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JD Wetherspoon Opens First Manchester Airport Pub as Terminal 2 Revamp Nears Finish
JD Wetherspoon has launched its first pub at Manchester Airport, a 300-seat venue called The Belle Vue, marking the last new food and drink outlet planned for the redeveloped Terminal 2.
The Belle Vue opened on 15 September and sits inside the upgraded Terminal 2, where a £1.5 billion (US$2 billion) transformation programme is entering its closing phase. It is the final new food and beverage unit scheduled to launch in the rebuilt terminal.
The pub's name comes from Manchester's historic Belle Vue showground, and its interior leans on the city's sporting past. Vintage event posters and memorabilia are displayed across the space, alongside a "locker wall" holding trophies and other sporting exhibits. Cricket motifs have been woven into the carpets and the bar panelling.
Manchester Airport retail director Richard Jackson described the opening as a proud moment, saying the arrival of the last new retail unit completes a facility that offers passengers a broad choice of places to eat, drink and shop.
With 300 seats, the venue is among the larger hospitality spaces added during the terminal's redevelopment. It is also JD Wetherspoon's first site at the airport, extending the pub group's presence into one of the UK's busiest aviation hubs.
The opening of the final planned outlet signals that the Terminal 2 build-out is close to completion, with the airport's retail and dining line-up now largely in place.