Manchester Airport, the third busiest airport in the UK with an estimated 32 million passengers per year, is planning on expanding its third terminal.
The airport will increase the size of the departure lounge in Terminal 3 by over a third. This multimillion-pound project will increase the floorspace of the departure lounge by almost 2,000 square miles to create extra space for passengers, increase natural light levels and provide room for new shops to be built.
The development follows recent improvements to the terminal – which now serves Ryanair airline passengers exclusively – such as the opening of a new entrance and security area.
It also follows a £1.5 billion investment, over the last decade, towards the redevelopment of the airports award-winning Terminal 2. This terminal now accounts for almost 75% of the airport’s passengers, allowing for the old terminal, Terminal 1, to close.
Terminals 1 and 3 are joined, therefore parts of Terminal 1 – including its security hall and entrance – have been incorporated into Terminal 3 in order to improve it. The new plans will make use of space that was once part of the landside operation in Terminal 3 but has been out of use since late 2025.
Manchester Airports Managing Director, Chris Woodroofe, said that they are proud to connect the north of the UK to the world, and have seen record-breaking passenger numbers via a route network that is unparalleled outside London.