Manchester airport terminal relaunched after £50m facelift
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.An airport terminal which underwent a £50 million revamp based on recommendations from psychologists was officially relaunched today.
Manchester Airport's Terminal 1 has been redesigned and renovated over the past two years to improve the flow of passengers and create one of the UK's largest airside shopping and catering facilities.
During the project, airport officials consulted with psychologists who observed travellers' body language and monitored their comments to identify 'stress points' and areas which could be improved.
A £14 million, 14 lane security area has been installed to reduce queuing times, and retailers have spent almost £15 million kitting out 52 shop units. A new spa and VIP area have also been constructed to offer passengers a more luxurious experience.
Andrew Cornish, managing director of Manchester Airport, said that despite some setbacks in the revamp process, the newly refurbished airport had a "bright future" ahead of it.
"Our terminal redesigns have had to withstand the test of time, with the liquid ban and the terrorist attack on Glasgow Airport in 2007 meaning we had to take them back to the drawing board several times."
He added: "We've seen retail growth outstrip the high street over recent years and many of our passengers have enjoyed the offering here at Manchester previously, but we wanted to significantly invest in it and now we will wait to see whether those changes have an effect."
Terminal 1 was opened in 1962 by the Duke of Edinburgh and now handles over 11 million passengers every year.
In addition to the changes launched today, a new Emirates lounge, boarding area and gates are to be added to the terminal in preparation for Airbus A380 flights which are expected to begin operating from Manchester within the next two years.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments