· Almost 2m passengers came through Manchester Airport in February – a new record for the month
· More than half those passengers travelled during the half term period as families sought out sun and city breaks
· Every single passenger queued for less than 15 minutes before reaching security
· Manchester Airport starts to gear up for Easter break by reminding passengers to prepare before they travel
Manchester Airport continues to break records – February was the third consecutive month with more passengers than ever before.
A bumper half term drove a strong month for Manchester Airport with 1.9m passengers flying into or out of the airport – more than in any other February on record.
Dublin was the month’s most popular destination with 86,000 travellers flocking for a break in the Irish capital. Dubai was second with more than 85,000 people travelling either to see the UAE city or to take advantage of its connections to sun-soaked destinations in Asia and beyond.
Despite the record number of passengers, service levels at the airport remained high with every single passenger queueing for less than 15 minutes to get to security.
It is the first time the airport has reached that milestone across all its terminals since it started tracking passengers as they wait to get to security. The vast majority of passengers – 96% - waited for less than five minutes.
With February half-term delivered, the airport is now focussing on a successful Easter break, which traditionally marks the start of the summer season. Passengers have been reminded that if they’re travelling this year they can help make sure that they get a good airport experience by remembering a few simple tips:
- Plan your journey to the airport – Manchester Airport is one of the best connected in the world with rail, tram and bus connections direct to the airport as well as being easy to access from the motorway. Check your journey beforehand so you’re aware of any delays
- Make sure your bags meet the requirements of your airline – both in terms of weight and size
- Arrive at the airport at the time specified by your airline – usually two hours before your flight or three hours for some long-haul destinations. Try to avoid arriving earlier as it’s likely you won’t be able to check-in and can cause overcrowding
- Prepare for security. Make sure you don’t have liquids of more than 100ml – or liquids in containers where the quantity isn’t clearly labelled. Any liquids below that should be put in a clear plastic bag of no larger than 20cm x 20cm. Wear shoes that are easy to take off and put back on, remember to remove your belt and any jackets and don’t wear any top layers that are tricky to remove. Keep your pockets free of non-essential items
- When packing your hand baggage, make sure electrical items like laptops are easily accessible as they will have to be placed outside your bag in a tray at security
Manchester Airport Managing Director Chris Woodroofe said:
"We’re here to serve the people of the North and it’s clear that they are really excited to travel this year. We keep breaking our monthly passenger records which is great to see – but what’s especially pleasing is that we’re providing a really good service to everyone who travels with us, with no-one waiting more than 15 minutes to get to security.
“We’ve put a lot of work into making sure people’s airport experience is as seamless as possible including recruiting lots of extra security staff and making sure we remind people to plan for their journeys by remembering the things like not inadvertently bringing items that will slow their progress through security, like liquids in containers greater than 100mls.
“The summer season is just around the corner and we’re really excited for everything that’s coming. We’ve recently seen our inaugural flight to Amman with Royal Jordanian Airlines take off, our first flights to Las Vegas take off in June and we have a few more announcements up our sleeves.
“All this comes as work continues on our epic Transformation Programme. Terminal 2 isn’t even finished yet and it’s already been named one of the most beautiful in the world. We’re confident passengers will get a great experience whether they’re travelling at Easter or later in the year.”
The most popular destinations from Manchester Airport in February were:
1. Dublin – 86,839 passengers
2. Dubai – 85,227
3. Amsterdam – 83,797
4. Tenerife – 78,552
5. Hamad International Airport (Qatar) – 61,045
In January the airport marked a year since work started on the final phase of its £1.3bn transformation programme. The airport’s brand-new Terminal 2 is already open but work continues and will see it double in size, meaning the modern facility will serve over 70% of the airport’s passengers when it is fully open in 2025.
The first phase of the project was awarded the prestigious Prix Versailles in November, which recognises it as one of the most beautiful airport buildings in the world.
Over the coming months the programme will reach a number of key milestones, including the announcement of new retailers, bars and restaurants to go in the new section of Terminal 2 and the activation of a new, state-of-the-art baggage system.
