 million. Plans include a new terminal, more taxiways, enhanced transport infrastructure, landside support buildings, surface access upgrades, and various mitigation measures.
London Luton Airport Limited submitted the application to the Planning Inspectorate on 27 February 2023, which was accepted for examination a month later, on 27 March. Over a six-month examination period, the public, local authorities, and other stakeholders had the chance to share their views and provide evidence.
On 10 May 2024, the Examining Authority submitted its recommendations to the Secretary of State. After reviewing all evidence and community input, the Transport Secretary granted consent.
This marks the 57th transport-related application to be approved out of 152 examined by the Planning Inspectorate, all completed within the legal timeframe set by the Planning Act 2008.
The full decision, recommendations, and supporting evidence are publicly available on the National Infrastructure Planning website’s project page. Photo by fr:Utilisateur:Steff, Wikimedia commons.