Light fantastic at airport
SNEAK PEEK AT AIRPORT’S NEW-LOOK TERMINAL 2
A SPECTACULAR light feature will tower over sun-seekers in the departures lounge waiting to jet off abroad from Manchester Airport’s new-look Terminal 2.
The M.E.N. was treated to a tour of the T2 extension site as it stands ahead of its scheduled opening to passengers next summer.
The majority of the new terminal is now being fitting out. And airport bosses took the opportunity to unveil the huge ceiling installation – which is set to be a stunning focal point of the terminal’s departures lounge.
The feature over the lounge’s main escalators is made up of nine hexagonal, colour-changing light panels. There are 16 million different lighting combinations.
The feature will largely remain set on a tranquil white, but will change depending on the time of the day, the airport said. The honeycomb design is a nod to Manchester’s worker bee symbol, which has grown in significance in the aftermath of the Arena atrocity.
An 83 metre-square digital video wall will also be positioned at the foot of the escalators to provide entertainment and information to passengers. And there will be a children’s play area for families.
The terminal extension spans roughly the size of 11 football pitches and is part of a £1 billion investment due to change the airport forever.
New computer-generated images showing passengers exactly what they can expect have also been revealed.
The first phase of the terminal extension is set to open in July, 2020.
That will involve a new security hall, the departures lounge, an immigration hall, an arrivals hall and a new bus gate lounge for passengers. Further facilities will then open through the year.
They include the first of three new ‘island’ check-in desks – and new baggage reclaim facilities.
There will be 60 check-in desks in the new hall, 20 per island. Passengers will be able to walk though from the existing T2 check-in to use the new facilities when they open.
Airline ticket desks will also feature, with a drop-off forecourt outside. The security hall will boast 10 security lanes, each 22 metres long. Airport bosses said 600 trays of passengers’ belongings would be able to be scanned an hour – which is said to be a ‘significant’ increase on current speeds.
State-of-the art body scanning will be in use in each lane. The airport said testing has already started.
New 3D scanning technology may also mean passengers would soon be able to keep liquids up to 100 millilitres and laptops inside hand luggage rather than putting them in
plastic bags or trays, speeding up the whole security process.
Andrew Cowan, CEO of Manchester Airport, said the airport was waiting for final government approval to be given to manufacturers ahead of installation.
The escalators under the light installation will link a retail level with restaurants and executive lounges upstairs. Virgin Atlantic is also building a new clubhouse lounge for the terminal.
The airport announced new shops in the departure lounge include JD Sports, WHSmiths and Dixons
Travel. Italian restaurant San Carlo Cicchetti, coffee shops Pot Kettle Black and Grindsmith, and fast food favourites Archie’s Burgers and Shakes and Barburrito will be among the new arrivals next year, bringing some local flavour to a lineup of 15 new brands at the airport.
The airport said ‘dozens’ of new retail outlets will also open when the existing terminal building reopens.
As the various elements of the new extension open, the airport will start to close parts of the existing T2 for a refurbishment.
The fully ‘reconfigured’ terminal – the ‘super terminal’ – will open in 2022, a massive 150 per cent bigger than the current building once finished. It will have 32 shops and food and beverage outlets in total.
The completion of that project will see the phasing out of the airport’s Terminal 1, which was built in 1962.
By 2050, it’s hoped as many as 55 million passengers will use the hub every year.
CEO Mr Cowan said: “Our £1bn transformation will allow us to continue playing our role as the UK’s global gateway in the north, offering our 29.5 million annual passengers and the entire region a world class airport, connecting them to a wealth of vital economic and tourist hubs.”
So far, £688 million has been spent on the project.