Manchester Airport served over two million passengers in the final month of 2023, breaking the milestone for the first time in the hub’s history.
According to new data from Manchester Airports Group (MAG), which owns the airport as well as the fourth-largest airport in the UK, London Stansted, 2,022,905 passengers transited through the north of England’s biggest airport.
Manchester Airport has come a very long way, having been originally opened in 1938 to serve as a ‘ringway airport’.
Although this name is still used today by locals as a nickname for the airport, the hub has expanded impressively in the last 85 years.
Air travel numbers are nearing pre-pandemic levels
Ending 2023 with strong passenger numbers is further proof of Manchester Airport’s pull in terms of its airport experience and its fast-expanding route network.
Earlier in January, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) published up-to-date figures on air traffic worldwide, stating that the industry had returned to 99.1% of pre-pandemic levels as of November 2023.
This figure has been achieved thanks to the resilience and agility of ‘challenger’ airports like Manchester Airport, which continue to increase their market share of UK passengers.
Manchester Airport has a strong catchment area, serving the needs of the people of Lancashire, as well as Cheshire, with Nantwich only a 45-minute drive to Manchester Airport via the M6 and M56.
It could be even quicker if the dualling on the A500 commences.
Airlines are also moving to bring forward their new routes coming out of Manchester.
Following significant interest in its new service from Manchester to Porto, Jet2 opted to bring forward the service, with flights now scheduled to operate from this summer instead of summer 2025.
Manchester Airport is one of several hubs to offer flights with Jet2, with its Porto route set to begin with two weekly services from July through to November.
The accelerated launch of its Manchester-to-Porto route means Jet2 now flies to an impressive 59 destinations out of Manchester.
December 2023 was a record-breaking month elsewhere for UK airports
It wasn’t just Manchester and Stansted airports which reported a strong December for passenger numbers.
London Heathrow saw 6.69 million passengers fly in and out of the West London hub.
This too was Heathrow’s highest ever monthly traffic figures for the month of December. Heathrow’s annual passenger figures also totalled 79 million for 2023.
Meanwhile London Luton, which is the fifth largest UK airport behind Manchester and Stansted, saw 1.2 million passengers pass through its terminals in December.
This was narrowly down on the 1.3 million passengers it handled in December 2019.
Manchester and several other UK airports have revised their rules, ensuring families with young children will be able to enjoy a speedier experience at passport control.
Under the airport’s previous guidance, travellers aged 11 and under were prohibited from using ePassport gates, requiring families to queue for human-operated passport booths.
Following recent trials at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted, passengers aged ten and 11 will also be allowed to use the eGates which are controlled by facial recognition technology to welcome returning passengers or tourists through the UK’s borders.
This will be adopted in Manchester, as well as Bristol, Heathrow and Gatwick.
(pic licence free by Unsplash)
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