How would you fancy being part of the Manchester Airport terminal refurbishment and make your mark in the airport’s history? The airport has been reaching out to local businesses to ask them for a £500m investment to transform their terminal buildings, as part of their 10-year programme to improve the airport.
£500M #Manchester Airport contracts up for grabs https://t.co/VjOCvqiYEe @manairport #construction pic.twitter.com/GDirJwjK5L
— UKConstruction Media (@UKConstructionm) 11 December 2015
The plan involves an extension being built which will lead to Terminal 2 being more than double the size it is currently. Not only this, but they also plan to improve the existing access roads by making them more efficient and give the existing forecourt an upgrade. Along with this, Manchester Evening News has stated that links will be created to connect Terminal 2 to Terminal 3 and “Terminal 1 will be demolished”. The improvements inside the buildings will include security queue times being cut to just 5 minutes.
The airport has stated that although this is a 10-year programme, the effects will last much longer than that. The project is said to be creating another 20,000 jobs, which would mean that this is double what they offer already. However, it looks as if they are going to need all the help they can get; with 10 miilion passengers expected to be passing through within the next decade.
It would seem that the airport is not only trying to attract customers, but also new airlines and new routes. The airport is keen to improve their customer services in order to be noticed along with the biggest airports in the UK such as Heathrow and Gatwick. It is already the only UK airport outside the capital city with direct routes to Miami, Hong Kong, Jeddah, Singapore, Atlanta, Washington and Boston. This expansion will clearly be a massive opportunity for this airport.
It’s not only Manchester Airport Terminal that will be affected by this set of improvements. This will also be a big deal for the local area, and the entirety of Manchester city itself. It is thought that with the airport having all of these improvements, the local tourism industry would see an increase too. It would seem that this transformation is good for everyone!
In an interview with ITV News, the Manchester airport transformation programme director Brad Miller said “Over the next decade, 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.” Although the project will span for at least 10 years, it seems that this experience can only be a positive one. The only thing we’re waiting for now, is a business which is willing to invest.
If you’re a Manchester resident, we’d love to hear your thoughts about the expansion and how it will be affecting you. Let us know in the comments below!