Gatwick Airport has awarded a contract to Vinci Construction to transform Pier 1 in the South Terminal.

At a cost of £183.9 million, this project is Gatwick's largest capital investment since the change of ownership nearly three years ago. It is also a historic milestone for Gatwick as the pier is one of the oldest in South Terminal, first opened by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 1958.

The project will involve the demolition of the existing Pier 1 in the New Year to make way for the new building. Due to be opened in summer 2015, the new building will house a new baggage system and new gate-rooms for passengers, and will be linked to five new aircraft stands by air-bridges. The project will also encompass taxi-way improvements on the airfield.

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The new two-storey building, designed with the passenger in mind at every step, will enable them to find their way more easily and will offer facilities to cater for their needs, including new seating and child-friendly zones.

Hidden at the heart of the building will be a new baggage system that will not only allow bags to be processed faster and enable airlines the opportunity to use automated fast-bag drops.

It will also allow greater flexibility to process bags through the new system from any check-in desk. Additionally, an automated bag store - a first for Gatwick - will give airlines the ability to offer 'day before' check-in.

The first phase of the project is already well underway and will see a new Hold Baggage Screening (HBS) system for South Terminal in October 2012. This will allow passengers’ bags to be checked in at any one of the nine check-in zones and sent to any area of the existing and new baggage handling system.

(CD/GK)