Wolverhampton construction services conglomerate Carillion has been selected as part of the consortium involved in the development of the prestigious Airport City complex in Manchester.

The West Midlands-based group will work with China’s Beijing Construction Engineering Group (BCEG) and the Greater Manchester Pension Fund to develop the ‘Airport City’ project.

Airport City will include offices, hotels, manufacturing firms, logistics and warehouses. It is hoped that by attracting international businesses some 16,000 jobs could be created.

The development is one of the largest regeneration schemes in the UK since the Olympics redevelopment in East London.  It will provide five million sq ft of development with an estimated value of £800 million.

The consortium will start work immediately and the project is scheduled for completion over the next 15 years. 

Carillion expects to invest up to £12 million of equity in the development, as well as delivering up to £580 million of construction work.

Carillion chief executive, Richard Howson, said: ‘’We are delighted to have been selected as a member of the consortium that will deliver this prestigious development, which reflects our reputation for quality and reliability and our success in building strong long-term relationships with our partners and customers. 
"We look forward to working with MAG to deliver Airport City, which will further enhance Manchester’s position as one of the premier airports in the world.”

Mr Xing Yan, managing director of BCEG said “To be included in such an interesting and unique development is a real honour.

"We see our involvement in Airport City as an extension of the memorandum of understanding between China and the UK, where we have been looking to further explore joint infrastructure opportunities for some time.”