Manchester Airport Transformation Programme

[mullion]

I think it is to do with terrorists after an attack at Glasgow a few years back

 

[marni1971]

Can I have more on what the ‘sterile zone’ means? Is it that there need to be a certain distance between the bollards/concrete blocks that block the vehicles and the terminal building?
I always find it strange that a lot of UK airports has the drop-off lane closest to the terminal disused. I wonder if the “sterile zone” is the reason, and when and where this was implemented.
Annoyingly almost no airport took the effort to convert the disused drop-off lane to actual pavement or outdoor space, so we’re just left with the boring tarmac and inconvenient steps.

Like Mullion said, it’s after Glasgow airport in 2007. Terrorists tried to ram raid the terminal with an improvised car bomb. Since then they’ve made it harder to get a vehicle near the facade, and given extra space should anything happen in the existing drop off lane. And like you said, it’s left an ugly unused area when nothing aesthetic has been done. T2X has a better area with its bridges to the entrance doors where the drop off lane would have been, but they ran out of money too make legacy T2 look the same as originally planned. And of course also ran out of money to move most traffic onto the roof of the legacy MSCP like Heathrow T4 did.

Again, like you said it wouldn’t take much; just some level paving and some planters. And traffic management that you wouldn’t expect to see on the M6.

 

[MannyJon]

It's looks as though the traffic situation has not been thought through very well. Cars everywhere again this morning as I cycled in. People giving up and walking the last 400 meters with cases. Drivers getting irate, buses everywhere.
Daily occurance and I dread to think what it will be like when it gets busy.

 

[Trumpington]

Any indications when the last 'pesky' piece of concrete as as Mr Marni puts it opens on dual taxiway. Still Testing? Any indication of line painting yet?

 

[LS@MAN]

Any indications when the last 'pesky' piece of concrete as as Mr Marni puts it opens on dual taxiway. Still Testing? Any indication of line painting yet?

There are two areas left to open, taxiway Echo between pier B and taxiway Delta and the area between November-Bravo and November-Alpha (If my memory serves me correctly).
Unsure when tho…




M

 

[pendleton]

Metres

 

[LS@MAN]

Latest round-up of TP updates available now on social media.

 

[jamesg4568]

This morning around 8am at Manchester Airport T2 - queues of over an hour just to enter the terminal building! Not sure what was going on. A few weeks ago at 9am, nowhere near as busy and straight in and through security within 15 minutes of arriving. Back to the 2021/2022 madness?

 

[marni1971]

View attachment 33112
This morning around 8am at Manchester Airport T2 - queues of over an hour just to enter the terminal building! Not sure what was going on. A few weeks ago at 9am, nowhere near as busy and straight in and through security within 15 minutes of arriving. Back to the 2021/2022 madness?

Wow. I’d hope it was some sort of IT anomaly. Tesco

 

[LS@MAN]

View attachment 33112
This morning around 8am at Manchester Airport T2 - queues of over an hour just to enter the terminal building! Not sure what was going on. A few weeks ago at 9am, nowhere near as busy and straight in and through security within 15 minutes of arriving. Back to the 2021/2022 madness?

This is level 0, so either a lot more passengers are getting dropped off there or this is a queue for buses and/or taxis for arriving passengers.

 

[Trumpington]

This is level 0, so either a lot more passengers are getting dropped off there or this is a queue for buses and/or taxis for arriving passengers.

Oh dear, something must have gone tech!?

 

[Sean Fish]

View attachment 33112
This morning around 8am at Manchester Airport T2 - queues of over an hour just to enter the terminal building! Not sure what was going on. A few weeks ago at 9am, nowhere near as busy and straight in and through security within 15 minutes of arriving. Back to the 2021/2022 madness?

It looks like the eastern end of T2 level 0/Arrival level (judging from the unfinished indoor area on the right of the photo).
People entering the terminal here would be the huge wave of early morning arrival pax who want to get to the station via Skylink on level 2 (they have to go outside and re-enter because of the refurbishment work indoors), plus the morning departure pax who got dropped off on level 0 want to get to check in/security on level 2 as well.
Both parties have to use the two lifts which are currently the only means of getting from one level to the other (escalators are not finished unfortunately; there may be other lifts on the other end of the terminal but I don't think they are well signposted).

So either the lifts have formed a horrible chokepoint, or somehow the crowd mixed up with some queues for buses/taxis, and people started queuing without knowing what they were queuing for.

