黑洞社区

Two of Gatwick Airport鈥檚 flagship construction projects being delivered by Vinci and Carillion are months behind schedule and have seen their budgets increase by millions of pounds, 黑洞社区 can reveal.

The projects, together valued at more than 拢250m, include the largest construction contract let to date by the airport鈥檚 current owners Global Infrastructure Partners.
In Gatwick鈥檚 latest capital investment plan, published last month, the airport said both jobs, which the two firms are delivering separately, had been subject to 鈥減roject delays and commercial challenge鈥�.

Vinci is rebuilding pier one of Gatwick鈥檚 south terminal and installing a high-tech baggage sorting system, which forms the second phase of a 拢179m upgrade to the pier. It is the biggest project undertaken since Global Infrastructure Partners bought the airport in 2009.

The job, which Vinci was appointed to do in November 2012, was originally scheduled to complete in the summer of 2015, but will now not complete until December 2015, according to Gatwick.

In its investment plan Gatwick said the 鈥渢iming slippage鈥� had been due to a delay in closing the pier 鈥渇or contractual reasons鈥� and 鈥渁dverse weather conditions鈥�.

A Gatwick spokesperson confirmed the total budget for the scheme is now 拢187m, an 拢8m increase on the 拢179m budget set out in the airport鈥檚 2013 investment plan.
In a joint statement Gatwick and Vinci attributed the increase to a 鈥渢ransfer of scope from other programmes into the pier one programme鈥�.

Separately, a 拢74m scheme to reconfigure the north terminal鈥檚 pier five and build a new passenger corridor on top of the existing pier, which is being delivered by Carillion, will be completed nearly a year later than planned.

The scheme, which Carillion was appointed to build in 2012, had been due to complete in May this year but will now not finish until March 2015, according to Gatwick.

The airport鈥檚 investment plan said the project had been 鈥減rolonged due to a number of unplanned activities including ground work delays due to unchartered services鈥�.
A Carillion spokesperson said there had been 鈥渢ime and cost over-runs鈥� due to the 鈥渃omplexity
of the work鈥�.

The Gatwick spokesperson confirmed the total budget for the scheme had increased 拢7.5m to 拢81.5m, which he attributed to 鈥渃hanges in scope鈥�.