Manchester Airport

For other uses, see Manchester Airport (disambiguation).

Manchester Airport
File:Manchester Airport logo.svg
Aerial view of Manchester Airport
IATA: MAN ICAO: EGCC
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner	Manchester Airports Group
Operator	Manchester Airport Plc
Location	Manchester, England, United Kingdom
Elevation AMSL	257 ft / 78 m
Website	www.manchesterairport.co.uk
Map
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 05L/23R 3,048 10,000 Concrete 05R/23L 3,050 10,007 Concrete/ grooved asphalt
Statistics (2012)
Passengers 19,736,502 Passenger change 11–12 4.5% Aircraft Movements 168,883 Movements change 11–12 0.8%
Sources: UK AIP at NATS Statistics from the UK Civil Aviation Authority

Manchester Airport (IATA: MAN, ICAO: EGCC), is an international airport in Ringway, Manchester, England. In 2012 it was third busiest airport in the United Kingdom in terms of passenger numbers, and the 21st busiest airport in Europe. Manchester Airport is the largest outside the London region with over double the passengers of its nearest non-London rival, Edinburgh Airport. A Category 10 airport, Manchester Airport provides flights to over 200 destinations – more than any other airport in the United Kingdom. The airport comprises three terminals, a goods terminal and is the only British airport other than London Heathrow to operate two runways over 3,000 m (9,843 ft) in length.

The terminals are 7.5 nautical miles (13.9 km; 8.6 mi) south west of Manchester city centre. It officially opened on 25 June 1938 and was initially known as Ringway Airport. During World War II, it was called RAF Ringway and from 1975 until 1986 Manchester International Airport. The airport is owned and managed by the Manchester Airports Group (MAG), a holding company owned by the ten metropolitan borough councils of Greater Manchester, with Manchester City Council owning the largest stake. The airport has numerous transport links and is served by the M56 motorway and by Manchester Airport railway station which provides extensive rail connections.

The airport regularly handled Concorde and currently houses the British Airways G-BOAC flagship Concorde at the Manchester Runway Visitor Park. Ringway, which the airport was named after, still exists as a few buildings and church at the southern edge of the airport. The airport currently handles 20 million passengers annually and spare capacity exists for up to 50 million passengers annually. Vacant land exists for expansion, future developments include the £649,000,000 Manchester Airport City scheme aims to create logistics, manufacturing, office and hotel space adjacent to the airport and a new Metrolink tram line.

History

Main articles: History of Manchester Airport and Ringway, Manchester

Circa 1925 map of the area where Manchester Airport and Wythenshawe are now located

Manchester Airport (earlier called Ringway Airport) started construction on 28 November 1935 and opened partly in June 1937 and completely on 25 June 1938, in Ringway parish north of Wilmslow. Its north border was Yewtree Lane (on this map, the lane between Firtree Farm and The Grange, east of the crossroads marked "Ringway"). Its southeast border was a little west of Altrincham Road (Styal) (the lane from Oversleyford running northeast then east into the Styal area.)

During World War II it was the base for RAF Ringway, and was important in military aircraft production and training parachutists. After World War II, the base reverted to a civilian airport it gradually expanded to its present size. Historically, Manchester has consistently been the busiest airport after London Heathrow for a number of decades following World War II.

In 1972 the M56 motorway opened to the airport. In 1993 the airport railway station opened. In 1997 to 2001 its second runway was built, and caused large-scale protests in the area.

Future airport expansion

As part of the Government's 'The Future of Air Transport' White Paper, Manchester Airport published its master plan on its proposed expansion until 2030. Demolition of older buildings, such as old storage buildings, the old Alpha Catering Building and Males Garage, to the east of Terminal 3 has already begun, to make way for a new apron and taxiway towards runway 05L/23R, and an eastwards extension of Terminal 3, which is planned to provide 15 more covered stands. A full-length parallel taxiway may be added to the second runway, and more crossing points added across the first runway to improve ground movements of aircraft.

Passenger flow on Terminal 1's gating piers is due to be realigned, with plans to redesign the piers so departures and arrivals do not contraflow on the same level, allowing larger seating areas at the gates, express retail outlets, and a dedicated lounge and gating area for future Airbus A380 flights. Currently, Gate 12, Pier B has been upgraded to accommodate the A380, the only gate at the airport that can handle this aircraft so far. An early phase of this has seen the removal of the South Bay remote aircraft stands, constructed in 1962 between taxiways Juliet and Kilo, and as a result more recently re-aligning taxiway Juliet into an extended taxiway Bravo.

Terminal 2 is due to receive a major extension, to encompass current remote stands to the west. A satellite terminal is also projected for Terminal 2. Between twelve and fifteen covered aircraft stands will be made available by this. An air side link for transferring passengers between Terminals 1 and 2 is at the planning stage, designed in an effort to boost Manchester's chances of becoming a major hub airport and minimise missed connections.

All terminals have undergone a retail and airport security refurbishment programme, completed in summer 2009. The security control areas have new X-ray machines and passenger authenticity control systems, which will ensure a higher and faster passenger throughput, while improving security at the airport. In Terminal 1, the security area has been increased to 14 lanes, from the earlier 6-lane flow. The new security control areas are now in operation in all terminals. Terminal 2's security area is now on a newly constructed upper level, and Terminal 1's security area has been moved nearer the check-in areas. Consequently, the land-side retail shopping concourse before security has been removed in both terminals, to accommodate the expanded two-zone air-side departure areas, which directs passengers through large duty-free shopping areas. The new terminal layouts allow an increase in passenger numbers and a quicker easier flow of passenger movement.

Terminal 3 acquired an extra security control area in November 2007, near check-in area C, dedicated to passengers travelling to Common Travel Area (CTA) destinations. In January 2008, the usage was extended to all Terminal 3 passengers, with the exception of those destined for Frankfurt, Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport and Brussels. This new security control area is now used for all departures from Terminal 3; the old security area has now closed and the area which it once covered is now part of the Terminal 3 air-side departure lounge, housing the retail outlets Accessorize and Dixons Travel.

