Super September as shoulder season sun-seekers drive record month for Manchester Airport
Manchester Airport recorded its busiest September on record – hot on the heels of its busiest month ever in August
3.1m passengers travelled through the UK’s global gateway in the North – 1.4% higher than September 2025
Many of September’s passengers were couples and solo travellers taking advantage of ‘shoulder season’ deals to Mediterranean hotspots like Mallorca, Alicante and Antalya
Shoulder season also boosted travel to Orlando with almost 25,000 people picking up a bargain outside the school holidays
The UK’s global gateway in the North rounded out its most successful summer yet with a record-breaking September.
More than 3.1m passengers passed through Manchester Airport during the month – with 98% of travellers waiting for 15 minutes or under to get to get to security and 91% waiting 10 minutes or under.
September is traditionally a very busy month for Manchester Airport – but it sees a shift in the profile of travellers after the school summer holidays. While the majority of travellers during July and August are families, in September there is a rise in solo travellers and couples.
That is because holiday prices are typically between 20 and 40% lower than the peak summer months – but in most popular holiday hotspots the weather is still just as good as in August.
The most popular route during September was to Mallorca – with other mediterranean destinations like Alicante, Antalya and Tenerife making up much of the top ten. Among the most popular long-haul routes was Orlando, with almost 25,000 people heading to the Floridian favourite.
The busy month means Manchester Airport has seen its most successful summer to date thanks to its brand new, £1.5bn Terminal 2 now being fully open to the public, with the final retail outlet – its new Wetherspoon’s pub the Belle Vue – opening a few weeks ago.
Manchester Airport Managing Director Chris Woodroofe said:
“Seeing so many passengers passing through the UK’s global gateway in the North during September has been really exciting.
“One of the great things about having the UK’s strongest route network outside London is that we can continue to offer great value and choice into the shoulder season and beyond and we've seen our passengers taking advantage of that.
“During the summer we opened two exciting new options in our brand new, £1.5bn Terminal 2 in the shape of the Belle Vue - our first Wetherspoon’s pub - and our luxurious new Executive and Aspire lounges.
“It means our passengers can benefit from the full range of facilities in our super-terminal and I’ve been hearing great things about the new additions."
Over recent weeks there have also been some important travel announcements relating to the airport. Firstly, London Northwestern Railway announced it will introduce a new direct train service linking Birmingham and Stoke-on-Trent directly to Manchester Airport from next year.
Secondly, just this week, Network Rail announced a major £115m investment into the Manchester Airport station to boost connectivity. Once complete, the improvements will allow longer trains to serve the station and improve the way trains move in and out of it. The upgrades will strengthen Manchester Airport’s role as a gateway for business, tourism and international travel and support future passenger growth.
The work project will be delivered by the middle of 2028 and begins later this year. It will see the station briefly close to trains on Sunday, December 2026 for one day only as engineers begin work.