The Manchester Airport Terminal 2 masterplan - what's there now, and what's on the way

Anyone who has flown from Manchester Airport Terminal 2 in recent times will know that a major transformation is underway. The largest of the three current terminals is in the midst of a £1.3bn programme of works that will ultimately see it double in size by 2025.

The first phase has already opened, with a raft of newly refurbished shops, Manchester food brands and high street favourites. Its design celebrates Manchester - from large bee sculptures in World Duty Free through to the illuminated beehive ceiling that dominates the central hub with a huge digital screen.

Bosses last week revealed the 22 new retailers that will join the current roster by this time next year which will see the full terminal double in size by next summer. It includes big name brands like Chanel, LEGO and Pandora, while on the food and drink side there will be the first Wetherspoons pub landing at Manchester Airport too.

READ MORE: 'I arrived hours early for Greater Manchester's controversial new Greggs and was left twiddling my thumbs'

The expansion will also see more airlines depart from Terminal 2, with a number swapping over from Terminal 1 and 3 in the weeks to come including Jet2, Lufthansa and Swiss. Ultimately, T2 will serve around 70 per cent of all the airport's passengers, with the old T1 then closing.

A major feature of the new half of Terminal 2, which is set to open in Summer 2025 when the second and final phase of the programme is complete, will be the Great Northern Market. This is a new 472-seat food hall bringing the best of Manchester’s street food scene to the airport, featuring six international street food kitchens and a unit by Manchester-based dessert brand Gooey.

It will feature a diverse range of world street food options including pizza, Mexican food, noodles and more. The offers will rotate regularly in line with food market trends and customer demand.

The food and drink line-up also includes a Greggs, Joe And The Juice and a Fever-Tree cocktail and champagne bar. They join the brands which opened in 2021 as part of the first phase of Terminal 2, which includes local favourites like fast-food restaurant Archies, Italian celeb haunt San Carlo, cafe chain Pot Kettle Black and brewpubs by Joseph Holt and Se7en Brothers.

All passengers using Terminal 2 will be able to access its existing range of bars, restaurants and cafes, and for those wondering how it will all link up, it will be through the current empty space that sits next to Boots in the main atrium inside the Terminal.

The luxury brands like Chanel and the Fever-Tree bar will be situated in a Boutique Mall, while LEGO, Pandora and Rituals will be located on a high street style shopping strip called The Avenue, which will link up with the existing departure lounge in the section of Terminal 2 that is already open. Units will showcase the best of the North, through the design of their stores and the range of products on offer.

Announcing the news, Manchester Airport’s retail director Richard Jackson said: “We are proud of the world-class facilities on offer in Terminal 2, and a key part of our vision for the finished terminal is to provide an unrivalled experience for passengers shopping and dining before they catch their flight. We’re delighted to be bringing such a varied offering to the second phase of our brand-new Terminal 2, with local brands complemented by well-known high street names and options to suit every budget.

“We’ve worked hard to make sure we’re bringing exciting, classic brands like Chanel and Pandora to the airport as well as Fever-Tree opening a statement cocktail bar and our very own LEGO store – while also making sure people have the brands they love to see in an airport setting like Wetherspoon and Greggs.

"On top of that our Great Northern Market will be a unique airport offering – allowing people to enjoy the popular ‘market hall’ style dining experience with a range of individual street food style pop ups around a central eating area. It will let groups of people dine together while being able to choose from a range of different and varied menus.”

There will also be a new main World Duty Free store, operated by global travel experience player Avolta, offering an extensive range of luxury and beauty brands, premium liquor, food, confectionery, souvenirs and gifts. Avolta will also continue to operate its existing World Duty Free store in the Terminal 2 extension.

For those who may not have been for a while, or simply want to know how it's all looking at the airport right now, we've compiled a list here of the shops, bars and restaurants you can currently find at the Airport, as well as the list announced so far of retailers that will open in 2025.

In terms of the newest openings this year at the Terminal, the most recent addition has been Giraffe, the family-favourite restaurant, on the upper floor. That will be joined in November by the first Pasta Evangelists restaurant, the famed London artisan pasta favourites.

To read our full round-up of the food and drink offering currently available at Terminal 2, click here.

Shops, restaurants and bars at Terminal 2 now

JD Sports

InMotion

WH Smith (plus new kiosk at the gates)

The Bookshop by WH Smith

Accessorize

World Duty Free

Boots

Barburrito

Pasta Evangelists (opening November 2024)

Pot Kettle Black

Pret A Manger

Archie’s

Apiary

Giraffe

San Carlo

The Evergreen

The Bridgewater Exchange

Amber Alehouse

(In arrivals - Costa, Starbucks, Travelex)

New shops and bars coming to Terminal 2 for 2025

Chanel

LEGO

Pandora

Rituals

Fever-Tree

Great Northern Market (food hall with seven independent street food kitchens and a bar)

Grindsmith by WHSmith

Amber Alley (extension to Amber Alehouse by Seven Bro7hers)

JD Wetherspoon

Joe And The Juice

Upper Crust

Starbucks

Travelex

WHSmith

World Duty Free

WDF Express (x2)

Which airlines are moving to Terminal 2?

As part of the transformation, a host of airlines will move across to the expanding Terminal 2 over the next couple of months.

The first airlines will move across from T1 and 3 to T2 on Sunday, October 27. These include Austrian Airlines, Lufthansa and Swiss.

TAP Air Portugal will move to T2 from Wednesday, October 30. Biman Bangladesh will move on Tuesday, November 5.

Jet2, one of the most popular airlines to depart from Manchester, will move on Wednesday, November 6. Both Iberia Express and Vueling will make the change Thursday, November 7.

Meanwhile, EgyptAir and SunExpress will move on Tuesday, November 12. And, Royal Jordanian will be in T2 from Wednesday, November 13.

Passengers with a car park or lounge booking for T1 or T3 who will now be departing through T2 have been asked to use the following links to let staff know:

• Car park - https://bit.ly/3zaWihH
• Lounge - https://bit.ly/4ehonCM