Story ID: 
UK's Southampton Airport Lengthens Runway
By: Curt Epstein
Caption: The construction project added more than 500 feet of runway length
Word Count: 227
The UK’s Southampton Airport has completed an extension to its runway as it looks to expand its capacity and accommodate larger aircraft. The £15 million ($18.4 million) project launched in the second quarter and added 538 feet to the airport’s single runway, taking it to a length of 6,189 feet.
This expansion is expected to attract more airline routes and services to local residents, which the airport said will generate around 1,400 new jobs. The project did face some local opposition after first being approved by local officials in 2021, but last year an appeals court upheld this approval, allowing work to start.
Southampton Airport is part of AGS, which owns and operates it along with airports in Aberdeen and Glasgow, Scotland. Spain-based Ferrovial Airports, the majority shareholder of London Heathrow Airport, owns a 50 percent stake in AGS. Miguel Rodera, Ferrovial’s asset management director for AGS, noted his company is committed to positively impacting the community and region.
“The extension is a critical part of our future and will help enhance the region’s connectivity, safeguard the airport’s future, and help deliver social and economic benefits to Eastleigh, Southampton, and the wider region,” said Steve Szalay, the airport’s operations director at last week's runway inauguration, which was attended by local business representatives and elected officials, including several ministers of Parliament.