După ani de pregătire, lucrările au început oficial luni la un nou terminal de la Aeroportul Internațional John Glenn Columbus, un proiect numit de guvernatorul Mike DeWine „prida din față a Ohio”.
Odată cu melodia „Top Gun”, „Danger Zone”, explodând, aproximativ 300 de vizitatori s-au adunat sub un cort pe „lotul albastru” al aeroportului pentru a sărbători inaugurarea proiectului de aproape 2 miliarde de dolari.
„Au trecut ani de zile”, a declarat Elizabeth Kessler, președintele Consiliului Regional al Autorității Aeroportului Columbus. „Acest nou terminal va face zborul către și de la Columbus o experiență de primă clasă.”
Evenimentul de luni a coincis cu închiderea parcării albastre pentru a permite construcția. Noul terminal va fi construit pe lot, la vest de terminalul actual, pe partea de sud a International Gateway, drumul principal către aeroport.
Guvernatorul Mike DeWine și alți politicieni au sărbătorit luni inaugurarea unui nou terminal pe Aeroportul Internațional John Glenn Columbus.
Revoluționarul limitează ani de planificare pentru un terminal care să înlocuiască terminalul existent, vechi de 66 de ani. Oficialii aeroportului au susținut de ani de zile că actualul terminal, cu cele trei hall-uri, este depășit și ineficient.
„Ceea ce vedem astăzi este viitorul”, a declarat reprezentantul american Mike Carey, R-Columbus. “Da, este veranda din față. Este și un semn pe care scrie: „Bine ați venit acasă”.
Ce aduce un terminal nou
Noul terminal va avea 36 de porți comparativ cu actualul 29 și va putea găzdui până la 13 milioane de pasageri pe care aeroportul estimează că îi vor atinge la 20 de ani de la deschiderea terminalului. Aeroportul este pe cale să stabilească anul acesta un record pentru traficul de pasageri, depășind 8,6 milioane de pasageri în 2019.
Guvernatorul Mike DeWine, în dreapta centrului, și președintele Autorității Regionale Aeroportului Columbus și președintele Joe Nardone, din stânga centrului, se alătură celorlalți într-un ceremonial inaugural pentru un nou terminal aeroportuar luni.
Noul terminal va putea gestiona și aeronave mai mari, inclusiv 747-8, cel mai mare avion Boeing.
„Acest lucru va permite transportatorilor o experiență perfectă”, a spus Adam Decaire, originar din Ohio, care este vicepreședinte senior la Southwest Airlines, cel mai mare transportator al aeroportului. „Pentru călători, oferă un singur hall și punct de control de securitate.”
Cele trei halluri ale terminalului actual, în funcție de extinderea terminalului, vor fi înlocuite cu un control de securitate și un hall care va centraliza concesiunile într-un singur loc.
Noul terminal de la Aeroportul Internațional John Glenn Columbus va include un hall central în locul celor trei actuale.
Cine plătește terminalul?
Se preconizează că terminalul va costa 1,6 miliarde de dolari, în plus față de 110 de milioane de dolari pentru costurile de proiectare și personal și 179 de milioane de dolari pentru un nou garaj, pentru un total de 1,89 de miliarde de dolari.
În cele din urmă, contribuabilii și utilizatorii aeroportului vor plăti factura. Autoritatea aeroportuară are la îndemână 240 de milioane de dolari pentru terminal. De asemenea, se așteaptă să primească 140 de milioane de dolari subvenții federale și 100 de milioane de dolari din alte surse pentru proiect.
Costurile rămase, aproximativ 1,5 miliarde de dolari, vor fi finanțate prin vânzarea de obligațiuni care vor fi plătite în timp din veniturile aeroportuare, care provin din mai multe surse precum parcări, taxiuri, taxe de transport aerian și taxe de la companiile care operează la terminal.
Cronologia terminalului
Oficialii autorităților aeroportuare speră să finalizeze terminalul până în 2029 – la timp pentru aniversarea a 100 de ani a aeroportului.
