Passenger growth stays strong at Manchester Airport
MANCHESTER Airport has celebrated its 25th month of consecutive growth, with a host of new services driving passenger numbers close to the 2 million mark.
Just over 1.92 million people passed through the UK’s third busiest gateway in April. That’s an 11% increase on last year and sees the rolling annual total of passenger numbers climb to 23.7 million.
Jet2.com launched new routes to Krakow and Naples; Monarch Airlines launched services to Tel Aviv and Lisbon whilst other carriers commenced their summer timetables, significantly increasing the number of flights.
Buoyed by Easter holidays taking place at different times and the launch of the summer season, there were nearly 15,000 aircraft movements in April an increase of 12% compared to last April.
The airport saw large numbers of football fans travelling due to Manchester City and Liverpool FCs involvement in European competitions in April. It also welcomed Dortmund and PSG fans for the return legs of their Champions League fixtures.
Amsterdam, Dublin, Dubai, Tenerife and Alicante were the most popular destinations, as passengers chose a mixture of city breaks and sunshine routes.
Ken OToole, Manchester Airports chief executive, said: “It’s been another strong month for growth and it sets the tone for what we hope will be a record summer for Manchester Airport.
“April saw new route launches from Jet2.com and Monarch to the likes of Krakow, Naples and Tel Aviv and May sees the launch of direct flights to Los Angeles and Boston with Thomas Cook Airlines.
“There are many reasons people visit Manchester but football is one of the city’s key selling points and when fans are here, we know they go on to spend money in hotels, bars, restaurants, cafes and other attractions.
“It is pleasing to see the airport playing such a positive role in driving the visitor economy of the North West in this way.”
Freight was also up in April with a 9% increase, taking the rolling annual total to 104,228 tonnes.
The airport’s success story was mirrored elsewhere within Manchester Airports Group, with traffic up 6.7% group-wide and London Stansted airport seeing its 25th month of consecutive growth, and its highest annual passenger total since 2008.
