Manchester Airport contracts Spanish firm to install boarding bridges as part of £1bn redesign

GROWING: Manchester Airport

Once such company, ADELTE, announced last week that it had signed a contract with Manchester Airports Group (MAG) to design, manufacture and install 11 new passenger boarding bridges as part of the airport’s £1bn transformation programme.

The new boarding bridges will be installed in late 2018 and early 2019 as part of the first phase of the programme.

The 11 boarding bridges that will be gradually installed will be Apron Drive models with glass sided tunnels. In addition to protecting passengers from exposure to the often inclement weather in the north of the UK, ADELTE’s advance systems allow for more efficient and rapid turnarounds.

MAN-TP will provide millions of passengers and airlines with facilities that combine state of the art services with excellent customer service. With the new development complete, the airport will be able to grow alongside a thriving northern economy to handle 45 million passengers a year, an increase of almost 20 million compared to today. The new terminal building is expected to be operational by 2020.

The deal comes two decades after ADELTE first provided boarding bridges to the airport.

“We are enthusiastic about returning to Manchester and being able to participate in this ambitious project of transforming the infrastructure and facilities of this modern airport so that it can receive, in the best conditions the fast-growing number of passengers,” said Jordi Floreta, Vice President and Commercial Director of ADELTE.

Rob Stewart, Delivery Director for MAN-TP, said: “We are delighted to award this contract to ADELTE and look forward to working with them over the coming years to further enhance the customer experience at Manchester Airport”.

MAG serves more than 58 million passengers and handles almost half a million tonnes of air freight every year through its ownership and operation of the airports of London Stansted, Manchester, East Midlands and Bournemouth airports.

ADELTE Airport Technologies is an engineering company based in Barcelona.