February theme: Aviation securityGlasgow's Skyhub to increase passengers comfort, security

When is the last time you have been to Glasgow Airport? What you encounter are long queues, delays, and claustrophobic hallways. Most holiday makers can relax only when they finally pass through security. This may soon change. Skyhub, the airport’s new £31 million extension, aims to transform the experience for passengers and reduce waiting times for security checks to five minutes for 95 percent of all travellers. The futuristic building, which is due to open on 21 October, is taking shape on the site of the walkway between the main terminal and T2. It will be the most advanced security zone in the United Kingdom and is the biggest single investment at the airport since the international pier opened in 1994. All passengers will be channelled through the two-storey hub, which will have bars, shops and restaurants. The 4,000 sq. ft. area — the size of a football pitch — will be bathed in natural light as the entire front of the building will be covered in translucent cladding.

The Evening Times’s Jonathan Paisely writes that the revolutionary system, called Kalwall, has been used at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium, Orlando Sanford Airport in Florida, and Nasa’s base at Cape Canaveral. The material is energy efficient, allows daylight to flood into the interior of the building and retains heat. More than £3 million of the total build cost has been spent on a bomb-proof steel cage, which is wrapped under the structure. A total of 88 pillars have been sunk 120 ft. into the ground to ensure Skyhub’s foundations can withstand any terrorist attack. Fiona Doherty, head of airport security, said:

It will bring all of our security staff under one roof and ensure all passengers have the same experience. The new scanning machines give a far sharper resolution and provide 3D images by taking shots of a bag at two different angles. Laptops can be kept in their cases because the image is a lot sharper and items can be identified clearly on screen without rummaging through cases. Our staff have a reputation for being warm and personable and extremely professional. Glasgow is the benchmark for UK airport security because we do it so well.

Thousands of passengers will be channelled through the five security points every day. Skyhub will house ten hi-tech Sky Screen’ machines initially and will have capacity for another four. Marks & Spencer Simply Food, a JD Wetherspoon pub, and a New York-style bar and restaurant, Frankie and Benny’s, will be based on the ground floor, with the security zone and a new World Duty Free store upstairs, leading to the remodelled main terminal.

The second phase will start in the autumn and is due to be completed by the end of next year. The existing three security areas, at international, domestic, and the east pier, will be converted into shop space, lounge and leisure facilities. Mike MacSorley, lead project manager for contractors Balfour Beatty, said: “There will be nothing like this anywhere in the UK. Skyhub will have a completely different look from other airports. The site looks fairly small from the road but the floor space is massive. Around 300 people will have worked on the project, through its separate phases, by the end of September and we are on target.”

Plasma information screens will greet travellers arriving at Skyhub, detailing information on baggage restrictions and banned items. Figures show there is still confusion among passengers about what can be carried on to planes, with 51 percent of Scots not aware of liquid restrictions, which have been in force, in some form, since August 2006. Skips of confiscated bottles of liquids are collected by waste contractors every week. Gordon Dewar, managing director of Glasgow Airport, said: “People want to get through security first and relax and do a bit of shopping. That’s what happened at Gatwick and it works really well. By freeing up additional space within the terminal we can put the passengers’ needs first. The safety and security of passengers is extremely important but it doesn’t have to be an ordeal.”

Reid Architecture, which designed the extension, has blended Skyhub into Sir Basil Spence’s barrel-vaulted roof of the main terminal. The top of the building has been designed to allow commercial office space to be added at a later date. The Callwall canvas blocks on the front of the building can display projected messages. Airport bosses are considering showcasing a countdown to the Commonwealth Games