On 27 April 2008, it was announced that the Manchester Airports Group (MAG), which owns Manchester Airport and the regional airports at East Midlands and Bournemouth, planned to sell its majority stake of 87% in the smaller Humberside Airport, which it has run since 1999. The money raised from the sale would go into developments and expansion at its other airports, a large proportion of which will most probably be used to fund the above expansion of Manchester. However, this decision was later revised, and MAG decided to keep Humberside for the immediate future. Humberside was sold in 2012.

There also plans to create a business centre to help encourage businesses to set up in Manchester.

Expansion plans 2010 to 2030

In June 2010, Manchester Airport issued a document "The Need for Land" about how it wants to expand over the next 20 years. This expansion plan has caused protests: see Stop Expansion at Manchester Airport (SEMA). The five affected areas are:-

Area	Where	Use now	Planned use
Area A	A triangle of land between the A538 road and Runway 1 and the cargo terminal	Farmland; Ringway village; aircraft viewing area; a deep natural gully called Cottrill Clough	expansion of aircraft maintenance and cargo terminal. Clough area to be kept. The A538 to be diverted round the west edge.
Area E	A triangle of land west of the A538 up to the M56, with its west corner opposite Warburton Green.	Farmland including Oak Farm
Area B	A area north of Ringway Road and east of Shadow Moss Road	open land; Ringway Trading Estate	car parking
Area C	Land inside the M56 / M56 spur junction; land further east between the spur and Woodhouse Park	open land	hotel, offices, etc.
	The present northwestern airport car park	car park	aircraft taxiing and apron area. Thorley Lane to be diverted round its west edge.
	Land around Hasty Lane east of M56	houses; farmland
	Land around the current M56 spur	Haletop Farm; other houses; M56 spur	car parking and access. The M56 spur may be re-routed southwards.
Area D	land on both sides of Manchester Airport railway spur	open land, derelict market garden land	car parking
	Smithy Farm; land east of B5166 Styal Road around and inside railway spur junction	farm and various	offices, hotel, etc.

World Logistics Hub

This is a plan to build cargo sheds and goods handling on 90 acres of farmland on the southwest side of the A538 road next to the southeast side of the M56 motorway, across the A538 from the present cargo terminal, near Junction 6 of the M56. This will obliterate Oak Farm and Oak Farm Cottages, and the part of Sunbank Lane west of the A538. There are protests about this plan.

Terminals and destinations

File:Manchester Airport panorama.jpg

A panorama of Manchester Airport showing much of Terminal 1 and a portion of Terminal 3 (back right) as well as the control tower and taxiway.

Terminals

Manchester Airport has three passenger terminals (Terminals 1, 2 and 3). Terminals 1 and 2 are linked by the skylink, with travelators to aid passengers with the 10–15-minute walk. Terminal 3 is linked to Terminal 1 and the skylink by a covered walkway. The skylink also connects the terminals to the airport railway station complex (known as "The Station") and the Radisson BLU Hotel. The skylink started construction in 1996 and opened 1997. Expansion to the Radisson Hotel was completed in 1998 when the hotel opened.

Terminal 1 skylink

The airport provides regular direct flights to destinations worldwide by over 60 airlines. North American carriers at Manchester include American Airlines, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines and US Airways. The only scheduled UK operator serving the USA market is Virgin Atlantic. Airlines serving the Asian market include Air Blue, Emirates, Etihad Airways, Pakistan International Airlines, Qatar Airways and Singapore Airlines. Manchester was an international hub for BMI which offered several destinations from Terminal 3, however the airline withdrew its routes from Manchester to North America and the Caribbean, including to Chicago and Las Vegas during early 2009 for financial reasons.

The airport viewed from the south

Scheduled airlines with a base at Manchester include: BMI Regional, EasyJet, Flybe, Jet2, Monarch, Ryanair and Virgin Atlantic. Charter airlines with a base at Manchester include: Monarch, Small Planet Airlines, Thomas Cook Airlines and Thomson Airways.

Manchester Airport offers flights to over 190 destinations across the globe and 65 tour operators utilise the facility. Many of Manchester's overseas routes are served by charter flights to holiday destinations, some being seasonal. The proportion of scheduled passengers passing through Manchester has increased from 43% in 1991 to 68% during 2009.

Manchester also offers more destinations than some of the biggest airports in the US, including New York, Chicago and Dallas, although it is still slightly behind the three biggest 'hubs' in the global aviation network – Atlanta, Frankfurt am Main and Amsterdam – which each offer more than 250 destinations. However, Manchester serves more foreign destinations than Atlanta and Frankfurt (but not Amsterdam), although being much smaller in terms of total passengers handled.

Terminal 1

Terminal 1, AC tower and short stay parking complex.

Terminal 1 is used by airlines with scheduled and charter operations, flying to European and other worldwide destinations. It is the largest terminal at the airport. It was opened in 1962 by the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip and it is a base for EasyJet, Jet2, Small Planet Airlines and Thomas Cook. Some other airlines that fly out of Terminal 1 include Emirates, Etihad Airways, Lufthansa, Swiss, Turkish Airlines, and Air Transat.

The terminal has 29 stands, of which 15 have airbridges, and is the largest of the three terminals. Terminal 1's current capacity is around 11 million passengers a year. compared with an annual capacity of 2.5 million passengers when it first opened.

In summer 2009, a £50 million redevelopment programme for Terminal 1 was completed. As part of the overhaul, which took over 2 years, a new £14 million 14-lane security area opened during April 2008. The terminal's arrivals area has since been revamped with additional catering and retail facilities. Terminal 1's departure lounge has been expanded with a greater choice of shops and restaurants, following the virtual elimination of the landside area, and additional executive lounges have been added. Following the 2007 smoking ban, the indoor ventilated smoking room in the departure lounge was closed, however this was replaced in 2010 by a rooftop smoking terrace to allow passengers to smoke after passing through security.

