Manchester Airport has broken its all-time passenger record with 22.32m people flying through the airport in the last financial year – the most in its 77-year history, beating the previous 12-month record of 22.26m set in July 2006.
Manchester is the UK’s third largest airport and the record passenger numbers represent growth of 7.5% year-on-year, with March 2015 seeing growth close to 10%.
Ken O’Toole, managing director, Manchester Airport, commented, “This is a magnificent achievement, an historic milestone for Manchester Airport and UK aviation, as well as a huge boost for the economy and the North of England.
“We have worked closely with our airline partners to cement and maintain this continued growth, increasing capacity and frequency on existing routes, plus confirming new services, particularly to serve demand that exists from Manchester in the long-haul market.
“It’s great news that an increasing number of the 22 million UK residents living in our catchment area are choosing to fly from Manchester. With Manchester Airport having spare runway capacity we can offer those customers and airlines an alternative to travelling via a congested London airport.
“We have made great headway to unlock the spare capacity at Manchester Airport and are in talks with a range of carriers to further capitalise on the potential we offer in the short to medium term while the South East capacity debate evolves, as we continue to develop our role as the UK’s Global Gateway from the North.”