Manchester Airport has revealed a preview of its 10-year, £1.3bn (US$1.6bn) transformation program, which is due to be completed later in 2025. The Northern Gateway transformation program will be finished when its brand-new Terminal 2 opens fully to the public.
To show the full experience, the fly-through video augments computer-generated imagery of parts of the terminal that are under construction with the parts that have been finished.
The terminal will feature an international departure lounge, a new World Duty-Free store, a Boutique Mall area with a honeycomb light art installation, and a shopping area that will be known as The Avenue. The security hall will be fully equipped with new scanning equipment.
Community impact
In the decade this transformation project has taken to complete, thousands of people have worked on the project – several hundred of whom were apprentices starting out their careers – while an independent York Aviation report commissioned last year showed around 16,400 extra jobs will be generated by 2040 as a result of the economic activity stimulated by the expansion of the airport and its route network.
The same research revealed that Manchester Airport’s contribution to the economy in the North is expected to soar by nearly 80%, to £6.3bn (US$8.2bn) by 2040 as a result of the full delivery of the transformation program. A further £2.9bn (US$3.5bn) boost will be triggered through the increased productivity of businesses traveling and trading globally through Manchester over the same period.
Chris Woodroofe, managing director of Manchester Airport, said, “Everyone here at Manchester Airport feels proud to be able to connect the North to the world – and that’s why it’s so exciting for us to finally be able to share this video with our passengers, so they can get a preview of what they’ll be able to experience here later on this year.
“Our transformation program has been 10 years and £1.3bn in the making and we’re now in the final stages of finishing everything off to open it to the public later this year. There’s a huge amount of work going on all over the airport, but this video shows that it will all be worth it. That work isn’t just limited to Terminal 2 either. We’re modernizing our airfield and building a new road to improve access to the new terminal – and we’ll soon be able to say more about work we’re doing in Terminal 3 too.”
Steady progress
The first phase of the program – an extension that doubled the size of Terminal 2 – opened in 2021 and received the UNESCO-backed Prix Versailles award for architecture and design in 2023.
Since then, work to revamp the original part of the building, creating more space for seating, security, shops and restaurants, and check-in, has been ongoing.
In 2024, the airport announced the names of more than 20 new shops, cafés, restaurants and bars that will be opening in the new part of the terminal, including a Chanel outlet, a LEGO Store, the airport’s first Wetherspoon pub, a Fever-Tree bar and the new Great Northern Market – a dining experience featuring a range of street-food-style kitchens around a central eating area. The same year, plans were announced to reimagine one of Terminal 1’s iconic chandeliers as part of an art installation and a public competition was held to choose the final design. The winner will be announced soon and the artwork will then be installed near the security area in the new part of the terminal.
More than 35 million passengers have already used the Terminal 2 extension.
In related news, retail activation company Kounter recently partnered with travel retail company Graeme Stewart in a joint venture to unveil what they state to be the UK’s first ever airport gaming concession in Manchester Airport Terminal 1. Click here to read the full story