Travel
Manchester Airport’s Terminal Three is reopening this week to cope with passenger demand
It is hoped the reopening of Terminal Three will ease the delays experienced by passengers
Manchester Airport has announced it will be reopening Terminal Three in response to the ongoing delays and disruption.
Terminal Three was closed during the 2020 Covid pandemic, and was partially reopened to some arriving passengers on March 27th.
But now, bosses have made the decision to fully reopen the terminal to cope with the ongoing queues and delays caused by increased passenger demand.
As of this Friday (April 22nd), passengers flying out with Aurigny, British Airways, Eastern Airways, Iberia Express, Loganair, Ryanair and Vueling will check in at the Terminal Three entrance.
Chris Morgan / Geograph
All arrivals into the airport with those airlines will also go through the Terminal Three building.
The selection of restaurants and bars in the Terminal – which includes WHSmiths, Boots, Costa, KFC, Pork & Pickle and Lion & Antelope will also reopen, alongside the Duty Free section.
Read More: New photos show ‘chaotic scenes’ as abandoned luggage piles up at Manchester Airport
Despite the reopening of an extra terminal, however, airport bosses are still advising customers to arrive three hours before their flight and to be as prepared as possible to get through security checks smoothly.
For over a month now, the airport has been plagued by severe delays, resulting in thousands of passengers having to queue for hours at a time to get past check-in and security.
Following the sudden resignation of the airport’s managing director two weeks ago, Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham met with airport bosses to discuss a solution to the disruption.
In a statement, Burnham acknowledged that passengers have faced an ‘unacceptable experience’, before noting the importance of taking ‘every possible step to prevent a repeat’.
His statement read: “Some of the issues being experienced by Manchester Airport are beyond their control. However, that is not to say that other things could not have been done differently.”
Burnham then outlined the new measures to be put in place to help with the lengthy queues and delays, which include a huge recruitment drive, an increased police presence and improved communication between staff and passengers.
You can read his full statement here.