The first
passengers have travelled through Manchester’s Airport’s newly expanded Terminal
2 today.
The expanded terminal, some 81,000 square metres bigger than before, features a giant media wall, a honeycomb lighting feature inspired by Manchester’s iconic worker bees and two new passenger lounges. It also includes a range of new shops, cafes, bars and restaurants including Archie’s, The Bridgewater Exchange by Joseph Holt and Pot, Kettle, Black.
Work started on the
transformation of the terminal, the centrepiece of the hub’s £1bn Manchester
Airport Transformation Programme, in 2017 but was delayed due to the pandemic.
The first flight
through the terminal was a Jet2.com flight to Menorca. The facility was officially
opened by Manchester Airport’s managing director Karen Smart and Jet2.com’s general
manager at Manchester Airport, Marc Burns.
Smart said, “This is a hugely
significant milestone for our airport, our city, the North as a whole and the
wider recovery of the travel industry.
“After a hugely
challenging 16 months, we are delighted to be delivering some positive news and
welcoming the first passengers into our new terminal extension.
“The impact of the
pandemic on the travel industry means we are not able to immediately welcome as
many customers and airlines into this fantastic new facility as we would have
hoped. However, as Government restrictions continue to be eased, and travel to
more destinations is opened-up in the weeks ahead, we will be making further
announcements about the carriers and retailers operating from terminal two.”