MANCHESTER Airport has started work on the next major phase of its £1.3bn transformation programme.
Thousands of jobs and 27 new shops, bars and restaurants will be created in the airport’s biggest ever investment.
The construction of a new pier which will connect to Terminal 2 is now underway with lead contractor, Mace.
The pier is the most significant new structure being built in the second and final phase of the project.
More than 500 jobs are being created during the construction phase and up to 16,400 jobs are predicted by 2040, according to independent analysis.
The new pier will mirror Terminal 2’s pier 1, which opened in 2019, and will provide 12 new spacious 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.
MAG deputy chief executive officer Ken O’Toole said: “We are pleased to be beginning work on what is a major milestone.
“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.
“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.
“As we break ground on this pier, I look forward to seeing the project progress to its conclusion in 2025, cementing Manchester’s role as the UK’s global gateway in the north.”
The first phase saw Terminal 2 more than double in size.
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.
Upon completion in 2025, around 80 per cent 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 new 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.
Cutting-edge techniques will be used during construction to reduce the amount of embodied carbon emissions by up to 40 per cent, including pre-casting the concrete used and minimising the amount of excavation work required, through the use of an innovative piling solution.
Mace will use a ‘kit of parts’ approach to build the pier, manufacturing nodes and links off-site, allowing the on-site construction elements to be completed more quickly and with minimal disruption on the airfield.
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.
“This is only possible due to the collaborative and integrated relationship with have with the client and supply chain. By working as one team with shared values and objectives, we’re making excellent progress towards our 2025 open-to-passengers target.”
More than 500 construction jobs will be created in the second phase while independent analysis shows 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 analysis, by York Aviation, predicts that the airport’s current contribution to the northern economy of £3.5bn is expected to soar by nearly 80 per cent, to £6.3bn by 2040, following the completion of the transformation programme
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