Manchester Airport Transformation Programme

[LS@MAN]

Thanks again for the detailed info Marni1971 much appreciated
If they refurbished Pier C for low cost airlines maybe it wouldn’t be so bad...if that’s possible with no airbridges for the likes of EZY...
I do hope pier B at least goes...1962 come on MAG bin it!!

 

[tattyd]

Marni, it sounds like they went to a lot of effort to take about stands - both the remotes ("fully featured gates without a jetbridge") and also pier B ("split the stands between terminals"). I'm not sure of the significance of labouring these points. Any idea? Is there some kind of computer system all T2 stands need to be hooked into? What does splitting a stand mean? When is a remote not jetbridgeless gate? etc...

Thanks for the earlier answer re: pier lengths. Agree it seems MAG themselves are unsure of a lot of the details. Desperately hoping for a longer pier 2 as well...

 

[RhysTheBeast]

Hmmm... Very interesting indeed... Thanks for the update Marni! I am still convinced that the best option going forward would be to extend T2 all the way across to T3 and possibly a Pier 5 added with T3 being the end Pier if you will. Possibly even extend T3 further towards the Airport Pub. What do you guys think?

 

[LS@MAN]

I would personally love the see T2 extend to T3 after a demolition of T1, but I can’t see MAG removing all of T1.
Ref extending towards the airport pub, I think this has already been discussed and due to underground utilities in that area I think the cost was too high...at least for the next 10+ years...
Apart from being tight arses I fail see to see why they would keep 1962 pier B and 1970’s Pier C...I arrived back from Prague a few weeks ago on a jet 2 flight 757 fully loaded, we parked at stand 8 and had to wait in the pouring rain because it took an age for everyone to get through the narrow single door after we had gone through a shelter that resembles a shitty, minging & leaking inner city bus stop!

 

[mullion]

Remember if you close a pier you have to have somewhere to put flights whilst it is being rebuilt, if it was rebuilt it may have to be done in stages so as to keep part of it open at all times, I am sure there are plans that we are not privy too, remember Easy and the low cost airport don`t require airbridges and are not worried if you get a bit wet or windblown. If they could rebuild the pier it would be totally different now as it was built in an era when passengers could freely mix and I know this caused/s massive problems and I think we all know the pier is not fit for purpose but what do you do at the moment, my guess is wait till T2 is finished

 

[RhysTheBeast]

If I remember correctly, it was said that T1 was no longer fit for purpose, and they would be looking at that after the Transformation Project was completed. If that is indeed the case, then we would have something to look forward to after all this is finished.

 

[marni1971]

I would personally love the see T2 extend to T3 after a demolition of T1, but I can’t see MAG removing all of T1.
Ref extending towards the airport pub, I think this has already been discussed and due to underground utilities in that area I think the cost was too high...at least for the next 10+ years...
Apart from being tight arses I fail see to see why they would keep 1962 pier B and 1970’s Pier C...I arrived back from Prague a few weeks ago on a jet 2 flight 757 fully loaded, we parked at stand 8 and had to wait in the pouring rain because it took an age for everyone to get through the narrow single door after we had gone through a shelter that resembles a shitty, minging & leaking inner city bus stop!

Like this?



I don’t recall where I got this and will say this is not happening any time soon!

 

[marni1971]

If I remember correctly, it was said that T1 was no longer fit for purpose, and they would be looking at that after the Transformation Project was completed. If that is indeed the case, then we would have something to look forward to after all this is finished.

Whilst T1 is admitted by the TP team to be outside of their remit (same for T3) they have commented that several options were being looked at for its future; demolition, selective demolition, and/or a scrape back to the frame and rebuild for repurposing.

 

[Scottie Dog]

MANTP Update #103 - (9th August-9th September 2019)

Here is last week's update for you, courtesy of the MANTP Team to whom full credit is given.

Part 1
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[Scottie Dog]

Part 2

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Idlex - (International Departure Lounge EXtension) - The Operations team are moving into the tower in this location.
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[tattyd]

I flew through T2 earlier today and somehow convinced my better half to arrive at the airport 1 hour earlier than we needed to get there (which was already ungodly early) to take a look around the construction work! I've got a lot of pictures so bear with me if I have issues uploading them all...

T2 check in

View of the almost-entirely cladded baggage hall from the walkway:

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It's been almost 14 years since I was last at T2, so I took some time to look around the check-in hall. I know that MAG's plan to keep most of T2Classic's superstructure in place has caused consternation amongst this group, me included, and I agree it looks pretty damn ugly on the outside. However I think the inside space has promise. With a gut renovation inside I think we can get it looking pretty darn good. The high ceilings help.

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Security was a mare. Once through, some shots of MAG's new wayfinding signage. Black is becoming a theme for them, and I'm here for it. Much more contemporary than the yellow-on-dark-blue previous used. Also, note first mention of A gates. The different font size for 'premium lounges' makes my eyes bleed a bit.