Terminal 2

Terminal 2

Terminal 2 is used by a variety of airlines, operating both charter and scheduled flights to many European and worldwide destinations. It opened in 1993 and it is a base for Monarch, Thomson Airways and Virgin Atlantic. Some other airlines that use the terminal include Air Malta, Qatar Airways, Tunisair, United Airlines and US Airways.

Terminal 2 has 20 gates, of which 14 have air bridges. The design of the terminal makes it capable of extensive expansion; planning permission already exists for an extension providing additional gates, together with the construction of a satellite pier. Terminal 2's current capacity is around 8 million passengers a year, this will be extended to ultimately handle 25 million passengers a year. In 2007, an £11 million project commenced to redevelop Terminal 2 by improving security facilities and enhancing retail and catering services. This has resulted in the elimination of the land-side shopping area to allow for an expanded air-side departure lounge. The ground level arrivals area has also been redeveloped with improved catering and retail facilities. Like Terminal 1, following the 2007 smoking ban, the indoor ventilated smoking room in the departure lounge was closed, however this was replaced in 2009 by an external smoking area at Gate 300 to allow passengers to smoke after passing through security. The departure lounge also has an unsupervised children's play area at Gate 212. Terminal 2's new upper-level security area opened during July 2008 and the entire terminal redevelopment completed during autumn 2009.

Terminal 3

Terminal 3

Terminal 3 was known in succession as "Terminal 1 – British Airways", "Terminal 1A" and "Terminal 3 – British Airways and Domestic” before becoming simply known as Terminal 3
This Terminal now handles the majority of domestic routes from Manchester as well as some scheduled European flights and a few intercontinental flights.
The terminal was opened in 1989 by Diana, Princess of Wales as 'Terminal 1 Domestic' before re-designating as Terminal 3 in May 1998. It is now primarily a base for Flybe and Ryanair operations. Some other airlines that fly out of Terminal 3 include Air France, American Airlines, British Airways, BMI Regional, Brussels Airlines and KLM.

In June 1998, British Airways opened their new £75 million terminal facility designed by Grimshaw Architects, this being a major extension to Terminal 3, and became the primary user of the terminal along with their Oneworld partner airlines. More recently they have scaled down operations from Manchester Airport with the sale of their BA Connect subsidiary to Flybe; and the ending of their franchise agreement with GB Airways a business subsequently sold to Easyjet.In October 2008 the daily New York-JFK service was also terminated.This leaves a daily high frequency BA Shuttle serving London Heathrow . In codeshare with British Airways Oneworld Alliance partner American Airlines operations remain in Terminal 3 with daily flights to both New York- JFK and Chicago- O'Hare

Since taking over BA Connect's select routes, Flybe has gone on to add several more destinations. In 2012 Flybe introduced the “mini hub” concept co-ordinating the arrival and departure times of various domestic services throughout the day and thereby creating combinations such as Norwich-Manchester-Belfast, Glasgow-Manchester-Southampton or even Edinburgh-Manchester-Exeter, and others to be accomplished in each direction with conveniently short transfer times.

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

Jet2.com Boeing 757-200 takeoff from Manchester Airport

Manchester Airport is one of only two UK airports to see regular A380 flights

A large number of North American carriers serve Manchester

Ryanair Boeing 737-800 taxiing at Manchester Airport

Aurigny Air Services ATR 72-200 taxiing at Manchester Airport

Thomson Airways Boeing 767-300 takeoff from Manchester Airport

A Turkish Airlines Airbus A330-200 departs from Manchester

Thomas Cook Airlines Boeing 757-200 taxiing at Manchester Airport

Virgin Atlantic Airways Airbus A330-300 taxiing from Manchester Airport

Flybe Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 taxiing at Manchester Airport

