End of an era for Manchester Airport as Terminal 1 closes

Terminal 1 at Manchester Airport has fully closed, following the 10-year transformation of Terminal 2, after first opening to the public in 1962.

Terminal 2 has doubled in size following a £1.3 billion investment by Manchester Airport, and now handles more than 75% of all passengers flying in and out of the North’s global gateway. Last year the airport served a record 32 million passengers and the records are continuing to fall this year with last month being the airport’s busiest February on record. Just over 2.05 million passengers flew into or out of Manchester Airport in February, up 2.3% on the same month in 2025.

Terminal 3, originally opened in 1989 as the Domestic Terminal before being renamed in 1998 as it began serving international flights, is now dedicated to Ryanair and is undergoing a revamp of its own. Work to expand Terminal 3 into space vacated through the closure of Terminal 1 is now well underway. This includes adding hundreds of new seats, a new bar called Sporting Chance that will open later this month and a new Italian restaurant.

As part of the redesign, more than 2,000 signs have now been changed, formally signalling an end to Terminal 1’s 64-year lifespan. Managing Director Chris Woodroofe marked the milestone by wielding a ceremonial padlock.

Manchester Airport Managing Director Chris Woodroofe said:

“While this is the end of an era for Terminal 1, it’s really the start of a whole new chapter for Manchester Airport.

“We’re proud to connect the North to the world and our £1.3bn investment in Terminal 2 means that we’re now bigger and better than ever – serving our passengers in a setting that rivals any airport Terminal across Europe.

“It’s also allowing us to continue our growth and operate more flights to more destinations every single day.  And we’ve achieved this at the same as making things more simple and straightforward for our passengers.

“All you have to remember now is that if you’re flying with Ryanair you’ll be flying form Terminal 3 and if you’re flying with anyone else, you’re going from Terminal 2.

“We talk a lot about the changes in Terminal 2 because what we’ve done there is amazing, but the changes in Terminal 3 will go far beyond changing the sign on the front door – although with over 2,000 signs to change that was quite a job!

“What we’re also doing is expanding and improving Terminal 3 by repurposing space in what was Terminal 1, so even though we’ve moved a number of airlines out, we’re still making Terminal 3 bigger and better.

“So as we move towards what will be another record-breaking year for us, I’m looking forward to welcoming passengers and hearing about their experiences of our new bigger, better and simpler operation.”