As airlines completed its move over, the Northern gateway’s 10-year transformation programme at Manchester airport T2 plans to fully open the whole floor space in the coming weeks which includes all the check-in desks, the security lanes, all the aircraft gates and all the infrastructure. Here’s the journey of how UK’s third largest airport was revitalised.
2015-2016
After announcing the plan in 2015, the £1bn programme to transform Manchester Airport was approved. The 10-year plan included doubling the size of Terminal 2, expanding self-service check-in facilities and to build a larger security hall.
Manchester City Council also approved the plan to demolish Terminal 1 and build a ramp from an M56 slip road to give access to a new departures forecourt.
The work, which is due to begin at the end of the 2016 year, also includes improvements to Terminal 3.
Charlie Cornish, chief executive of MAG, said:
"The transformation programme will ensure the airport plays its full part in driving economic growth and develops as a key part of the UK transport infrastructure."
2017
In July, now former Secretary of State for Transport, Lord Graylingvisited Manchester Airport today to see work begin on its 10 year, £1 billion transformation programme.“Aviation is central to our future prosperity as we leave the European Union. As a global, trading nation we want to build on the great industry we have today and create opportunities for people up and down the country.
2018
In February, The first major phase of the £1bn transformation of Manchester Airport was completed, as the project marked the six-month milestone.Two apprentices had been recruited to the scheme which helped tightened the final bolt on the steel framework; connecting one of the new airport piers to the Terminal Two extension for the first time.
In August, Manchester Airport celebrates one year of construction on its £1bn transformation programme. One of the biggest construction programmes in the North of England and more than £1m a day being spent that’s seen 1,200 jobs created – with: 14,500 pieces of steel installed
More than 6,700 components such as precast concrete delta beams, wall panels, and mega-risers have been manufactured offsite ready for on-site assembly
More than 41,000m3 of concrete have been placed
1,745 miles of cable placed
2019
In April,Passengers flying out of the UK’s third largest airport were welcomed onto a giant new pier, which connects to Terminal 2, for the first time withthe first flightsoperated by TUI Airways. Once the Terminal Two extension opens for Summer 2020 the existing building will close for refurbishment with it due to reopen in 2022. Further piers will open in 2022 and 2024.
2021
In July, Manchester Airport had received CAA recognition for the measures implemented to make it Covid-secure as it prepares for the increased passenger demand in the coming weeks.
Manchester Airport, assisted by the CAA and Public Health England, has established and maintained a range of Covid-secure activities to meet international guidance on Covid safety measures set out by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
The assessment looks at compliance with guidance on general hygiene, cleaning, masks and face coverings, health screening and declarations, the mental health and well-being of employees and passengers, as well as specific steps for passengers with reduced mobility.
The flagship facility opened to its first customers, with flights initially being operated by Jet.com, TUI and then Singapore Airlines.After the success of these operations, Etihad Airways, Qatar Airways, Brussels Airlines, airBaltic and Ethiopian Airlines shortly followed.
2023
In January, MAG (Manchester Airports Group) announced a £440m investment in Manchester Airport that will create thousands of jobs and unlock billions of pounds of economic value for the North over the next decade.The first phase saw Terminal 2 more than double in size, with the new facility having received positive feedback from passengers and airlines since opening in July 2021.This investment will complete the transformation of Terminal 2, delivering improvement to all stages of the passenger journey – from check-in to baggage reclaim - as well as upgrading its airfield to cater for next generation aircraft.
In June, Manchester Airportstarted work on the next major phase of its £1.3bn Transformation Programme. Together with lead contractor, Mace, the airport has started work on the construction of a new pier, which will connect to Terminal 2.
2024
In July, Manchester Airport is celebrating the third anniversary of its new-look Terminal Two, expanded as part of an ongoing £1.3bn transformation programme.
The terminal’s footprint was more than doubled in the first phase of the programme, and the newly-built extension opened in July 2021 to limited fanfare at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Just three flights departed on the day it opened its doors, with passengers and staff required to wear masks and follow social distancing rules.
Since then the new-look terminal has gone from strength to strength, serving more than 29.2m people - over 800,000 passengers per month on average. A total of 21 airlines now operate flights to 109 different destinations from the terminal, with exciting new routes including Las Vegas and Shanghai launched from Terminal Two in recent months.
2025-2026
A new section of Manchester Airport’s redeveloped Terminal 2 departure lounge opened to the public, with six new shops and eateries joining an already extensive array of options.
The early part of 2026, will also see the installation of an artwork based on and using parts of the iconic chandeliers that hung in Terminal 1 when it opened to the public in the 1960s. The reimagined chandelier artwork will be in Security East.