Jobs boost as airport upgrades security
MANCHESTER Airport has invested £3.5m in upgrading the security areas in terminal 1, a move that will create around 200 jobs.
Opened this week, the investment has been made to improve the facilities and security offering. The improved security area will principally serve passengers who use ground level check-in, ensuring there is more capacity in the main security area in T1 on the upper level.
The improvements have been made now in preparation for passengers who will use the area over the festive period.
The new ground level security adds 40% to the security capacity in Terminal 1 and will help to improve customer service levels, given the growth the airport is experiencing in passenger numbers and the amount of cabin baggage that passengers are carrying.
As well as the equipment, the airport will be recruiting an additional 200 security staff to operate the new area in preparation for next summer’s peak season, to add to the 840 security staff who are currently working on site across the three terminals.
Tricia Williams, customer services director for Manchester Airport, said: “As we continue to grow, we need to invest in the infrastructure here on site at Manchester to ensure that customers experience efficient but highly effective security screening.
“Terminal 1 is our busiest terminal with over 10 million passengers using the building every year. We need to ensure we are investing in the right areas to handle the additional traffic. It’s not just in the departure process but arrivals also and we have worked alongside UK Border Force to invest in the latest generation electronic passport gates in arrivals in Terminal 2 and now Terminal 1.”
Manchester Airport has been undergoing a rapid period of growth and is expected to reach its peak figure of 22 million within the next few months, a figure last reached in 2007.
