London Biggin Hill Airport (Stand 759) will open its new 4,800-sq-ft hangar next month. Situated next to the main terminal building, it will also offer 54,000 sq ft of additional ramp space for aircraft parking, with plenty of space to accommodate widebody jets. Several fully serviced offices are available for rent in the hangar and also will be available on a short-term basis for operators.

As part of Biggin Hill’s preparations for the 2012 Olympics in London, the airport is making plans to establish a temporary heliport next to Ebbsfleet International rail station in the southeast suburbs of the UK capital. This will allow passengers to very quickly transfer to special trains that will proved a 10-minute connection into the Olympic Park at Stratford.

Biggin Hill has a new managing director in Jenny Munro, who recently succeeded the long-serving Peter Lonergan. “We have a lot of potential, not only in terms of available space, but also in the trading estate next door and there is plenty we can do to capitalize on our existing facilities,” she told AIN.

A big part of Biggin Hill’s potential is that, unlike just about every other London-area airport, it has vast untapped capacity for business aviation activity since it currently is nowhere near its annual movement limit of 125,000.

The airport’s management is now seeking to secure a partner to build and operate the 75-room hotel, which it has clearance to build on a site next to the new Rizon Jet FBO.