A WEST Wiltshire civil engineering firm has been awarded a £16m contract to modernise an airport.

Melksham-based Hochtief (UK) Construction has been asked to build a new terminal building at Guernsey Airport in the Channel Islands.

The project is expected to take two years and the company may use sub-contractors from west Wiltshire to do the work.

Marketing manager, Mike Wiggins, said: "We won the contract against tough competition and it is yet another success for the company."

The work will include the demolition of the existing terminal buildings and the construction of a modern, spacious building with state of the art electrical and mechanical services.

Hochtief will also construct new access roads, a car park and airside passenger walkways.

Managing director, Stephen Ives, said: "This is another prestigious contract in our current portfolio of work across the UK.

Established in 1875, Hochtief is one of the world's leading construction groups, with an annual turnover in excess of £8bn.

The UK division, established in 1990, trades from a head office in Melksham and a regional centre in Kent. The company is currently constructing a high-speed rail link from the Channel Tunnel to London, and is often involved in other major projects including bridge and road building.