London Gatwick supporting increased capacity and resilience with £140m pier extension

London Gatwick is preparing to deliver new capacity and resilience by building a £140m extension to its mid-airfield pier (Pier 6). When complete in 2027, eight new aircraft gates adjacent to the airport’s runways will enable seven and a half million passengers to alight and depart directly onto aircraft each year.   

These new gates will also remove the need to coach over 500,000 passengers to remote stands, saving 12,000 bus journeys a year. 

Minimising the airport’s environmental footprint is a key priority for London Gatwick and an innovative approach to design and construction has put the project on track to achieve BREEAM ratings of “Excellent” (Overall) and “Outstanding” (Energy and water).  

Design revisions saw the width of the building reduced, while relocating a service road facilitated a two-storey building, rather than three. These changes will deliver an approximate 40% saving in embodied carbon from the original design, by moving to a hybrid steel and timber frame structure, re-designing ventilation systems to use less ductwork and plant, and changing finishes will deliver another 20% saving. 

Global delivery construction experts Mace are building the extension to London Gatwick’s Pier 6. Mace built the airport’s pioneering 197m airbridge and original Pier 6 in 2005 and will once again lead a challenging build in the middle of one of world’s busiest airfields. Mace worked with WSP and Pascall & Watson to complete the engineering and architectural design. Enabling works are being carried out by PJ Hegarty. 

Today’s announcement forms part of an ambitious programme to develop and grow the airport, as London Gatwick stands ready to deliver its Northern Runway plans following the announcement that the Government is ‘minded to approve’ the project. 

Cedric Laurier, Chief Technical Officer, London Gatwick said: “This build is complex as it’s right in the heart of our airfield, but we’re experienced in delivering major projects in challenging environments at London Gatwick. The partnership and experience from Mace will be invaluable. Our teams are already working side-by-side to deliver what we think is a cutting-edge design for an airport building in terms of embodied carbon savings.  

“Once complete, more than seven million passengers will have a seamless airport experience, and our airlines will benefit from improved airfield efficiency as the extended pier is located conveniently beside the airport’s runway.” 

Nigel Cole, Managing Director, Infrastructure, Mace Construct, said: “Using the latest sustainable construction techniques, this extension project will add much needed capacity to London Gatwick and benefit not just the wider economy but also the local community.    

“Having built the original Pier 6 and link bridge, we know that working in a busy operating environment takes thorough planning and specialist experience, and this latest appointment sits alongside our existing projects within the baggage halls to provide new employment opportunities throughout the supply chain. This will include work experience placements, apprenticeships, and roles for local people not in education, employment or training.”