Contractor named for new London Stansted Airport skylinks

London Stansted Airport has confirmed Farrans as its partner for the construction of its new skylink walkways.

The new skylinks are an integral feature of the airport’s transformation programme, creating walkways to directly connect the main terminal to existing satellite buildings that are home to the departure and arrival gates.

The addition of the skylinks will enable Stansted’s track transit people mover system to be decommissioned, creating the space for the terminal building to be extended towards the airfield in later phases of the transformation work.

The centrepiece of the programme is a three-bay extension to the existing terminal that will transform the customer experience. It adds 16,500m² of space, creating a bright, spacious environment with new shops, bars and restaurants, making Stansted the biggest single terminal airport in Europe.

The skylinks will feature passenger travelators and allow for assistance buggies to take passengers with reduced mobility on the full journey between the terminal and the arrival and departure gates.

Work will begin later this summer with pre-assembly of skylink sections taking place offsite in a vacant airport hangar on the north side of the airfield.

This method of construction will save time and, by reducing working at height, create a safer working environment, as well as reducing congestion in busy airport operational areas.

Once each section is completed, they will be transported overnight from the construction hangar across the airfield on self-propelled modular transporters (SPMTs) to minimise disruption to the airport’s operation.