Manchester passengers top 28 million for first time
Manchester Airport handled 28 million passengers for the first time following a 6% year-on-year rise in traffic in October when more than 2.5 million passengers passed through its three terminals.
That brought the rolling annual total for the 80-year-old airport to 28,022,344 passengers.
CEO Andrew Cowan said: "Hitting 28 million passengers is another significant milestone for the airport. Our growth means more choice for passengers, more jobs for people across the North and more economic and trade opportunities as we connect Manchester with key global destinations."
Last week saw the launch of Jet Airways’ direct flight to Mumbai, which left Manchester 96% full.
Ryanair, easyJet and Jet2.com have all added capacity for winter, plus Ethiopian Airlines will launch flights to Addis Ababa in December.
In October, there were a total of 18,192 aircraft movements at Manchester, an average of 587 flights per day.
October also saw the airport celebrate three major milestones on its £1 billion transformation programme: a topping out ceremony to mark the extension to Terminal Two reaching its highest point after just more than a year of construction; a bridge connecting the terminal extension to the new car park was lifted into place; and
the main structural work was completed on the multi-storey car park.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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