£1 billion investment plan for Manchester Airport

Manchester Airport has revealed a 10-year investment programme, involving more than 60 improvements to its facilities and infrastucture, at a cost of £1bn.

The ‘Manchester Airport Transformation Programme’ will included better road access to the airport, which has seen passenger numbers surge to record levels this year.

The investment will see Terminal 2 expanded and reconfigured to become Manchester’s primary terminal facility.

For passengers flying to North America, a US pre-clearance facility will be introduced, intended to ease onward travel by allowing passengers to clear immigration, customs, and agricultural inspection by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) before boarding their flight.

Terminal 3 will also be upgraded with new and enlarged airside transfer facilities, including the direct linkage between Terminals 2 and 3; adoption of new technology in an enlarged security hall that will screen more passengers, quicker; a number of new customer friendly enhancements, including self-service check-in facilities and around 50 food and beverage and retail outlets and the introduction of new stands and piers, offering better departure gate facilities

Manchester Airports Group, which owns Manchester and three other airports, say the transformation programme will be undertaken in a phases to ensure minimise disruption to existing airport operations, passengers and airlines.

Charlie Cornish, chief executive of M.A.G said: “Today, we’re setting out how the airport will contribute to the development of a Northern Powerhouse and demonstrating the dynamic, can-do spirit that sums up the region.

“The Transformation Programme will ensure Manchester Airport plays its full part in driving economic growth and develops as a key part of the UK transport infrastructure, within a nationwide network of competing airports.

“We continue to work closely with our airline partners to ensure that their requirements and those of their passengers will be fully catered for, both during the programme design and build and upon its completion.”

He added: “Over the next 10 years, the airport will continue to develop as a global gateway for the UK, directly to and from the North, and these enhancements will enable us to further adapt, modernise and transform the customer service experience we are able to offer.”

Sir Richard Leese, leader of Manchester City Council, which part-owns MAG alongside the nine other local authorities including Cheshire East added: “Manchester Airport plays a vital economic role in the region in which it serves. Its annual passenger numbers last year topped a record 22 million and it provides jobs for 20,000 people on site and a further 25,000 indirectly.

“Greater Manchester and the rest of the North West is increasingly competing on an international stage and an airport that is better suited to serving these global aspirations will significantly improve the impact the region can have in attracting inward and outward investment, helping it to realise its full economic potential and create further jobs and opportunities.”