Airlines	Destinations	Terminal
Adria Airways	Seasonal: Ljubljana	3
Aegean Airlines	Athens (begins 27 May 2013) Seasonal Charter: Kefalonia	1
Aer Lingus	Dublin	1
Aer Lingus Regional operated by Aer Arann	Cork, Dublin (begins 1 July 2013), Shannon	1
Airblue	Islamabad, Lahore	2
Air France	Paris-Charles de Gaulle	3
Air France operated by HOP!	Paris-Charles de Gaulle	3
Air Malta	Malta	2
Air Transat	Calgary, Toronto-Pearson Seasonal: Vancouver	1
American Airlines	Chicago-O'Hare, New York-JFK	3
Aurigny Air Services	Guernsey	1
Austrian Airlines operated by Tyrolean Airways	Seasonal Charter: Innsbruck	1
BH Air	Seasonal: Burgas, Sofia, Varna	1
Belavia	Seasonal: Minsk	2
BMI Regional	Aberdeen, Antwerp, Edinburgh, Lyon	3
British Airways	London-Heathrow	3
British Airways operated by BA Cityflyer	Seasonal Charter: Ibiza	3
British Airways operated by Sun Air of Scandinavia	Aarhus, Billund, Gothenburg-Landvetter	3
Blue Islands	Jersey	1
Brussels Airlines	Brussels	3
Brussels Airlines operated by Flybe	Brussels	3
Delta Air Lines	Atlanta	2
EasyJet	Alicante, Amsterdam, Athens, Basel/Mulhouse, Belfast-International, Berlin-Schönefeld, Bilbao, Copenhagen, Geneva, Hamburg, Málaga, Malta, Marrakech, Moscow-Domodedovo, Munich, Palma de Mallorca, Paphos, Prague, Reykjavík-Keflavík, Sharm el-Sheikh, Sofia, Tel Aviv-Ben Gurion, Tenerife-South, Venice-Marco Polo, Thessaloniki Seasonal: Antalya, Bastia, Corfu, Dalaman, Heraklion, Mykonos (begins 20 April 2013), Santorini (begins 15 May 2013)	1
EgyptAir	Cairo (begins 1 June 2013)	1
Emirates	Dubai	1
Etihad Airways	Abu Dhabi	1
Finnair operated by Flybe Nordic	Helsinki	1
Flybe	Aberdeen, Belfast-City, Düsseldorf, Edinburgh, Exeter, Glasgow-International, Hanover, Inverness, Isle of Man, Jersey, Knock, Milan-Malpensa, Nantes, Newquay, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Southampton, Waterford [begins 22 May] Seasonal:La Rochelle, Rennes Seasonal Charter: Almeria, Cagliari, Calvi, Chambéry, Geneva, Olbia, Lourdes, Innsbruck, Turin, Venice-Marco Polo, Verona	3
Flybe operated by Loganair	Norwich	3
Freebird Airlines	Seasonal Charter: Bodrum, Dalaman, Izmir	2
Germanwings	Cologne/Bonn, Stuttgart	1
Hermes Airlines	Erbil, Gothenburg-Landvetter, Stockholm-Arlanda, Sulaimaniyah	2
Icelandair	Reykjavík-Keflavík	1
Jetairfly	Seasonal: Palma de Mallorca (Begins 23 May 2013)	?
Jet2.com	Alicante, Budapest, Funchal, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Málaga, Murcia, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Prague, Rome-Fiumicino, Tenerife-South, Tel Aviv-Ben Gurion (ends 5 November 2013), Venice-Marco Polo Seasonal: Barcelona, Bodrum, Chambéry, Corfu (begins 20 May 2013), Dalaman, Dubrovnik, Faro, Geneva, Grenoble , Heraklion, Ibiza, Kos, Larnaca, Menorca (begins 6 May 2013), Nice, Palma de Mallorca, Paphos, Pisa, Pula, Reus, Rhodes, Salzburg, Split, Toulouse, Zakynthos (begins 22 May 2013) Seasonal Charter: Geneva, Kittilä, New York-Newark (begins 21 November 2013), Tromsø	1
KLM	Amsterdam	3
KLM operated by KLM Cityhopper	Amsterdam	3
Libyan Airlines	Tripoli	1
Lufthansa	Frankfurt, Munich	1
Lufthansa Regional operated by Eurowings	Düsseldorf, Hamburg	1
Monarch Airlines	Alicante, Barcelona, Faro, Fuerteventura, Gibraltar, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Larnaca, Málaga, Palma de Mallorca, Sharm el Sheikh, Tenerife-South, Venice-Marco Polo, Verona Seasonal: Almeria (resumes 4 May 2013), Antalya, Bodrum, Dalaman, Dubrovnik, Friedrichshafen, Grenoble, Ibiza, Innsbruck, Menorca, Munich, Paphos Charter: Cancún, Chania, Corfu, Heraklion International Airport, Hurghada, Kefalonia, Kittilä, Kos, Luxor, Orlando-Sanford, Preveza, Rhodes, Skiathos, Volos, Zakynthos Seasonal Charter: Geneva, Goa, Salzburg	2
Norwegian Air Shuttle	Oslo-Gardermoen, Stockholm-Arlanda, Stavanger	1
Nouvelair Tunisie	Seasonal Charter: Djerba, Enfidha	1
Onur Air	Seasonal Charter: Dalaman, Ercan	2
Orbest Orizonia Airlines	Seasonal Charter: Palma de Mallorca (begins 2 May 2013)	1
Pakistan International Airlines	Islamabad, Lahore, New York-JFK	2
Pegasus Airlines	Seasonal: Antalya , Dalaman,	1
Qatar Airways	Doha	2
Ryanair	Alicante, Bergamo, Bremen, Brussels-Charleroi, Budapest, Dublin, Faro, Girona, Gdansk, Katowice, Kraków, Lanzarote, Madrid, Málaga, Oslo-Rygge, Paphos, Riga, Rome-Ciampino, Rzeszow, Tenerife-South, Warsaw Modlin Seasonal: Béziers, Corfu, Ibiza, Murcia, Palma de Mallorca, Paris-Beauvais-Tillé, Reus, Tallinn, Tours, Trapani, Valencia	3
Scandinavian Airlines	Bergen, Copenhagen, Oslo-Gardermoen, Stockholm-Arlanda	1
Singapore Airlines	Munich, Singapore	2
Small Planet Airlines	Seasonal Charter: Chania, Corfu, Kos, Preveza	1
Swiss International Air Lines	Zürich	1
Swiss International Airlines operated by Helvetic Airways	Zürich	1
TAP Portugal	Lisbon	1
TAP Portugal operated by Portugalia	Lisbon	1
Thomas Cook Airlines	Alicante, Antigua (Begins 12 December 2013), Barbados, Cancún, Cayo Coco, Dalaman, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Funchal, Holguin, Hurghada, Lanzarote, Malta, Montego Bay, Orlando-Sanford, Paphos, Punta Cana, St Lucia (Begins 15 December 2013), Sharm el-Sheikh, Tenerife-South, Varadero Seasonal: Almería, Antalya, Banjul, Bodrum, Burgas, Corfu, Faro, Geneva, Goa, Heraklion, Ibiza, Lleida-Alguaire, Luxor, Izmir, Kalamata, Kefalonia, Kos, Larnaca, Las Vegas, Málaga, Minorca, Naples, Palma de Mallorca, Preveza, Reus, Rhodes, Salzburg, Santa Clara, Santorini, Skiathos, Sofia, Thessaloniki, Turin, Venice-Marco Polo, Verona, Zakynthos	1
Thomson Airways	Agadir, Alicante, Antalya, Barbados, Boa Vista, Cancún, Enfidha, Funchal, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Hurghada, Innsbruck, Lanzarote, Luxor, Málaga, Malta, Marrakech, Marsa Alam, Montego Bay, Orlando-Sanford, Paphos, Puerto Plata, Punta Cana, Sal, Salzburg, Santa Cruz de la Palma, Sharm el-Sheikh, Tenerife-South, Varadero, Verona, Seasonal: Almeria (begins 2 May 2013), Bodrum, Burgas, Catania, Chambéry, Chania, Corfu, Dalaman, Dubrovnik, Faro, Geneva, Girona, Goa, Grenoble, Heraklion, Ibiza,, Ivalo, Izmir, Kavala, Kefalonia, Kos, Larnaca, Minorca, Naples, Palma de Mallorca, Porto Santo, Preveza, Pula, Reus, Rhodes, Santorini, Skiathos, Sofia, Taba, Thessaloniki, Toulouse, Turin, Venice-Marco Polo, Zakynthos	2
Turkish Airlines	Istanbul-Atatürk	1
Tunisair	Tunis Seasonal: Enfidha	2
United Airlines	Newark, Washington-Dulles	2
US Airways	Philadelphia	2
Virgin Atlantic	Barbados, Las Vegas, Orlando	2
Virgin Atlantic Little Red operated by Aer Lingus	London-Heathrow	3

