Manchester passes 26 million passenger mark
Staggered half-term holidays for children in the north of England and more winter flights from budget airlines boosted Manchester Airport’s passenger numbers to more than 26 million for the 12 months up to the end February.
As a result, Manchester is claiming it is now in the top 20 of Europe’s busiest airports.
A total of 1.66 million passengers used the northern gateway last month, an 11% rise over 2016.
In addition to more flights from the likes of Ryanair, Flybe, easyJet and Jet2.com, the airport also had more flights to long-haul destinations on offer.
February also saw Royal Air Maroc announce flights to Casablanca, Saudia Airlines announce flights to Riyadh and Ryanair announce a new route to Frankfurt.
Virgin Atlantic will start direct flights to San Francisco and Boston this month.
Manchester Airport CEO Ken O’Toole said: "It’s been another strong month of growth for Manchester Airport and passing the 26 million passenger mark is another important milestone for us.
"Growth has been delivered across the board, reflecting the fact Manchester is now one of the world’s top 15 airports when it comes to the number of different destinations flown to.
"It is particularly pleasing to see the continued growth of our long haul network with the announcements of new routes to Casablanca and Riyadh giving the 22 million people in our catchment area even more choice.
"Looking ahead, new services to San Francisco, with both Virgin Atlantic and Thomas Cook, will launch shortly and deliver a boost to leisure and business passengers alike."
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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