Home / Insights / Case Studies / Expanding Airport Security Services for Manchester Airports Group
The number of people travelling internationally has steadily increased, and there are now more passengers going through airport security than ever before. This increase in footfall has meant that airports across the UK have had to invest in infrastructure upgrades to meet growing demand, without compromising safety standards.
Manchester Airports Group is one organisation facing this challenge. In 2024, the Group reported that its three airport sites, London Stansted Airport, East Midlands Airport and Manchester Airport, served over 61 million passengers, beating all prepandemic records. All three sites required expanded security facilities to meet the ever-increasing numbers of passengers.
Supporting BAM, Premier Modular was appointed to deliver new modular security buildings across the three Manchester Airport Group sites. The project required a readily repeatable building design that could be installed quickly across the multiple locations, while maintaining consistent operational performance and keeping disruptions to the live sites at a minimum.
When it came to finding a solution for the new security facilities, we knew that modular construction was the right solution for this project. Working together we have developed a design that we can quickly and easily install across the MAG sites with minimal disruption to everyday operations.
Tackling construction projects on live airport sites poses a number of high-risk security and safety challenges.
Airports operate almost 24/7, with a number of strict safety protocols to keep the high volume of people on site safe at all times, so any building work must be carried out with minimal disruption. Workers, vehicles, and materials entering airport sites must also pass security screening and use controlled access points, which can slow work as it limits when equipment can be moved.
Manchester Airport Group needed new gatehouse-style security facilities to house body scanners and baggage screening areas, supporting upgrades to existing infrastructure across its estate. In addition to delivering the buildings quickly, the design had to be standardised so that it could be easily re-created across multiple airport sites and was fit for passengers and security staff well into the future.
Delivering a building solution that could meet strict airport security requirements, whilst also easily replicated across multiple sites, needed a flexible and innovative construction approach.
Working closely with BAM, our team delivered a full design, build and fitout of a modular gatehouse-style security facilities for London Stansted Airport, East Midlands Airport and Manchester Airport. Consisting of 42 modules across all sites, the new buildings were fitted with equipment for body scanning and baggage screening for passengers.
We manufactured the modules offsite, which significantly reduced the amount of construction work required on airport sites. This approach also minimised disruption and provided a flexible delivery schedule, avoiding the need for multiple security screening checks, as deliveries could happen at pace and within each airport’s designated timeframe. Offsite modular construction allowed the buildings to be installed in a matter of weeks once delivered to site, helping reduce disruption within the airports’ operational environments
We also developed a standardised building blueprint which could be replicated across all sites, enabling the facilities to be delivered at speed and consistently across the Manchester Airport Group estate, providing a scalable solution that can support ongoing infrastructure and security upgrades as passenger demand continues to grow.
Skip to content