What does the future hold?
At the new ‘super terminal’, a two-level departures and shopping area will feature stunning views of the runways, and a host of plants and trees.
Seating areas will lead to an expansive ‘market’ with a large space for dining, restaurants and bars.
Other improvements include a new access ramp from the M56 Spur, giving direct access to the new departures forecourt, which will be on the existing car park roof.
There will be more space for aircraft as well as a huge new multi-storey car park.
The terminal will be carbon neutral, using free cooling technology and combined heat and power.
Forecasts show the doubling of airport jobs to 40,000 within 30 years - and adding 10m annual passengers in the next decade.
It’s hoped the project will bolster Manchester Airport’s place as a key airport in the UK and also attract airlines to add new longhaul routes to Asia and the east and west coasts of America.
It won’t come a moment too soon, as passenger numbers are booming, and as the airport has said here, ‘aspects of our infrastructure need updating and were not designed to handle the number of passengers they do today’.
In May alone, nearly 2.5m passengers jetted from Manchester, the UK’s third largest airport.
New long-haul routes are also on the rise, with a new direct service to Seattle launching in recent weeks, and a new route to Addis Ababa with Ethiopian Airways in Ethiopia providing a much-needed connection to Africa.
Jet Airways, meanwhile, will launch its direct flights to Mumbai from November - a huge coup for the hub and proof once again of Manchester’s vital place at the heart of this country’s aviation future.
With continued growth comes more scrutiny. Airport bosses say there is capacity for 55m passengers a year by 2050 doubling the number of travellers currently passing through its doors.