Easter getaways see Manchester Airport’s passenger numbers continue to grow (+8% in April)

Manchester Airport has seen another month of growth, with an 8% year on year increase in its passenger numbers in April. It sees the annual rolling passenger total reach 28.8 million for the first time ever.

The UK’s third largest airport saw nearly 2.4m people fly through its three terminals last month as passengers jetted off over the Easter holidays. The most popular of the airport’s 210 destinations in April were Dublin, Amsterdam, Dubai, Tenerife and Alicante, as passengers enjoyed both sun and city breaks.

There was strong growth across a wide range of the airport’s extensive route network. Passenger numbers to Croatia were up 59.4%, Portugal saw growth of 35.3% whilst Finland was up 23.8%. Looking further afield, Jamaica saw growth of 38.9%, Mexico was up by 28.6%, Egypt by 28.2% and Singapore saw numbers increase by 25.3%.

This growth demonstrates the airport’s role as the UK’s global gateway in the North and shows the continued popularity of the northern hub, from both passengers and airlines, with several carriers increasing capacity and adding routes. This can be seen in Virgin Atlantic’s new Los Angeles service and El Al’s Tel Aviv route, both commencing in May. They join Thomas Cook Airlines and easyJet respectively who both already operate the routes.

Andrew Cowan, CEO at Manchester Airport, said: “April has been another busy month at the airport, with passengers enjoying the Easter holidays across our 210-strong route network. Now in the summer season, we’re seeing passenger numbers, capacity and destination offerings grow across our three terminals and it’s set to be our busiest ever.

“Passengers flying from Terminal Two in April were the first to experience the first phase of our £1bn transformation programme as flights began operating from our first brand new pier. I’m confident that this will improve the experience for passengers flying from there this summer, but it’s just a taste of things to come as next year we’ll be proud to open the new Terminal Two extension.

“As we continue to grow and invest in the future, we look forward to working with Government to maximise Manchester’s potential as the UK’s global gateway in the North through its Aviation Strategy.

“Manchester Airport has the potential to play an even greater role in driving growth across the North and rebalancing the UK in the process. We urge Government to commit to schemes like HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail, combining with our own commitment of £1bn investment, to make the North one of the world’s best-connected regions.”

14 May 2019