Manchester Airport reveals £1bn investment plans

Manchester Airports Group has announced a ten-year, £1bn investment programme to double the capacity of Manchester Airport.

The Manchester Airport Transformation Programme is a series of 60 enhancements that will provide the millions of passengers that use the airport every year with facilities that combine a contemporary look and feel with state of the art services.

The key elements include expanding and reconfiguring Terminal 2 to become the airport’s primary terminal building, Terminal 3 will be improved to cater for an increased flight schedule, and a US pre-clearance facility will be introduced to allow passengers to clear immigration, customs, and agricultural inspection by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) before boarding their flight.

MAG stated that the improvements will be delivered inside the existing footprint of the airport and are consistent with the established guidance provided by the Manchester Airport Master Plan; that growth will be phased, incremental and making best use of the existing terminal campus area.

Manchester Airport is the UK’s third largest airport. With two runways, the airport already serves over 70 airlines and in excess of 210 short and long haul destinations.

It will also play a key role in delivering a Northern Powerhouse, with the airport currently supporting £1.8bn every year in economic activity in the local and regional economy. The airport already employs 20,000 people on site and supports a further 25,000 indirectly.

Chancellor George Osborne said: “The announcement of £1bn of private sector investment in Manchester Airport is a massive vote of confidence in the North of England and in our plan to build a Northern Powerhouse.

“The investment, which will completely transform Manchester Airport and double its capacity, will help ensure that it continues to compete with global airports across the world.

“It will play a key role in this one nation government’s plan to rebalance the UK economy and boost productivity‎ and is fantastic news for working people across the North.”

Charlie Cornish, chief executive of MAG, said: “Manchester Airport is thriving as a national asset, forming a key component of the UK’s aviation infrastructure at a time when airport capacity in the country is at a premium.

“The region in which the airport operates and serves has seen a pace of change in recent years almost unmatched by any other in the United Kingdom and we are proud of the role that we have played in driving economic growth – both across the North and the UK as a whole.

“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."

He added: “Over the next ten 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, said: "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."