BAA has announced that the construction of Heathrow’s new Terminal 2 would create 35,000 jobs over the life of the project.

The £2.2bn development, which will have as many as 5,000 people on site at its peak, is the UK’s largest privately funded construction project and will open to passengers in 2014.

The benefits of BAA’s investment in the new terminal will be felt nationwide, with much of the infrastructure being built at factories around the UK and then brought to Heathrow for assembly on site.

Cover for the terminal’s roof is from Kalzip’s Merseyside factory, while the steelwork is being manufactured as part of a £48 million contract by Watson’s Steel Structures Limited at their factories in Thirsk, Yorkshire and Bolton, Lancashire.

The terminal’s mechanical and electrical modules are being developed by CHt Manufacturing in at Wolverhampton; and concrete for the terminal’s 1,340-space multi-storey car park will be precast at Laing O’Rourke’s Explore Industrial Park in Steetley near Worksop.

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BAA made the jobs announcement as Secretary of State for Transport, Philip Hammond MP, visited the construction site to see work start on covering the terminal’s iconic new roof.

The new terminal will eventually replace Heathrow Terminal 1 and the old Terminal 2, which closed in 2009. It will be a hub for the Star Alliance group of airlines (which includes British Midland International, Lufthansa and United) and will mean quicker and easier journeys for passengers.

BAA Chief Executive Colin Matthews said: “At a tough time for the economy, Heathrow’s modernisation programme is creating thousands of jobs throughout the UK. As the country’s only hub airport Heathrow is vital to the UK economy: it supports more than 75,000 on-airport jobs and thousands more throughout the UK depend on Heathrow’s connections to the rest of the world.”

Transport Secretary Philip Hammond said: “We already enjoy some of the best airport facilities in Europe with Terminal 5, showing what can be achieved through proper investment in the passenger experience. I therefore welcome the £2.2bn being invested to transform Heathrow's older terminals. Having seen the work for myself, it is clear that passengers are set to enjoy facilities to rival those at Terminal Five - which will help us on our path to economic recovery. The 35,000 jobs that BAA has created in delivering this project and their decision to work with British manufacturers will be a significant boost to the UK’s construction industry.”

The announcement is a timely boost for the construction industry, coming when large building projects such as the Olympics are nearing completion, and when the industry has suffered its steepest quarterly decline since the depths of the recession – with output falling 4.7pc in the first quarter of 2011 according to the Office of National Statistics.

(GK)