Once that process has been completed, Mr Woodroofe said Manchester Airport would not “pause for breath” before starting improvement work on Terminal 3.
Pressed on whether expansion of the airport was defensible due to environmental concerns, Mr Woodroofe said new technology meant a net-zero aviation industry by 2050 was “absolutely doable”.
On the ground, he said Manchester Airport was on track to become net-zero by 2038, while sustainable aircraft fuel, external was making flying less of an environmental problem.
Mr Woodroofe said: “Every aircraft flying in and out of Manchester Airport today could take half of its fuel as sustainable aviation fuel.
“New aircraft coming off the production lines can take 100% of their fuel as sustainable aviation fuel, and what that will do is bridge the gap in technology to 2040, by which time we expect to see hydrogen aircraft flying.”