Cargo

A China Airlines Cargo flight lands at Manchester

Airlines	Destinations
Cathay Pacific Cargo	Dubai, Frankfurt
FedEx Express	Birmingham, Paris-Charles de Gaulle
FedEx Express operated by Air Contractors	Dublin, Glasgow-International, Liège, London-Stansted, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Shannon
Lufthansa Cargo	Frankfurt

Operations and statistics

Passenger numbers

Manchester Airport Passenger Totals 1997–2012 (millions)

Updated: 17 March 2013.

	Number of Passengers	Number of Movements	Freight (tonnes)
1997	15,948,454	147,405	94,318
1998	17,351,162	162,906	100,099
1999	17,577,765	169,941	107,803
2000	18,568,709	178,468	116,602
2001	19,307,011	182,097	106,406
2002	18,809,185	177,545	113,279
2003	19,699,256	191,518	122,639
2004	21,249,841	208,493	149,181
2005	22,402,856	217,987	147,484
2006	22,422,855	229,729	148,957
2007	22,112,625	222,703	165,366
2008	21,219,195	204,610	141,781
2009	18,724,889	172,515	102,543
2010	17,759,015	147,032	115,922
2011	18,892,756	158,025	107,415
2012	19,736,502	168,883	96,822
Source: United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority

Passenger numbers at Manchester peaked in 2006 when over 22.4 million passed through the airport. In 2012 around 19.7 million passengers used the airport, an increase of 4.5% compared with 2011, making Manchester the third busiest airport in the UK in terms of annual passenger throughput.

Busiest Routes

Busiest domestic routes to and from Manchester Airport (2012)

Rank	Airport	Passengers handled	Change 2011/12
1	London-Heathrow	792,831	3%
2	Belfast-City	279,917	-10%
3	London-Gatwick	194,568	−16%
4	Aberdeen	180,733	25%
5	Belfast-International	149,334	599%
6	Isle of Man	125,249	1%
7	Southampton	114,719	0%
8	Edinburgh	108,278	−9%
9	Exeter	64,049	54
10	Guernsey	63,200	−4%
11	Jersey	57,096	−28%
12	Inverness	50,988	4%
13	Glasgow-International	50,042	1%
14	Newquay	31,136	−18%
15	Norwich	28,778	9%

Busiest international Routes to and from Manchester Airport (2012)

Rank	Airport	Passengers handled	Change 2011/12
1	Dubai, UAE	692,126	9%
2	Tenerife South, Spain	674,328	0%
3	Amsterdam, Netherlands	669,681	9%
4	Palma de Mallorca, Spain	612,366	-5%
5	Dublin, Ireland	590,432	5%
6	Alicante, Spain	491,843	-14%
7	Málaga, Spain	487,697	8%
8	Paris-Charles de Gaulle, France	483,017	9%
9	Dalaman, Turkey	422,386	−7%
10	Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt	354,041	14%
11	Faro, Portugal	350,240	4%
12	Orlando Airport, United States	338,672	2%
13	Frankfurt, Germany	317,741	−2%
14	Munich, Germany	304,722	0%
15	Abu Dhabi, UAE	289,492	26%
16	Arrecife, Spain	288,798	−10%
17	Paphos, Cyprus	284,014	-3%
18	Doha, Qatar	244,845	8%
19	Ibiza, Spain	238,784	17%
20	Zurich, Switzerland	238,527	-21%
21	Copenhagen, Denmark	233,954	8%
22	Larnaca, Cyprus	209,014	-21%
23	Gran Canaria, Spain	178,299	4%
24	Antalya, Turkey	171,044	−16%
25	Malta, Malta	168,977	0%
26	Cancún, Mexico	168,047	1%
27	Philadelphia, USA	158,659	-3%
28	Düsseldorf, Germany	169,598	−7%
29	Mahon de Menorca, Spain	153,911	−9%
30	Islamabad, Pakistan	152,314	−13%
31	Brussels, Belgium	147,685	-7%
32	Orlando-Sanford, USA	145,933	1%
33	Geneva, Switzerland	144,878	-3%
34	Milas/Bodrum, Turkey	138,864	−21%
35	Barcelona, Spain	137,321	37%
36	Heraklion, Greece	136,160	1%
37	Fuerteventura, Spain	135,478	-9%
38	Budapest, Hungary	130,238	44%
39	Istanbul-Atatürk, Turkey	129,436	39%
40	Madrid-Barajas, Spain	128,598	116%

Maintenance bases

Manchester Airport is the home to the engineering bases of Thomas Cook Airlines and Monarch Airlines. Airlines such as Etihad Airways also have one of six maintenance bases worldwide in Manchester with their newly opened line maintenance facility.

World Freight Terminal

Antonov An-225 at Manchester Airport in 2006

Manchester Airport has a World Freight Terminal, serving cargo-only freighter services and cargo carried on regular passenger flights. It was opened in 1986, west of the original airfield. There is 550,000 sq ft (51,000 m²) of warehouse and office space on site, including a chiller unit for frozen products and a border inspection post. There are three aircraft maintenance hangars, with five transit sheds, operated by British Airways Regional Cargo, Swissport Cargo, Menzies World Cargo, Plane Handling and Servisair. There are over 100 freight forwarding companies on site.

