§ 21. Sir Knox Cunninghamasked the Minister of Aviation when he expects the work of enlarging the civil air terminal building at Aldergrove in County Antrim to be completed; and what steps he is taking to prevent overcrowding at the airport during the summer, and particularly when flights are delayed owing to weather conditions or from other reasons.
§ Mr. SnowWork on the extension of the terminal building has now been started and it is expected to be completed in stages during the spring and summer of next year. Work on the main public areas—the departure lounge and the arrivals concourse—should be complete by the end of May, 1967. As my right hon. Friend informed the hon. Member on 25th February, some congestion at busy periods this summer will be inescapable, but by phasing and restricting the work in the public areas we hope to alleviate the inconvenience as far as possible.
§ Sir Knox CunninghamWould not the Minister expedite this work, bearing in mind the chaos in the passenger area which has happened in the past as a result of delayed flights? Cannot something be done a little earlier than the summer of 1967?
§ Mr. SnowMy Department is very alive to this point and it has expedited the completion of this terminal building by one year. It has been brought forward accordingly.