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The temporary walkway is accessed from the far corner:

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Temporary walkway across the front of T2X

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After doing a dog-leg around what I assume is some construction, you're then walking along the back of T2X. Very quickly you hit the base of Pier 2.

I title this set, in true PlaneTalk fashion, "Bus gate lounge progressing"

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Here's a very clear view of the various bus loading bays. I think this bus gate facility is actually going to be pretty great. Reminds me of the one at FRA's B gates.

 

[tattyd]

Where Pier 2 and the bus lounge will connect to the main T2X building:



While we're here, we need to have a word, MAG about these "floor to ceiling glass windows". The large grey borders above the windows are very noticeable and are too low to be hidden behind a ceiling. Missed opportunity.



Shortly we hit the end of T2X and enter the link to Pier 1 via a snazzy set of ramps (behind the constructions hoardings you can also see steps up to a mezzanine level). Aha! This must be where they're keeping all the glass...



Link to Pier 1. Travelators felt new. Otherwise unremarkable.



A shot down NA (I think?) with the pier 2 stands under construction



Taken from the same position, looking at pier 1. Now, I know we were all initially disappointed with all the cladding but I have to stay the dark-grey-almost-black pier looked FAB. Really smart and contemporary. Generally, I loved the exterior of the pier.



Close-up of the much-vaunted head of stand equipment on 104. How nice does this pier look, especially with those big windows?



Another angle down the pier:



Just before turning left into the pier, we have this quiet little corner. What a difference some taller windows make. Also, study the ceiling here because I'm going to talk about it in a bit...

 

[tattyd]

Pt 3 - "Enter the Pier-verse"

We've seen a lot of these basic establishing shots before. My overall impressions were:

- Definitely felt airy and spacious. Transformative experience compared to flying out of 204 later on.
- Love where MAG are going with the minimalist visual design, all the black looks great. Hoping the later piers refine this design further.

- The floor feels really cheap and is a missed opportunity (tiling a la Heathrow would feel nicer)
- I was there around 6:45am, morning sun was definitely streaming in through the windows. Despite that, it still felt a bit dim (by virtue of being a low and wide structure), so I can see needing artificial lighting all day.
- Heaters shaped like bins are indeed everywhere. I saw a staff member assisting a small child who was trying to throw some rubbish in one



The centre baffling is actually more brown / wood effect than the publicity shots make it out to be



The windows are everything they've been made out to be, and are fantastic.



My biggest gripe remains the ceiling. Exposing the sloped corrugated metal is in such stark contract to the clean and neat central baffling that it just makes everything look unfinished and cheap. Extending the baffling / slats across the width of the building would be much cleaner and fit with the modern/minimal aesthetic they're after. As-is it feels messy and unfinished. (See the ceiling in the link pier, in my previous post, for an example)



One thing I loved was the visual accents. The male/female/toilet/wheelchair icons are elevated off the wall and glowing in white, which looked awesome. Great to see little touches like this! Also, the black cladding on the toilets looks great. It almost doesn't need that diagonal white slash.

Fun toilet fact - there's no doors, you just turn a corner to enter. You can definitely spot people leaving the urinals and and washing their hands from the pier Hand dryers are tiny and futuristic.



The gate numbers also glowed.



105 I think? Note the state of the art stoplines... "A221", "A223", "SU95"

Also, view of remote stands in the background.



Stand 108 ready for action. Remotes under construction in the background. These jetbridges really look lovely.

 

[tattyd]

Pt 4 - some bonus content

An example of a roof done well, elsewhere in T2:



Taxiing past Twy E under construction. Arriving aircraft had to do a detour around the construction site. This SQ A350 took an age to make its way to the gate:



Completed parts of Twy E, I think?

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Looking back on the taxiway under construction:

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Bonus - a 737 MAX graveyard by the hold for 23R:

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Thanks for reading!

 

[Scottie Dog]

Thank you @ttyd for your very full and complete T2 photographic experience, it's great to see your photographs together with your comments and thoughts as you moved through the facilities.

 

[marni1971]

@ttyd I’ll second Scottie’s comments. Very nice thank you. I was going to do the same soon but you beat me to it!

 

[Scottie Dog]

MANTP Update #104 - (16th August-16th September 2019)

Update is courtesy of the MANTP Team, to whom full credit is given.

Part 1
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[Scottie Dog]

Part 2
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[Scottie Dog]

More T2X photos courtesy of battenfobs on SSC

Level 4 shopping restaurants area top of elevator. No progress on the main ceiling for around 3 weeks as the lads are on another job.(ceiling fitters) The restaurants areas are having their floors installed and are blank canvases at the moment.

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[tattyd]

Thanks for the updates Scottie! Happy to provide my earlier pictures - glad they were entertaining to somebody! It was a lot of fun finally travelling through the new facilities.

Question about forum etiquette - recently we've been speculating about the wider airport masterplan (T3 renovation, T1 demolition, etc) - is this still the correct topic to do that in or should we start a new topic for that?

I'd love to engage in a bit of crayonista-style speculation with the folks here, although I note this thread's subject line of 'T2 work only'.