Freight throughput at the airport grew from 94,000 tonnes in 1997 to the peak at 165,000 tonnes in 2007, but then declined to around 97,000 tonnes in 2012, making Manchester the fifth-busiest UK airport for freight behind London Heathrow, East Midlands, London Stansted and Gatwick airports.

Runways

Manchester Airport has two parallel runways, one, 05L/23R, 3,048 m × 45 m (10,000 ft × 148 ft) and the other, 05R/23L, 3,050 m × 45 m (10,007 ft × 148 ft). The original main runway, then designated 06/24 and initially 3,300 ft (1,006 m) in length, dates back to 1941 when the airport was used as an RAF base and a military aircraft assembly centre. It was extended in stages from 1952, reaching its current length in 1981 to attract long-haul international traffic. As demand and aircraft movements both increased during the mid-1990s, mainly due to the newly completed Terminal 2, the airport studied the option of a second full-length runway. A consultation process began and planning permission was approved in 1997, with construction work starting the same year.

The second runway, initially designated 06R/24L, opened in February 2001 at a cost of £172 million, and was the first full-length commercial runway to open in Britain for over 20 years. The site where the second runway was constructed was on the southern airfield boundary, which is near the village of Styal in the Cheshire countryside.

The project was deemed controversial because of the destruction of natural wildlife habitats and because of the added flight paths which lead to and from the second runway. This results in aircraft flying low over the residential areas of Knutsford and Stockport when landing or taking off, in particular landing aircraft which do not follow 'Preferred Noise Routes'. For the latter reason, Runway 2 cannot legally be used between the hours of 10 pm and 6 am. However, the airport has permission to use Runway 2 between these hours if maintenance work is needed on the original runway.

During the quieter off-peak times which occur during the day, the airport reverts to single runway operations, where the original runway, 05L/23R, is used to accommodate both landing aircraft and those taking off. On some occasions when the airport is not busy, air traffic control can authorise light to medium aircraft to takeoff from the halfway point of the runway. Runway 05R/23L is non-active during this time (10.30 am – 4 pm and 8 pm – 6.30 am) with fewer local residential areas being affected by the operation of only one runway.

Security

Manchester Airport is policed by the Greater Manchester Police. Several security-related incidents have occurred at the airport in recent years.

• In 2002, a security firm successfully smuggled fake explosives, detonators and genuine firearms onto a flight.
• In 2004, the BBC's Whistleblower programme revealed security failures at the airport, including faulty metal detectors and a lack of regular random baggage checks.
• In 2005, police used a taser on a man spotted acting suspiciously, on the apron, after he appeared to resist arrest.
• On 6 June 2006, Aabid Hussain Khan, 21, of West Yorkshire and a 16-year-old boy were arrested at the airport and later charged under Section 57 of the Terrorism Act, for conspiracy to murder and conspiracy to cause public nuisance by using poisons or explosives.
• On 24 July 2012,an 11-year-old boy went straight through security and managed to board the nearest boarding flight from security in T1 which happened to be a Jet2 flight to Rome. Halfway through the flight one passenger reported him to the Cabin Crew who then detained the boy at Rome and put him on the next flight back to Manchester.

Ground transport

TransPennine Express Class 185 arriving at Manchester Airport Railway Station

In the future Manchester Airport could benefit from construction of a dedicated high speed rail station linking the airport with the South and Central Manchester

Rail

Manchester Airport railway station, opened in May 1993, forms part of The Station and is located between Terminals 1 and 2. It is linked to the terminals using a Skylink moving walkway. Trains are operated either by Northern Rail or TransPennine Express and connect the airport to Manchester Piccadilly Station and other railway stations mainly throughout northern England, including Crewe, Wigan and Southport, but some trains come from as far as Edinburgh. A third rail platform was completed in December 2008 to allow for an increase in rail capacity. In 2009 Network Rail stated that the creation of the third platform has meant that the capacity at Manchester airport will become constrained by the layover of the trains and congestion at the throat. To solve this issue they have recommended building a line underneath the Airport towards Northwich in the 2019 to 2024 period. On the 28th of January 2013, the Government announced the station will be included in the 2nd stage of High Speed 2 which will give the airport direct links with other British cities like Birmingham and London and also a quicker route into Central Manchester.

Bus and coach

The Station is the airport's ground transport interchange and brings bus, coach and rail passengers under one roof. Over 300 trains, 100 coaches and 500 buses a day use the facility. Buses serve many locations throughout Greater Manchester, including the 24-hour bus service Skyline (service 43), which runs every 10 minutes (every 30 minutes at night) to Manchester city centre via Wythenshawe, Northenden, Withington, Fallowfield and Rusholme. There is also Skyline (service 19) operating every hour to Altrincham via Wythenshawe and Sale. A network of National Express coach services serve Manchester Airport and operate to destinations further afield, including as far as Dublin.

