When was the last time the tent was used for the extra capacity required in departures then? I'm sure it has been used since 1996.
The tent wasn’t used to provide extra capacity but alternate capacity as most of the lounge was closed around 1996 due to the new floor being added. I think it was something like a 12 week project that took 20 weeks. In those days the duty free shop was still located in the round building that now contains gates 5 –8? When built the duty free shop had a vaulted quality wooden ceiling which was covered up with a false ceiling when the shop moved and the area became seating. There definitely hasn’t been a tent used since around 1996.
Gates 1-4, which is now the Ryanair lounge is still basically a large portacabin complete with wooden floor and was built I would say around 1998.
The last time a tent was used to proved extra capacity was around 1972-3 in the days of the Courtline Tristars. This tent can still be seen in one of the episodes of the Professionals that was filmed at LTN which is still being repeated now.