Mace lands job to build £440m second phase of Manchester Airport expansion

Mace has landed the job of building the second phase of the huge Manchester Airport expansion following the announcement of £440m in funding to complete the project.

The first phase of the £1.3bn Pascall & Watson-designed masterplan was built by Laing O’Rourke and opened in July 2021, doubling the size of the airport’s Terminal 2.

The second phase, which is due to complete in 2024, will see the remainder of the terminal modernised with new shops, bars, restaurants and lounges and the construction of a new pier.

All areas of the terminal, from check-in to baggage reclaim, will be given a makeover, and the airfield will also be upgraded to allow it to serve next generation aircraft.

Around 80% of all passengers will use the expanded terminal when it opens in 2025, and terminal 1, which was opened by the Duke of Edinburgh in 1962, will close.

Mace has been appointed as project management and construction delivery specialists for the work. Jason Millett, chief executive of the firm’s consulting arm said: “It’s fantastic to be delivering a project which will have such a significant impact on levelling-up the UK through job creation and enhanced connectivity.”

Manchester Airport Group chief development officer Paul Willis said the second phase of the programme represents the “concluding chapter of the most ambitious expansion project in the history of the airport, and in turn signifies a huge milestone for our city, the North and also the wider recovery of the travel industry.”

The airport said its current contribution of £3.5bn to the northern economy will increase by nearly 80% to £6.3bn b 2040 as a result of the expansion.

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Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham said the further £440m investment would “enhance Greater Manchester’s international credentials and make a major contribution to the northern economy”.

Henri Murison, chief executive of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, added: “This major investment will sit at the heart of plans to make the North one of the most competitive economic regions in the world, helping the North realise its full potential while rebalancing the UK economy.”

Last week Mace replaced Laing O’Rourke on the £200m Timber Square office scheme in London for Landsec.

Mace also picked up a £150m deal to build the Merck life sciences building at King’s Cross and another £150m office scheme on Berkeley Square called Lansdowne House.