The bus and coach services that use the bus station and its Stand Letter are: (Places in bold are where services terminate)

Bus and coach services calling at Manchester Airport
No.	Operator	Destination	Stand
Bus services
18	Arriva North West	The Trafford Centre via Wythenshawe, Sale and Stretford	D
		Altrincham via Hale	K
19	Arriva North West	Altrincham via Wythenshawe, Sale and Ashton-upon-Mersey	G
43	Stagecoach Manchester	Manchester Piccadilly via Wythenshawe, Northenden, West Didsbury, Withington and Fallowfield	E
44	Hayton's Coaches	Manchester Piccadilly via Gatley, Cheadle, East Didsbury, Withington and Fallowfield	D
		Manchester Airport Cargo Centre	K
105	Stagecoach Manchester	Manchester Piccadilly via Wythenshawe, Northenden, Southern Cemetery and Moss Side	F
199	Trent Barton	Buxton via Stockport, Hazel Grove and Chapel-en-le-Frith	J
200	Swan's Travel	Wilmslow via Styal	H
		Manchester Airport Viewing Park	J
369	Stagecoach Manchester	Stockport via Wythenshawe, Heald Green, Cheadle Hulme and Adswood	H
X69	Stagecoach Manchester	Stockport via Heald Green, Cheadle Hulme and Adswood (one late night journey only)	H
Coach services
060	National Express	Liverpool via M62 motorway	B
		Leeds via Manchester and Bradford (some)	C
325	National Express	Birmingham via Stoke-on-Trent and Wolverhampton	A
		Manchester Chorlton Street Coach Station	C
328	National Express	Plymouth via Wolverhampton, Birmingham and Bristol	A
		Rochdale via Manchester and Oldham	C
333	National Express	Bournemouth via Stoke-on-Trent and Bristol	A
		Blackpool via Manchester, Bolton and Preston	B
336	National Express	Penzance via Stoke-on-Trent and Bristol	A
		Edinburgh via Preston, Lancaster and Glasgow	B
341	National Express	Birmingham via Wolverhampton	A
		Burnley via Manchester, Bolton and Blackburn	B
350	National Express	Liverpool	B
		Clacton via Sheffield, Nottingham, Leicester and Ipswich	C
380	National Express	Bangor via Liverpool	B
		Newcastle upon Tyne via Manchester, Oldham (some), Bradford (some), Leeds, York and Middlesbrough	C
381	National Express	Chester	B
		Newcastle upon Tyne via Manchester, Oldham, Bradford and Leeds	C
383	National Express	Edinburgh via Manchester, Oldham, Bradford, Leeds and Newcastle upon Tyne	C
422	National Express	London Victoria Coach Station via Birmingham	A
		Burnley via Manchester, Bolton and Blackburn	B
538	National Express	Coventry via Stoke-on-Trent, Wolverhampton and Birmingham	A
		Inverness via Manchester, Preston, Glasgow and Aberdeen	B
540	National Express	London Victoria Coach Station via M6 motorway	A
		Colne via Bolton, Blackburn and Burnley	B
880	Eurolines	Dublin via Liverpool and Holyhead	B

Road

The airport is a 20-minute drive from Manchester city centre and is reached by the M56 motorway, with a dedicated approach road from the motorway at junction 5. The M56 is the main route used by traffic to reach the airport. There are also minor local roads serving the airport from the north (Wythenshawe) and the east (Heald Green). The M56/A538 road junction serves the World Freight Terminal, to the west of the airport. The A538 runs east-west serving the local towns of Altrincham and Wilmslow.

Taxi ranks are situated by arrivals at all three terminals. Passengers driving to the airport can use the drop-off areas outside the terminal buildings, but when picking up passengers the airport requires that they park in the short stay car parks provided for a fee. Long stay car parks are situated both on and off site.

Parking

The airport's official short-stay car parking can be found in the multi-storey car parks adjacent to Terminals 1, 2 and 3. In July 2007 the airport introduced a 'No Waiting' restriction on all access roads surrounding the terminals. This was a direct result of the 2007 Glasgow International Airport attack and so all pick-ups must take place by using the short-stay car parks.

In 2009/2010 Terminal 1's multi-storey car park was refurbished. Each level of the car park is colour-coded. The floor, walls, ceiling and supports have all received a repaint with every parking space having a sensor and green light above it, with empty parking bays indicated by the green light.

Official long-stay on-airport parking from Manchester Airport is located near the terminals and serviced by a regular courtesy bus. There is one long-stay car park serving Terminals 1 and 3, and a separate dedicated long-stay car park for Terminal 2. In 2009, the airport opened JetParks – two long-stay car parks less than a mile from the terminals. This is a cheaper alternative to the on-site car parks and is serviced by a 24-hour shuttle bus every 15 minutes. The airport also operates a Shuttle Park for long-stay car parking, which is also served by a regular courtesy bus, and is located just off the airport site to the east of Terminal 3. There are several privately operated car parks within a short distance of the airport, served by shuttle bus.

Tram

A sign advertising the extension of the Metrolink to Manchester Airport

The Manchester Metrolink light rail system has had plans to extend to the airport for many years. When the idea of a congestion charge was mooted, part of the scheme was to have extended the Metrolink to the airport. However, when this was rejected the future of the scheme was in doubt. In 2009, it was announced that the line to the airport will finally be built. The airport line will be one spur of the line from St Werburgh's Road, to East Didsbury and Manchester Airport. The Metrolink line is due to open in 2012 and Manchester Airport's tram station is due to open in 2016.

Effect on the area; criticism

Expansion of the airport caused closures of public roads in the area.

• Early development closed Yewtree Lane, which ran across the modern terminal area.
• Building the goods terminal closed country lanes to the southwest of the airport area.
• The 1982 expansion cut the A538 road from Altrincham to Wilmslow and diverted it south through a tunnel under the runway: unlike with London Heathrow Airport not all the area is flat: to the south the land drops sharply into the Bollin river valley, and the runway extension needed heavy embankment building.
• Building the second runway put the A538 through another tunnel, and (this caused public protest and sit-ins) obliterated woodland in the Styal area. It also closed a through country lane from Styal southwest to the A538; traffic along that route now must make a long detour through the center of Wilmslow.

  Between 1997 and 1999 three protest camps were set up to oppose the building of the second runway, the felling of nearby trees on land owned by the National Trust in Styal, Cheshire and air transportation in general. Camps were set up in Flywood, Arthur's Wood and Cedar's Wood. Swampy, a well known activist, was among many protesters.

• Big eastward expansion of car parks obliterated much open land and the community of Heyhead.

The south west end of the new runway is closer to the town of Knutsford and to the village of Mobberley. There has been an increase in noise experienced by local residents from the aircraft being lower and closer and home owners have not been compensated by the airport.

