Millions of pounds will be spent on upgrading facilities

Bosses at the airport claim more than 3,500 new jobs will come from the expansion over the next 12 years.

It is expected that as many as 10 million passengers a year will be using the airport by 2016.

The plans, which include runway improvements as well as a string of commercial developments, will be the subject of a five-month consultation exercise.

Now a series of public meetings have been organised in an effort to gauge the support of surrounding communities.

'Sustainable growth'

Among the ambitious plans, airport bosses want to revamp terminals, improve runway and taxiway facilities, relocate the traffic control tower and provide more car parking.

More hotels and at least one petrol station are also being proposed.

Graeme Mason, the airport's planning manager, said: "We are committed to sustainable growth, which respects the needs of our local communities, meets all regulatory requirements and mitigates against environmental impact.

"We look forward to discussing our plans with as many local residents as possible."

The airport has recently attracted budget airlines easyJet and Ryanair and with them millions of extra passenger journeys.