The booming energy sector is fuelling a multimillion-pound revamp of Shetland’s Sumburgh Airport.
The refurbished airport will include a new business class lounge for helicopter passengers.
A new baggage search area, smoking area and several additional toilets will also be added to the terminal.
The existing goods lift will be removed and replaced with an eight-person elevator serving three floors of the building.
Airport operator Hial said the contract for the works which form the first phase of the major refurbishment had already gone out to tender.
A Hial spokesman said: “We are currently tendering for the first phase of a substantial redevelopment of Sumburgh Airport. Full details of this ambitious development will be announced shortly.
“Sumburgh has enjoyed rapid growth over the past 12 months as a result of increasing demand from the energy sector.
“The investment we are making will allow Sumburgh to accommodate forecast growth and deliver a better experience for passengers.”
In the past financial year passenger numbers at the airport grew by 32%, to 22,768.
The increase has been largely driven by increased demand from the energy sector, leading to more helicopter and fixed wing aircraft flights between Sumburgh and Aberdeen as well as other areas of Scotland.
When the figures were released in March, Hial managing director Inglis Lyon said the “unprecedented growth” underlined the important role the airport played as a major staging post for those working in Scotland’s oil and gas and renewables sectors.
He said the firm was confident more energy-related businesses could be attracted to its airports, particularly those in the far north and the Northern Isles, such as Wick, John O’Groats and Sumburgh.
The deadline for tenders for the first phase of the project is May 25 and the contract is expected to be awarded the following month.