In 2007 Manchester Airport wanted to build on further green belt land in Styal to increase its car parking. However, the former Macclesfield Borough Council refused to give them planning permission to do so and expressed annoyance at the airport for not investing enough in public transport. Macclesfield Borough Council have said that they would consider giving planning permission for a new car park on brownfield land. The airport did not make another application, despite claims that the number of parking spaces was insufficient for the number of passengers.

Despite public concerns about privacy and health risks, Manchester airport has introduced full-body X-ray scanners in all terminals. Under Department for Transport regulations these scans are now compulsory for all passengers who are selected to undergo the scan. Passengers who object to the scans will not be allowed to fly. The X-ray body scanners were removed in September 2012.

Incidents and accidents

• On 27 March 1951, a Douglas C-47A-75-DL Dakota 3 cargo aircraft operated by Air Transport Charter and en route to Nutts Corner Airport, Antrim, Northern Ireland, crashed at Heyhead shortly after take-off from runway 06, following the aircraft's failure to gain height. There were four fatalities – two of the three crew on board and two of the three passengers. The subsequent investigation found that the crash resulted from a loss of engine power, caused by ice forming in the carburettor intakes, attributable to the captain's failure to use the heat controls. An extended undercarriage and snow on the wings may have also been contributory factors.
• On 14 March 1957, British European Airways Flight "Bealine 411" operated by Vickers Viscount 701 (registration G-ALWE) inbound from Amsterdam crashed into houses in Shadow Moss Road, Woodhouse Park. The aircraft was on final approach to Runway 24 at Manchester Airport, and the crash was due to a flap failure, caused by fatigue of a wing bolt. All 20 occupants on board died, as did two on the ground.
• On 29 April 1957, a Miles Aerovan type 4 crashed on take off due to fuel pump failure 2 on board were killed including the female pilot.
• On 4 June 1967 – Stockport Air Disaster – British Midland Airways Canadair C-4 Argonaut (registration G-ALHG) was inbound from Palma and crashed near the centre of Stockport after loss of engine power due to fuel problems and an aborted approach to Manchester Airport, with 72 fatalities.
• On 20 March 1969, Vickers Viscount G-AVJA of British Midland Airways crashed on take-off. Three of the four people on board were killed.
• On 22 August 1985 – British Airtours Flight 28M – an engine failed during take-off from runway 24, the fire spreading into the cabin, resulting in 55 fatalities aboard the Boeing 737–236 Advanced G-BGJL. The uncontained engine failure was later traced to an incorrectly repaired combustor causing the turbine disc to shatter and puncture the wing fuel tanks.

Public attractions

Concorde BOAC in her hanger at the Aviation Viewing Park.

ex-British European Airways Hawker Siddeley Trident 3B preserved at the Aviation Viewing Park. Delivered new in 1971, G-AWZK flew for BEA and British Airways, retiring in 1985.

Manchester Airport has had public viewing areas since the airport opened to the public in 1938. The 1960/1970s pier-top viewing facilities have been closed because of security concerns. In May 1992, an official "Aviation Viewing Park" (AVP) was created just off the A538 road on the south-western side of the airfield. This was moved to the western side of the airfield in May 1997 to allow construction of the second runway. Renamed the "Runway Visitor Park" in June 2010, the facility is regarded as providing the best official viewing facilities for aircraft spotting at any major UK airport by aircraft enthusiasts. Visitors can view aircraft taking off and landing from both runways, and aircraft taxiing to and from the runways. This attraction now draws around 300,000 visitors a year and is one of Greater Manchester's top 10 attractions.

The visitor park also has a cafe and a shop selling aviation related items. Aircraft on display are:

• G-BOAC, a retired British Airways Concorde, once the flagship of the airline's seven-strong Concorde fleet. The project to build a hangar for the jet was delayed due to the discovery of protected Great Crested Newts on the site, which the airport is under obligation to rehouse at their own expense. The aircraft was moved into the hangar on 13 January 2009.
• The last airliner to be built in the UK, BAE Systems Avro RJX G-IRJX.
• The forward fuselage of Monarch Airlines Douglas DC-10 G-DMCA, which was retired in 2002.
• One of only two preserved Hawker Siddeley Trident 3B aircraft, G-AWZK in full BEA livery.
• A former RAF Nimrod aircraft. The aircraft was moved into place in April 2010.

Level 13 of the short-stay car park at Terminal 1 has another viewing location, popular with spotters for the last 32 years. As part of a recent refurbishment, the café and aviation shop which were once part of the viewing area have now been closed, with the aviation shop moving to the Terminal 1 arrivals area. The level (13) is now used as a car park for rental cars. The building that once housed the cafe and aviation shop is now the reception area/offices for the car rental companies. Spotting is still tolerated on level 13, and it is still a good place to take pictures of aircraft taxiing and parked up at Terminal 1, Terminal 2, the World Freight Terminal and the hangars. Terminal 3 stands are not visible from level 13; they are better viewed from the south side of the airport near Moss Lane.

The Airport Hotel is a public house operated by Robinson's Brewery, and is on Ringway Road about 0.5 mi (0.80 km) from the airport. Its beer garden overlooks the east end of Taxiway J and the eastern threshold of runway 23R which are only 50 ft (15 m) away and provides good views of east-west landing approaches and some take-off rolls.

References

Footnotes

Bibliography

• Scholefield, R. A.; MacDonald, Steve (1978). First and foremost: 50 years of Manchester's civic airports. Manchester: Manchester International Airport Authority. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Scholefield, R. A. (1998). Manchester Airport. Stroud: Sutton. ISBN 0-7509-1954-X. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)

External links

• Official website
• Manchester Airport Consultative Committee
• Manchester Airports Group (MAG) website
• History of Manchester Airport
• (9 megabytes) List of environmentally valuable sites in or near Manchester Airport
• Report describing the airport as it was in July 1993
• Geological findings while Runway 2 was being built
• Minutes of a Runway Two planning application meeting held on 8 January 1996