Manchester Airport breaks another monthly record as passengers use new features for first time

More than 2.6m passengers passed through Manchester Airport last month, making it the UK’s global gateway in the North’s busiest April on record.

And among those passengers were the very first to use the new check-in area in Terminal 2.

Manchester Airport’s £1.3bn transformation programme began a decade ago in 2015.

Phase one of the project doubled the size of Terminal 2 by adding an extension to it. That opened to passengers in 2021 and has already won the UNESCO-backed Prix Versailles award for architecture and design.

Phase two of the project is due for completion this year and sees the old half of the building being brought to the up to the standard of the new part.

Last month some of the check-in desks in phase two opened to the public and some people tested the new security hall for the first time ahead of its full opening later this month.

Over the course of April, 99% of passengers waited for less than 15 minutes to get to security and more than 85% waited for less than five minutes.  

Manchester Airport Managing Director Chris Woodroofe said:

“It’s been really exciting to see the first passengers use the new check-in area in our award-winning Terminal 2.

“We’ve been working on this project for a decade and have spent £1.3bn on it and this is an important step as we near the end of our epic transformation.

“We’re proud to connect the North to the world and we’re now doing that through a brand-new Terminal that means we now rank alongside Europe’s biggest airports not just in terms of our size and route network – but also in terms of our facilities.

“And our plans don’t end with Terminal 2. We’ve got news coming soon about Terminal 3 as well as new routes being added all the time – including the launch of our new service to Mumbai with IndiGo, India’s biggest airline, which has chosen Manchester as its first European route alongside Amsterdam.

“So I’m pleased that more passengers than ever are choosing to fly from Manchester Airport – and I’m looking forward to welcoming all those who come in to see our developments over the coming months.”

The most popular non-connecting destinations for passengers in April were Alicante, Tenerife, Antalya, Malaga and Faro – as people from the North he ad to traditional Mediterranean holiday hotspots. Amsterdam, Dublin and Dubai are al ways popular with passengers thanks to their own attractions and their onward connectivity.

The most popular long-haul destinations were Orlando and New York.

Manchester Airport has set out its top tips for travellers using the airport over the coming weeks and months:

1.      Travel light – if you’re only going away for the weekend, take advantage of being able to pack less as it will save you money and time

2.      If you have hold baggage and live locally, check to see if your airline offers a day-before bag drop service. You’ll be able to park at the airport for free and drop your hold baggage off the night before meaning when you come to the airport the following day you can go straight to security

3.      Check-in online if you can – this will save lots of time at the airport

4.      Consider booking either our TimeSlot or Fast Track services. TimeSlot is available on all flights from Terminal 3 and lets you choose a time to go to security meaning shorter queues. Fast Track is available in all terminals and allows you to use a dedicated security lane that will get you to the departure lounge faster

5.      If you want to treat yourself, consider booking to use aether – our private terminal which is available as an upgrade to passengers flying with any airline

6.      If you’re being dropped off at the airport you can use our new barrierless drop off areas – these make the experience faster and more seamless – just remember to pay for using the area online or over the phone by midnight the following day

7.      If you live locally, why not use the Bee Network to get to the airport? Manchester Airport is the only UK airport with a dedicated train, tram and bus station and it is all connected to the Bee Network so people in Greater Manchester can tap in locally and tap off at the airport