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Manchester Airport announces closure of Terminal 1 after £440m Terminal 2 expansion

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It may have been delayed by the pandemic, but the end is in sight for the £1.3 billion transformation of Terminal 2 at Manchester Airport.

This morning, the airport has announced that it is progressing with the final phase of rebuilding in Terminal 2. This will allow Terminal 1 to be closed upon completion in Summer 2025.

Manchester Airport Terminal 2 final phase expansion

Building work began on the new look Terminal 2 in 2017, with the first phase – including a new pier – opening in April 2019, alongside a new multi-storey car park.

The new-look Terminal 2 finally opened in July 2021, becoming the largest terminal at the airport.

Enabling work has already begun for the final phase of work.

Manchester Airport Terminal 2 final phase expansion

What will happen in the final phase of work?

Costed at £440 million, the project will:

“transform the passenger experience at the UK’s third largest airport, with new spacious facilities, state-of-the-art technology and equipment, and an exciting array of shops, bars, restaurants and airport lounges.”

In particular, the work will see:

Manchester Airport Terminal 2 final phase expansion
  • Doubling the size of the existing departure lounge, with a wider selection of shops and food and drink outlets
  • The construction of an additional security hall, fitted with next-generation security scanners.
  • A new pier, matching the look and feel of the first pier that opened in 2019
  • A new dual taxiway system to improve airfield efficiency, with flexible aircraft stand
  • More than doubling the terminal’s hold baggage capacity to over 5,000 bags per hour, with two new teardrop check in islands
Manchester Airport Terminal 2 final phase expansion

Upon completion in 2025, around 80% of all passengers will use the expanded Terminal 2. Terminal 1 will close, although as it will be 63 years old by that point, it is probably about time.

Charlie Cornish, CEO of Manchester Airports Group, said in a statement:

“Manchester Airport is a key economic asset for the North, and this investment will maximise the contribution it makes to creating a balanced and globally competitive UK economy.

“Our £1.3bn transformation programme demonstrates our long-term commitment to providing a great airport experience for passengers who travel through Manchester. I’m delighted to be announcing the go-ahead for the final phase, which will open in 2025, connecting the people and businesses of the North to dozens more global destinations, and creating jobs and stimulating increased levels of trade and tourism.”

Comments (91)

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  • Chris W says:

    Good riddance. One of the worst terminals in the country.

  • Ian K says:

    speaking of long walks to get to the gates…NONE of the travelators work at the airport and as far as I can remember they never have…..

    • Save East Coast Rewards says:

      I’m old enough to remember them working

    • Sunguy says:

      At least there are travelators … anyone been to that total and utter mess of MCO terminal C?

      Who fancies a 20ish minute walk (at a fast speed) to baggage carousels then ?

      (Terminal C is odd, you collect your baggage then go to immigration) ….

      • The real Swiss Tony says:

        That’s the same at Austin. An absolute winner if you’re HBO. I wonder if someone has calculated that it provides a more steady flow of passengers???

      • oliver says:

        Same in SAN for international arrival. Our luggage arrived later than economy so the immigration queue was already long.

      • Liam says:

        With a big chunk of it being uphill too including ramps going up multiple stories upon exiting the plane, with no lifts available. To make matters even worse the ground transportation providers (eg rental cars, shuttles) are not serving Terminal C meaning another long walk to the shuttle or long wait to a run down infrequent coach. I’ll not be flying any airline who uses that terminal until those issues are resolved (eg travelators installed, transport sorted)

    • oliver says:

      The long walk also looks really temporary and cheap. Last time with AF, the public announcement said we were on last call, all the people in lounge ran through to the gate. Then the gate staff said it’s an automatic announcement by the airport, they have no control, we are not boarding yet. You should see the face of these people.

      • Blair Waldorf Salad says:

        The old gates area is really poor for segregated queues. And the staff tend to get to the gate well after the passengers have chosen their own queue formation(s). My last Brussels Airlines boarding experience involved the gate agent screaming at a scrum with no tensa-barriers: “I said ONLY business or *A Gold. I said it 3 times. No that’s not you. Who is business or gold? Make way for them will you!”

        • oliver says:

          ngl, I like staff enforcing the boarding group. On mine staff told off a silver (group 3) tried to board with group 1and 2, she argued with them, he just told her you can send complaint to AF. People just don’t pay attention.

    • Navara says:

      Neither were the lifts in the multi storey last week! That said had one of the quickest arrivals experience off the upper deck ever, straight through the self scan (all working). Case on the carousal by the time I got down the stairs.

  • AL says:

    Hallelujah! T1 is dire. I never did understand why it had a Starbucks and a Boots both before duty free and after.

    Next thing, they’ll be renaming T2 as T1 at great expense. Agree with the efficiency comments about T2. If they don’t improve security processes and waiting times, it’s going to get really tedious to use.

    Maybe they’ll also do up the bit of T2 that still looks like an eighties council leisure centre from the front… an AL can but dream!

  • Dubious says:

    At the risk of sounding like a moaner…those shopping mall-esk artists impressions remind me of what Heathrow Terminal 3 became: Seating surrounding by shops and a lack of natural light. A bit like the refreshed Gatwick South Terminal I suppose…

    • Londonsteve says:

      It’s not moaning but a statement of fact. Many UK airports/terminals compare poorly compared to their overseas brethren by dint of being overtly configured as shopping malls with departure gates. T5 is an example of where the shopping is both plentiful and doesn’t detract from the availability of natural light and a sense of wellbeing, T3 however is a dark hole, its only redeeming features being the Cathay and Qantas lounges.

      • Scott says:

        I find T5 to be full of bland shops that I rarely go into, and even if it is light and airy, there’s just too much open and under utilised space in there.

        Lack of light doesn’t really bother me in T3. Usually dark when I arrive, the tunnels have no natural light, and I’ll look out of the plane window 😉
        The QF lounge doesn’t gain anything really from it’s windows, and the CX F lounge tends to get too warm when it’s sunny and you’re sitting near the windows.

  • Mike Hunt says:

    Excellent levelling up news. All we need next are regular, reliable, reasonably priced flights to Heathrow and Gatwick to connect to onward flights.

  • David Beggs says:

    80% of passengers using T2 when finished – which means a large number of passengers still using T3 at Manchester. A frightening thought given how overcrowded T3 gets.

    • QwertyKnowsBest says:

      ‘80% of passengers using T2 when finished – which means a large number of passengers still using T3 at Manchester. A frightening thought given how overcrowded T3 gets.’

      My thoughts too, have they approved plans for T3 redevelopment? Its worse than T1 in my opinion.

      • NorthernLass says:

        Definitely worse than T1 – we always classed T1 as the “posh” terminal!

      • Scott says:

        The 20% will be mostly Ryanair. 60+ flights a day at the summer peak, but they ideally want more and are spending money on improving services, new equipment etc. in that terminal (with the likelyhood of going self-handling in 2-3 years max I’m guessing)
        Stansted do 3x what MAN does. Not enough space in T3 for anything like that, but there will be more.

  • F says:

    I hope some of the staff have been refurbished too

  • Nick says:

    MAN still has no plans to open the new T2 to domestic operations, so sadly BA will be stuck at the old T3 for the foreseeable future.

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