Milestone reached in Stansted expansion

Airports operator BAA has announced a "significant milestone" in the development of Stansted Airport, with the first of several roof domes successfully lifted into place.

The £40 million terminal expansion project will see 22 roof domes, or diagrids, placed onto the extension's steel structure, each of which weighs 30 tonnes and measures 18 square metres.

Paul Chatten of BAA Stansted, who is managing the development, said: "The project has already made excellent progress since getting underway in April of this year.

"We have now reached one of the most significant stages of the development as we undertake a series of complex roof lifts – this is not your everyday roofing job!"

Mr Chatten went on to explain that a 75-metre safety exclusion zone is put in place around the cranes while the lifts are carried out, to ensure that disruption to Stansted Airport operations is kept to a minimum.

An extra 5,900 square metres of floor space will be opened up in the international arrivals area of Stansted following the expansion, with expanded immigration, baggage and customs halls set to open by June 2008 and full completion scheduled for December.