Client details:
Site: www.london-luton.co.uk
Sector: Transport and Logistics
Turnover: £300M+
Where: UK, South East
The Security of our passengers and staff is critical to our operation and as part of our redevelopment we needed to find the right infrastructure solution and partner to make the most of the technology available to us today, as well as providing the infrastructure for technology that will be available to us in the future. We feel we have more than achieved our objectives with Excel and entrustIT.”
Neil Thompson
Operations Director
London Luton Airport
Global leaders in facilities management
London Luton is one of the UK’s busiest airports, serving nearly 17 million passengers in 2024.
With ambitions to serve a larger number of passengers and routes, the airport has undertaken several rounds of major development work in order to modernise services and build additional resilience into airport operations.
The challenge
To deliver a resilient, highly secure cabling infrastructure that would underpin the deployment of a new airport security screening operation.
As part of the refurbishment programme, the project leveraged the latest passenger security screening technologies alongside enhanced digital signage to provide up-to-date flight information. To support these requirements, the existing infrastructure and network architecture were upgraded to accommodate the new systems, while being designed to be scalable and future-ready to support emerging technologies.
The solution
entrustIT recommended an Excel cabling solution for LLAOL based on its proven performance, strong technical credentials, and independent third-party verification by Delta, together with the assurance of a 25-year manufacturer-backed warranty. As an authorised Excel Cabling Partner, entrustIT maintains regular technical accreditation, enabling the provision of this 25-year warranty across all installed systems.
Given the operational and security requirements of the enhanced security zone within the airport, an Excel screened Category 6A (Class EA) cabling solution was selected. This supports 10 Gigabit Ethernet, ensuring long-term scalability and future readiness. The screened design mitigates electromagnetic interference and alien crosstalk within cable bundles, while protecting network performance from potential disruption caused by adjacent security and screening equipment.
Excel Environ ER racks were deployed to house the active equipment. Three black 42U 800 × 800 racks were installed, each fitted with ventilated mesh front doors and ventilated rear doors, delivering approximately 70% airflow. Advanced vertical cable management enables efficient operation when racks are bayed together, facilitating effective airflow and inter-rack connectivity.
The benefits
entrustIT delivered the works to a tightly managed programme defined by LLAOL, coordinating on-site engineering resources alongside multiple contractors delivering parallel services.
Effective planning and collaboration ensured the installation was completed smoothly, with minimal disruption to the airport’s day-to-day operations.
As a result, London Luton Airport now benefits from a highly modern, technically advanced security solution that supports the ongoing safety of passengers and staff. This capability is underpinned by an Excel infrastructure platform, backed by a comprehensive 25-year warranty, providing long-term assurance and resilience.
