Mace Consult and Arcadis land key roles on London Luton Airport growth programme
Leading global delivery consultancy, Mace Consult and Arcadis have secured key roles supporting the growth of London Luton Airport. The firms will provide management services to help realise significant infrastructure programmes across the airport.
London Luton Airport is an international airport in Bedfordshire, England. As the fourth-busiest airport serving London, it hosts more than 16 million passengers each year – and as numbers continue to grow, owner Luton Rising is planning an expansion of its existing terminal, the addition of a new second terminal, and also the construction of additional aircraft stands and taxiways, supporting infrastructure and road and surface access improvements.
Ahead of the programme, Luton Rising has brought in the consultants to provide project, cost and commercial management services as the major expansion moves into its delivery phase. The team will establish the programme schedule, systems, controls and decision-making framework for the phased growth plan, which will increase airport capacity to 32 million passengers a year.
Leading that team will be Mace Consult – which will be responsible for establishing the programme schedule, systems, controls and decision-making frameworks that will underpin the affordable and sustainable growth of London Luton Airport, following the programme receiving its final green light in August 2026.
Partnering with Arcadis, the team will shape an integrated delivery plan to increase the airport’s capacity up to 32 million passengers a year, combining incremental capacity enhancement with operational continuity, co-ordinating interfaces and proactively managing risk to maintain programme momentum.
David Pyle, DCO implementation director at Luton Rising, said, “This appointment is a significant step forward in the airport’s growth programme, which will help drive economic and employment growth for future generations. We know we have a robust vision, having received consent from the secretary of state for transport in 2025, and now is the right time to bring in specialist expertise and experience-based rigour to ensure delivery of the consented growth at the earliest opportunity. We look forward to having Mace Consult on board as part of our integrated multi-disciplinary programme team, supporting us and our stakeholders as we move the design and implementation processes forward.”
Economic benefits
Luton Rising is a Luton Council company that owns Luton Airport for community benefit. According to the group, improving air connectivity is “crucial to attracting international businesses and supporting growth” across the UK. As such, it contends that the growth of London Luton Airport will create up to 11,000 jobs and £1.5 billion in annual economic activity.
Drawing on deep aviation expertise and a global track record delivering complex infrastructure programmes, the Mace-led team will provide a host of services under the PMCM contract, including programme integration and planning, design management, commercial assurance, risk management, stakeholder engagement, consents advice and information management.
Martyn Court, head of mobility for Europe, at Mace Consult, added, “The London Luton Airport growth programme is at a pivotal stage, where bringing the right delivery partner on board can help transform complexity into clarity. Our appointment reflects this and, by combining the strengths of Mace and Arcadis, we’ll put in place the systems, controls, processes and governance that will enable Luton Rising to make informed decisions and progress with certainty towards increasing the airport’s capacity to 32 million passengers per year.”
