A HAYDOCK factory will make the cover for the roof of the new £2.2bn Terminal 2 at Heathrow Airport.

The airport’s old Terminal 2 building closed in 2009, and the construction of its replacement will create 35,000 jobs.

Owner BAA made the announcement as Transport Secretary Philip Hammond visited the site of the development which will open to passengers in 2014.

Cover for the terminal’s roof is from the Merseyside factory of Kalzip, while the steel work is being manufactured, as part of a £48m contract, by Watson’s Steel Structures at its factories in Thirsk, in North Yorkshire, and Bolton, Greater Manchester.

The terminal’s mechanical and electrical modules are being developed by CHt Manufacturing, in Wolverhampton.

At times of peak activity, the terminal will have as many as 5,000 people working on it.

BAA chief executive Colin Matthews said: “At a tough time for the economy, Heathrow’s modernisation programme is creating thousands of jobs throughout the UK.

“As the country’s only hub airport, Heathrow is vital to the UK economy. It supports more than 75,000 on-airport jobs and thousands more throughout the UK depend on Heathrow’s connections to the rest of the world.”

Kalzip is a subsidiary of steel giant Corus and is principally involved in the production and sale of aluminium building products.

In its last published accounts for the year ending March 31, 2010, Kalzip reported a pre-tax loss of £17,770 against a profit of £1.13m for the previous year. Turnover also fell from more than £34m in 2009 to just under £25.5m.

The company blames the current economic environment for the downturn, but believes its future is reasonably secure.

In its annual report, it said: “The directors believe the company’s position to be satisfactory, especially given that the company’s current assets exceed its current liabilities by £6.1m.

“The directors expect a loss for the year to March 31, 2011, given the current challenging market conditions.”