Latest phase of £1.3bn transformation will create more than 500 jobs
More than 500 jobs will be created by the next phase of construction as part of Manchester Airport’s £1.3bn transformation programme.
Lead contractor, Mace, has started work on the construction of a new pier, which will connect to Terminal 2.
The pier is the most significant new structure being built in the second and final phase of the transformation programme, first announced in 2015 with a 10-year vision to revolutionise the passenger experience at the UK’s global gateway in the north.
The new pier will mirror Terminal 2’s Pier 1, which opened in 2019, and will provide 12 new boarding gates and flexible aircraft stands for next-generation aircraft. It will also be equipped to handle the giant Airbus A380, the largest passenger aircraft currently in operation.
The pier will be a short walk from the departure lounge and will incorporate flexible stands, accommodating either wide or narrow-bodied aircraft in the same footprint. It will offer 12 additional ‘contact gates’, which means passengers can directly walk onto the aircraft.
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 the summer of 2021. The second phase will see the original building upgraded with a second security hall and a new look, extended departure lounge, along with reconfigurations of the airfield to make operations more efficient.
On completion in 2025, around 80% of all passengers will use the expanded Terminal 2, which will also boast 27 new shops, bars and restaurants, including a high street style shopping area, a champagne bar and a food hall.
The Manchester Airport Transformation Programme is the largest investment made in the Northern gateway by MAG, which also owns London Stansted and East Midlands Airports, and is forecast to generate up to 16,400 jobs by 2040, according to independent analysis.
MAG deputy CEO, Ken O’Toole, was on hand to put the first spade in the ground, as work started on the pier on Monday.
It comes after it was announced he will become group CEO from October 1, last week.
Mr O’Toole said: “We are pleased to be beginning work on what is a major milestone in our transformation of Manchester Airport.
“Our £1.3bn transformation programme is the largest investment ever made in Manchester Airport, and will create thousands of jobs, revolutionise the customer experience and ensure we connect to the North to even more global destinations in the years ahead.
CGI of new pier, on the left of the illustration
“We are already seeing the benefits of the first phase of our investment, with passengers and airlines providing excellent feedback on our extended Terminal 2. Through this second phase, we will deliver yet more improvements to the passenger experience and cater for the growing network of airlines operating from Manchester.”
Cllr Bev Craig, leader of Manchester City Council, said: “Manchester Airport is the city, and the North’s, gateway to the world. This marks the start of another significant step in its transformation to ensure it is fit for the future, creating construction jobs in the immediate term and helping to support tens of thousands of jobs and other opportunities in the longer term.”
Carl Dainter, head of global aviation for Mace Consult, said: “This exciting next phase of Manchester Airport’s transformation is giving us the opportunity to implement ideas, methodologies and solutions that will allow us to speed up delivery, reduce carbon and, crucially, minimise impact to the live airfield operations.”
