MADRID, April 24 (Reuters) - Britain is expected to givefinal approval to expand Luton Airport in the next few weeks fora capacity boost of up to 18 million passengers, the chairman ofthe world's biggest airport operator Aena said on Thursday.
Expansion of the airport and its runway would requireinvestment of 98 million pounds ($164.6 million), Aena's JoseManuel Vargas told Spain's Chamber of Commerce at an awardsceremony in London, according to a statement from the company inMadrid.
"The contracting of the work will begin as soon as thenecessary permits are acquired, after a long and complex processthat we hope will come to a positive conclusion in the comingweeks," he said.
Spain-based Aena, whose airports division is a potentialprivatisation candidate, bought Luton airport last year. It hasstakes in more than 20 airports beyond Spain and 46 at home.
Luton is London's fourth-biggest airport with 9.7 millionpassengers in 2013 and capacity for up to 12 million. Vargassaid it hopes to boost that number to 18 million.
The investment would have a positive economic impact bycreating jobs, Vargas said, adding that shopping services at theairport would also be expanded, along with transport links tothe City of London financial district.
One of the biggest beneficiaries of the expansion would bebudget airline Easyjet, which recently secured morespace at Luton.
Permission for expansion of London's biggest airportsHeathrow and Gatwick is a political hot potato because addingcapacity in those densely populated areas around the Britishcapital is unpopular with voters.
A decision on the expansion of Gatwick and Heathrow has beenpushed back repeatedly.($1 = 0.5953 British Pounds) (Reporting By Elisabeth O'Leary; Editing by Fiona Ortiz andDavid Goodman)
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