Au fost deja făcuți câțiva pași importanți către noul terminal, cum ar fi construirea garajului cu 5.000 de mașini, care se va conecta cu o nouă facilitate de închiriere de mașini.
În 2022, aeroportul a angajat Gensler, o companie din San Francisco cu experiență în arhitectura aviației, și Moody Nolan, o firmă din Columbus, pentru a proiecta aeroportul. Managerul de construcție este Hensel Phelps Construction Company din Colorado, cu sprijin local din partea firmei Columbus Elford.
Autoritatea aeroportuară și Hensel Phelps nu au fost de acord să semneze un Acord privind beneficiile comunitare solicitat de Consiliul de construcții și construcții din Columbus Central Ohio, determinând aproximativ o duzină de protestatari sindicali la întâlnirea de luni.
Oficialii aeroportului și personalitățile politice și-au propus luni să facă referire la valoarea noului terminal pentru întreaga comunitate și forța de muncă din centrul Ohio.
După cum a remarcat comisarul comitatului Franklin, Kevin Boyce, „aceasta este o poartă către vise și posibilități”.
jweiker@dispatch.com
@JimWeiker
Acest articol a apărut inițial pe The Columbus Dispatch: Aeroportul Columbus John Glenn începe construcția unui terminal de 2 miliarde de dolari
Police have called a bomb-disposal squad to Gatwick Airport and a terminal was evacuated after a “suspected prohibited item” was found in luggage.
A large part of the south terminal of the UK’s second busiest airport was evacuated on Friday morning, with passengers warned to stay away after police said a suspected prohibited item was discovered in luggage at 8.20am.
Travellers flying from the south terminal have been unable to check-in since the incident began and are facing huge delays, with flight disruption at the airport already underway. Pictures posted on social media show passengers wrapped in emergency foil blankets to shield themselves from the cold as they wait outside the building.
Sussex Police officers have put a security cordon in place.
The force said in a statement: “As a precaution, an EOD (explosive ordnance disposal) team is being deployed to the airport.
“This is causing significant disruption and some roads around the south terminal have been closed.
“We’d advise the public to avoid the area where possible.”
In a statement, the airport said: “Passengers will not be able to enter the South Terminal while this is ongoing. Safety and security of our passengers and staff remains our top priority. We are working hard to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.”
Key points
Police reveal bomb squad called in after suspected prohibited item found in luggage at Gatwick
Flight disruption now under way at Gatwick
Train services at Gatwick Airport station suspended
Gatwick Airport terminal evacuated due to security incident
Gatwick Express not stopping at airport
13:00 , Tara Cobham
Gatwick Express trains are not stopping at the Gatwick Airport station.
Travellers are being urged to avoid the station.
Blankets and water bottles being distributed to passengers at Gatwick, reports traveller
12:50 , Tara Cobham
Blankets and water bottles are being distributed to the passengers at Gatwick Aiport, according to a fellow traveller.
They post on X this afternoon: “Blankets and water bottles being distributed to the public. Happening now at Gatwick airport south terminal.”
Police put security cordon in place around south terminal
12:48 , Tara Cobham
Police have put a security cordon in place around Gatwick Airport’s south terminal.
Sussex Police officers were called to the scene at 8.20am.
South Terminal flights departing with long delays – and leaving passengers behind
12:42 , Travel correspondent Simon Calder
The closure at Gatwick South Terminal only affects the “landside” area before the security checkpoint. Passengers who were “airside” at the time the incident began have been departing on flights with British Airways, Wizz Air and other airlines.
BA’s flights to Cancun in Mexico and Orlando in Florida have departed, albeit around an hour late. It is believed that not all the passengers booked on the flights were on board. The latest check-in time for the British Airways flight to Orlando, for example, was 10.20am, long after closure took effect. It is likely, therefore, that passengers who had not already checked in and passed through the security checkpoint were on board.
Airlines are likely to take a flexible attitude to passengers who were left behind, allowing them to transfer to later flights without penalty.
