Edinburgh Airport Awards Grounds Maintenance Contract

Edinburgh Airport has appointed Mitie to deliver a new five-year grounds maintenance contract across its airfield and terminal buildings.

Under the contract, the integrated facility services company will deliver essential landscaping services at Scotland’s busiest airport, which receives over 14 million passengers travelling to 152 destinations each year.

Services will include lawn maintenance, tree and shrub maintenance, litter picking, and weed control across the airport estate, from the terminal front to the airfield.

The team will also be responsible for mowing and maintaining around 2 million square metres of grass across the site – the equivalent of 280 football pitches.

In addition, Mitie will deliver winter maintenance services at the airport, which will include gritting car parks, walkways, and roads across the airport, as well as supporting the maintenance of taxi way systems when required.

As an airport that battles with harsh weather during winters, keeping the grounds safe and accessible for passengers and colleagues is an essential job that Mitie will be responsible for.

Sustainability will be a focus of the contract with the team using white marine salt made from evaporated seawater rather than being mined for gritting.

Mitie will also strive to eliminate the use of plastic and is also working on a number of initiatives to introduce more sustainable planting and wildflower areas at passenger entrances to improve biodiversity at the airport.

Effective grounds and winter maintenance is hugely important to the airport and our daily operations, and we are pleased Mitie will be working with us on this across the next five years.

The contract builds on the support Mitie delivers across the UK’s aviation sector.

This includes delivering a range of services from cleaning, engineering and waste management to baggage security at some of the busiest airports up and down the UK, such as Heathrow, London Stansted, Birmingham, Manchester and Belfast City.

Tim Howell, Managing Director, Mitie Landscapes, says: "We are thrilled to work with Edinburgh Airport to deliver grounds maintenance services on-site for the next five years.

Our experienced team is committed to maintaining the airport's vast grounds using the most sustainable methods possible, ensuring they remain safe, functional, and visually appealing all year-round.”

Brian Anderson, Head of Engineering, Edinburgh Airport, adds: "Effective grounds and winter maintenance is hugely important to the airport and our daily operations, and we are pleased Mitie will be working with us on this across the next five years.

"Their experience and expertise in this area, along with their plans for future improvements, will help ensure the best service for passengers and staff across the campus."