 

[Trumpington]

Oh dear, something must have gone tech!?

It looks like the eastern end of T2 level 0/Arrival level (judging from the unfinished indoor area on the right of the photo).
People entering the terminal here would be the huge wave of early morning arrival pax who want to get to the station via Skylink on level 2 (they have to go outside and re-enter because of the refurbishment work indoors), plus the morning departure pax who got dropped off on level 0 want to get to check in/security on level 2 as well.
Both parties have to use the two lifts which are currently the only means of getting from one level to the other (escalators are not finished unfortunately; there may be other lifts on the other end of the terminal but I don't think they are well signposted).

So either the lifts have formed a horrible chokepoint, or somehow the crowd mixed up with some queues for buses/taxis, and people started queuing without knowing what they were queuing for.

!!

 

[Rudney]

I think it's safe to say S26 is going to be tasty!

 

[Trumpington]

Viewing live streams...quite fascinating to see variety of airliners, carriers 'remote' parked overnight on Pier A, B and C. Shows how much remote parking is at premium these days!

 

[LS@MAN]

Viewing live streams...quite fascinating to see variety of airliners, carriers 'remote' parked overnight on Pier A, B and C. Shows how much remote parking is at premium these days!

Pier A? Are you referring to T3?
Yes, even though it’s a quiet time of year, it actually helps with T1 now being closed so remote parking can be used as a lot of aircraft are unused right now.

On another note stands 6,8 & 10 on pier B are out of use until late January due to WIP so this slightly reduces stand capacity at T1 remotes.
Work is now on-going at T3 stands 16,17 & 47 to enable these stands to be used by code C aircraft from next spring.

 

[LS@MAN]

The NOTAM for the follow me along the new dual taxiway system has gone as it was only valid until 27th November anyway, but noticing on the you tube live streams, the follow me vehicles are still in use…have the CAA not yet officially published the new routes?

 

[Trumpington]

The NOTAM for the follow me along the new dual taxiway system has gone as it was only valid until 27th November anyway, but noticing on the you tube live streams, the follow me vehicles are still in use…have the CAA not yet officially published the new routes?

Yes I noted that too? The 'unused' sections still marked off with barriers. Still testing, line painting maybe? There was a load of road sweepers parked on new concrete section next to Pier B, when Last watching live streams?

 

[MannyJon]

Yes I noted that too? The 'unused' sections still marked off with barriers. Still testing, line painting maybe? There was a load of road sweepers parked on new concrete section next to Pier B, when Last watching live streams?

That's the snow fleet isn't it.

 

[LS@MAN]

That's the snow fleet isn't it.

Yes, snow fleet indeed.
Unsure where they will be relocated once the new taxiway echo opens though…

Well...it's almost mid December, be interesting to see if the remainder of the TP (excluding Wetherspoons) will be complete and open before the end of the year. So we have:
* The remaining legacy T2 departure area.
* Domestic arrivals baggage hall and arrivals area (which is the T2 legacy arrivals area).
* Domestic arrivals new route from the VCC to the baggage hall.
* Dual taxiway system (Echo and Delta)…although this will be a partial completion. Available until taxiway November Bravo and then further towards Pier 1 later.
* Improvements to the drop off area at departure level - maybe relocate M&G and expand the drop off zone, also the slip road up to this level needs to be two lanes.

Thanks as always to the ever helpful @CCGE29, here is some info on the on-going works on the airfield:
There is WIP until late Jan 2026 on taxiway Lima and stands 6, 8 & 10 which, until complete, means the new section of taxiway Echo cannot open (between the STS hanger and Pier B).
Stands 309 & 310 are set to become operational by next summer (airbridge's already removed from these stands, but unsure if passengers can walk straight into the VCC or will be bussed?).
Stand 202 (where the current Jet2 building is) is a potential new stand in the future.

In T3...there is a new TP (although on a much smaller scale) with the new sports bar upstairs due to open in March 26. No real detailed info on what else we can expect in the expanded departure areas, but hopefully we won't be disappointed and improvements are also made to the arrivals areas too.
Stands 16 & 17 are currently being reconfigured to become 737M / A321 capable side by side (Code C). Stand 47 is closed for new concrete pouring and new pavement installation.
All these three stands are set to re-open by April 26.

Finally, hopefully the demolition of the cargo and freight sheds can begin early next year to make way for new remote stands (20 in total) and this would also mean the dual taxiway system can then reach it's full potential all the way to Pier 1 (taxiway Zulu).