Other improvements include a new immigration hall and a bus gate lounge for passengers.

The 83-square-metre digital screen will provide entertainment and information for passengers, while a new honeycomb light installation – a nod to the city’s worker bee symbol – in the departures lounge will offer 16 million lighting combinations.

A total of 15 new food and drink outlets will also open, while “dozens” of new retail premises are promised.

Following the initial opening, further facilities will start operating throughout the rest of the year including the first of some new “island” check-in desk banks and new baggage claim facilities.

As the various elements of the new extension open, the airport will start to close parts of the existing Terminal Two to allow for that area to be reconfigured. The fully fitted new terminal will open in 2022.

It will be 150% bigger once finished, while Pier Two will also open at that time and will be a similar size to Pier One.

It will have the capability to handle the world’s largest passenger aircraft, the double-decker A380, and will also include airline lounges.

Any final work related to the overhaul will be completed by 2024.

Andrew Cowan, chief executive at Manchester airport, said: “Our £1 billion transformation will allow us to continue playing our role as the UK’s global gateway in the north, offering our 29.5 million annual passengers and the entire region a world-class airport, connecting them to a wealth of vital economic and tourist hubs.”