Site of the Concorde

A 2,574m² environmentally friendly Concorde Visitor Centre has been unveiled at Manchester Airport to house one of the UK’s most iconic aircraft.

The centre has been constructed for the Concorde G-BOAC, which originally went on display in the open air in April 2004 after its arrival at Manchester on 31 October 2003. The building intends to provide an indoor environment to protect the aircraft from the elements and allow visitors to learn more about its history.

Commenting on the opening, Willie Walsh, British Airways chief executive, said: ‘Manchester Airport was one of 60 high-profile locations worldwide that originally bid to give a home to a retiring Concorde. It gives me great pleasure to see the culmination of that bid today in this magnificent new exhibition area and visitor centre.’

Since the launch of its environmental plan in 2006, all of Manchester Airport's new buildings must comply with carbon efficient standards. The 2,574m² centre incorporates green technologies such as biomass heating fuelled by willow grown on site and a hangar that uses rainwater harvesting and solar panels to heat water in the system.

As well as environmentally friendly features, the centre includes a corporate hospitality suite, an education area for local schools and a glass-walled visitor restaurant alongside the aircraft.

Geoff Muirhead, chief executive of Manchester Airport, said: ‘The Concorde Visitor Centre is the first new building on the airport site to comply with strict construction standards as part of Manchester Airport’s commitment to having carbon neutral operations by 2015. The new building is not only home to a unique piece of aviation history, but it is also an important visual statement of our future low carbon ambitions.’