Passengers seen wrapped in emergency foil blankets as they wait at Gatwick Airport
12:41 , Tara Cobham
Passengers have been seen wrapped in emergency foil blankets to shield themselves from the cold as they wait at Gatwick Airport.
Pictures posted on social media show the travellers anxiously waiting for updates amid travel chaos at the south terminal.
Passengers have been seen wrapped in emergency foil blankets to shield themselves from the cold as they wait at Gatwick Airport (Marco Pajo/X)
Passengers being let off planes at Gatwick due to cold and hunger, says traveller
12:29 , Tara Cobham
Passengers are being let off planes at Gatwick Airport due to cold and hunger, a fellow traveller has said.
In a post on X this afternoon, they said: “Update – people are being let off planes, but only because they are cold or hungry and it’s not moving again, I’ve been informed.”
Gatwick Airport’s north terminal is unaffected by incident
12:26 , Tara Cobham
Gatwick Airport’s north terminal has been unaffected by the ongoing incident at the south terminal.
A large part of the south terminal building, meanwhile, has been evacuated.
Travellers flying from south terminal unable to check-in since incident began
12:24 , Tara Cobham
Travellers flying from the south terminal have been unable to check-in since the incident at Gatwick Airport began.
Passengers are facing huge delays, with flight disruption already underway.
Travellers flying from the south terminal have been unable to check-in since the incident at Gatwick Airport began (Marco Pajo/X)
Hack for reaching (or leaving) Gatwick North Terminal by train
12:14 , Travel correspondent Simon Calder
Gatwick airport rail station, which normally handles over 50,000 passengers a day, is closed. It is built into South Terminal, which has been evacuated. Trains are passing through without stopping.
North Terminal is functioning normally, but has no access to the rail station.
However, there is an alternative station on the main line from London and East Croydon: Horley, which is about a 20-minute walk from North Terminal. It is a slightly tricky journey and not recommended for those with heavy luggage.
Flight disruption now under way at Gatwick
12:07 , Travel correspondent Simon Calder
Flight disruption is now under way at Gatwick. The Spanish budget airline Vueling has ordered two flights from Barcelona to Gatwick, as well as a single flight from Seville, to turn around and return to their starting points.
The corresponding outbound flights to Spain will also be grounded.
Police been seen arriving at Gatwick Airport
11:56 , Tara Cobham
Police have been seen arriving at Gatwick Airport.
A passenger reported officers arriving at the scene at 11.53am.
Police reveal bomb squad called in after suspected prohibited item found in luggage at Gatwick
11:53 , Tara Cobham
Police have revealed that a bomb squad has been called in after a “suspected prohibited item” was discovered in luggage at Gatwick Airport, causing the evacuation of a large part of the South Terminal.
In a statement issued on Friday morning, Sussex Police said: “Police were called to the South Terminal at Gatwick Airport at 8.20am on Friday (22 November) following the discovery of a suspected prohibited item in luggage.
“To ensure the safety of the public, staff and other airport users, a security cordon has been put in place whilst the matter is dealt with.
“As a precaution, an EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) team is being deployed to the airport.
“This is causing significant disruption and some roads around the South Terminal have been closed. We’d advise the public to avoid the area where possible.”
Captain of plane waiting at Gatwick Airport ‘tells passengers incident is over suspicious package’
11:51 , Tara Cobham
The captain of a plane waiting at Gatwick Airport has told passengers the incident is over a suspicious package, according to media reports.
One of the passengers on a plane waiting on the tarmac was interviewed by LBC and said to the broadcaster that this is what they were told.
As many as 316 flights scheduled to depart Gatwick Airport today, reports analytics firm
11:47 , Travel editor Ben Parker
As many as 316 flights are scheduled to depart Gatwick Airport today, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium – equating to over 60,650 seats.
A further 318 flights are scheduled to arrive into Gatwick Airport today – equating to over 61,400 seats.
Watch: Huge crowds gather outside Gatwick South Terminal after ‘security incident’
11:45 , Tara Cobham
Huge crowds gather outside Gatwick South Terminal after ‘security incident’
Flights delayed as passengers ‘warned to stay away from departure lounge’
11:44 , Tara Cobham
A passenger has said their flight has been delayed this morning as they were warned to not return to the departure loung but stay near the gates.
