Laing O’Rourke is main contractor on the job which will see Terminal 2 become 150% bigger and become the focal point of the airport’s operations.

A new video tour of the site gives passengers the chance to glimpse into the airport’s future.

The first pier has been built and over 70% of the steelwork has been erected on the terminal extension.

It is one of the biggest construction programmes in the North of England and there are currently 1,200 people working on site.

At the peak of the project, at the beginning of 2019, it is expected that nearly 1,500 people will be working on site.

Since the first spade went in the ground, £185m has been spent with SMEs in the supply chain within a 35-mile radius of the airport.

So far on the project, on the terminal extension and pier:

• 14,500 pieces of steel have been installed
• More than 6,700 components such as precast concrete delta beams, wall panels, and mega-risers have been manufactured offsite ready for on-site assembly
• More than 41,000m3 of concrete have been placed
• 1,745 miles of cable have been placed

Whilst out on the airfield:

• Over 35,000sqm of lean mix and pavement quality concrete (PQC) has been placed, the equivalent of five football pitches
• A further 55,000sqm of pavement quality concrete will be laid in the first phase
• Around 10,000m of ducts for Aeronautical Ground lights (AGL) and power have been constructed
• The first airfield stands were handed back in May and June

Andrew Cowan, CEO of Manchester Airport, said: “Walking around the site, you really get a scale for how big the project is and the benefits its delivering for not only people securing jobs on the site but also the companies from across the North working on the scheme.”

The first pier is set to open to passengers in April 2019. At 216m long if it was stood upright it would be the tallest building in Manchester.

The terminal extension is on course to open in 2020.

Looking further ahead, after the terminal extension the next pier is scheduled to open in 2022 and the refurbishment of the existing Terminal 2 building will also be completed that year.

Terminal 1 is currently scheduled to close by 2023 with the third pier set to open in 2024. Once completed, Terminal 2 will have capacity to handle over 35 million passengers a year.

Bryan Glass, Laing O’Rourke Project Director, said: “We’re on schedule to deliver the transformation of Terminal 2 and that certainty of delivery has been driven by our offsite construction approach, with elements of the project manufactured offsite and assembled by our expert project team and technicians.”

Galliford Try is working on the airfield civils.

Colin Abbot, Galliford Try Aviation Director, said: “We have achieved a tremendous amount in just one year.

“We have developed a meticulously planned programme of works on the airfield that allows the airport to remain fully operational, whilst we deliver a larger and more efficient layout of the new and existing aprons and taxiways with new lighting and services.

“Galliford Try are incredibly proud to be working on this project that will see it transform Manchester Airport for years to come.”