Manchester Airport has announced a multimillion-pound project to expand its Terminal 3, increasing the departure lounge by over a third and adding around 2,000 square metres of floor space for passengers. The project, revealed on Friday, will use space from the now-closed Terminal 1 and is part of the airport's multibillion-pound evolution.
Expansion Details and Timeline
The departure lounge at T3 will grow by more than a third, with the airport saying it will increase natural light levels and provide room for a range of new shops. A new Italian restaurant, called Terracotta, is set to open in the coming weeks. The exact costing of the T3 project has not been revealed, with some elements still being finalised.
Work on the airport's Terminal 2 began in 2017, with the extension opened in 2021 in a £1.3bn project that saw the departure lounge more than double in size. The second phase saw the original T2 building refurbished to match the extension. T2 now handles around 75 per cent of the airport's passengers.
Background and Recent Changes
The old T1, which opened in 1962, officially closed in March this year after all airline operations were moved to T2. Terminals 1 and 3 are joined, so parts of T1, including its security hall and entrance, have been incorporated into T3. The new plans will make use of space that was once part of the landside operation in T3, an area out of use since late last year.
T3 now serves Ryanair passengers exclusively and has been the subject of recent renovations, including the opening of the new Sporting Chance bar and the creation of a new entrance and security area.
Future Plans and Management Comments
The airport discussed renaming T3 to T1 but decided against it due to internal, external and airfield infrastructure issues, such as signage and road markings. The name T3 will remain for the time being, leaving the door open for a new T1 building in the decades to come.
Manchester Airport Managing Director Chris Woodroofe said: "Here at Manchester Airport we are proud to connect the north to the world - serving record-breaking passenger numbers via a route network that is unrivalled outside the capital. We've completely redeveloped our award-winning Terminal 2 through our £1.5bn investment and now we're turning our attention to Terminal 3. We've already made significant changes, but now we're ready to accelerate that work and provide more space and facilities for our Ryanair passengers."
A competitive tender to bring new retailers into the new T3 space will be launched, with the exact process and dates announced in due course. A spokesperson said: "Among the next steps will be a competitive tender to bring new retailers into the added space and details of the process will be announced in the coming weeks." No further details have been announced.