They posted on X: Flight is delayed further and being told not to go back to departure lounge but stay near the gates….no estimated time of departure yet. Still boarding to gate area so fingers crossed Gatwick Airport.”
Gallons of water reportedly delivered to waiting passengers while information on incident still scarce
11:39 , Tara Cobham
Gallons of water are reporteldy being delivered to passengers waiting at Gatwick Airport after being evacuated, with information on the security incident still scarce.
One passenger wrote on X this morning: “Incredibly impressed with Gatwick Airport and their team… safely evacuated everyone from the terminal and now bringing gallons of water around for everyone.. top job!”
Analysis from The Independent’s travel correspondent Simon Calder
11:34 , Tara Cobham
Gatwick’s South Terminal is used by dozens of airlines, notably British Airways, Ryanair, Aegean Airlines, Wizz Air, Air Malta and a number of Chinese airlines. Some easyJet flights operate from the South Terminal, but most use the North.
Simon Calder, travel correspondent of The Independent, knows Gatwick well. He comments: “While information from the airport is still sketchy, what I infer from the statement so far is that there is concern about an item found during the security search area.
“This was clearly deemed sufficiently serious for the entire check-in area, as well as the railway station, to be cleared.
“Passengers who are already ‘airside’ are likely to be able to remain there.
“Arrivals are, I understand, being bussed to North Terminal which is still operational. But there will be large queues building up; there is a limited amount of space.
“Meanwhile thousands of passengers hoping to fly away will be enduring a frustrating time, wondering whether they will make their flight – or whether it might be cancelled.”
Train services at Gatwick Airport station suspended
11:33 , Tara Cobham
Train services at Gatwick Airport’s station have also been suspended.
Train passenger information website National Rail Enquiries said: “The police are dealing with an incident at Gatwick airport.
“The station and airport are currently being evacuated.
“Services are able to run through the station and area but will not call at Gatwick airport at this time.
“Please avoid travelling to the station whilst this incident is ongoing.
“This is expected to continue until approximately 2pm.”
Thousands of passengers reportedly all over surrounding streets and carparks waiting
11:31 , Tara Cobham
Thousands of evacuated passengers are reportedly sprawled out all over the streets and carparks surrounding Gatwick Airport waiting.
A passenger wrote on X: “Arrived at London Gatwick for routine connection.
“Got through customs to find out they’re evacuating the entire airport. Even people through security are being taken outside. Trains shut down and thousands all over the streets and carparks waiting.”
In pictures: Passengers warned to stay away as large part of Gatwick evacuated
11:23 , Tara Cobham
A large part of a Gatwick Airport terminal has been evacuated as a security incident is being investigated (Marco Pajo/X)
Passengers have been warned to stay away after a section of the South Terminal was evacuated on Friday morning (Marco Pajo/X)
There are fears flights will consequently be disrupted, causing travel chaos (Marco Pajo/X)
Full story: Flight disruption expected after evacuation at Gatwick Airport’s South Terminal
11:18 , Tara Cobham
Gatwick Airport has evacuated “a large part” of the South Terminal due to a security incident.
The Sussex airport confirmed the news in a social media post, with passengers expected to face disruption to their flights.
“A large part of the South Terminal has been evacuated as a precaution while we continue to investigate a security incident,” a statement read.
Joanna Whitehead reports:
Flight disruption expected after evacuation at Gatwick Airport’s South Terminal
Gatwick Airport terminal evacuated due to security incident
11:16 , Tara Cobham
A large part of Gatwick Airport’s South Terminal has been evacuated as a security incident is being investigated.
In a statement, the airport said: “A large part of the South Terminal has been evacuated as a precaution while we continue to investigate a security incident.
“Passengers will not be able to enter the South Terminal while this is ongoing.
“Safety and security of our passengers and staff remains our top priority. We are working hard to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.”
