Manchester Airport shifts development focus to revamping Terminal 3

Manchester Airport has confirmed work is now underway on its multi-million-pound project to revamp Terminal 3. The update comes as work on the decade-long, £1.3bn project to rebuild and double the size of Terminal 2 approaches its end.

Image credit: MAG, CGI of refurbished T3

Terminal 2 will be fully open later this year, becoming the airport’s main terminal and catering for more than 70% of its passengers. This enables the airport to close Terminal 1 and, because Terminals 1 and 3 are joined, use some of the space that becomes available to expand Terminal 3.

The new-look Terminal 3 will be bigger with 40% more seating. It will have a new entrance, new security equipment and new shops and places to eat and drink. The first parts of it will be open to the public early next year.

Manchester Airport Managing director Chris Woodroofe said, “Here at Manchester Airport we’re proud to connect the North to the world and we’re always looking at how we can improve the experience we provide to our passengers.

“Our 10-year, £1.3bn project to completely transform Terminal 2 is nearly finished and now we’re able to shift our focus to Terminal 3 where work has already begun. Our plan is to take advantage of the extra space that will be afforded by the closure of Terminal 1 to really improve the experience for passengers who fly from there.”

The 10-year, £1.3bn transformation of Terminal 2 has more than doubled the terminal’s size. An extension to the terminal opened in 2021, and the airport is now in the final stages of overhauling the original Terminal 2 building to bring it up to the same standard as the extension, mirroring the modern look and feel. The original extension won a prestigious Prix Versailles award, recognising its outstanding design.

The finalised terminal will also include 13 new flexible aircraft stands and boarding gates, currently under construction, and a route linking the new security hall with the departure lounge, which will feature a chandelier installation, paying homage to the Venetian chandeliers that graced Terminal 1 in the 1980s and 1990s.