Birmingham Airport’s Next Generation Security system, which opened in June 2024, has been designed to deliver a speedier and simpler pre-flight experience for customers. The new-look security area is capable of serving many more customers per hour at peak times, but it required significant reconfiguration of the existing departures and security areas. 

Colemans has a longstanding relationship with the airport, having worked on multiple projects over 20 years. As a result, main contractor Vinci engaged Colemans to undertake a series of works including specialist cutting, selective soft stripping, decommissioning of escalators and temporary works that would enable the project to be completed safety and to schedule. 

The list of works completed by the Colemans team at Birmingham Airport was extensive and varied, working in 30 different locations over three floors, all whilst passengers regularly moved around the airport as work progressed. 

Demonstrating our specialist cutting experience and applying expertise from across the business, around 50,000 man hours were completed, many of which undertaken within a live airport environment – Birmingham Airport handles more than one million passengers each month. 

Works included the controlled stripping of isolated areas, complex façade and canopy removal, plus the careful deconstruction and recycling of a 1,200mm roof all within live passenger areas. Also in the live airport environment, our team decommissioned, dismantled and safely removed four lifts and four escalators.

Other works included specialist cutting and temporary works to form new builders’ works openings, floor preparation, and the deconstruction and recycling of a feature staircase. 

In line with our continued commitment to support the circular economy, Colemans took steps to maximise the recycling rate throughout the project. 

Across the works, we ensured a recycling rate of 98%, including removing 400 bins of waste from the site for recycling.