Manchester Airport enjoys record-breaking April as summer season begins

Manchester Airport continued its record-breaking run with its busiest April yet.

More than 2.4m passengers flew through the UK's global gateway in the North during April - up from 2.2m in 2023 and 25,000 more than the previous record in April 2019.

The busy month was driven by the popularity of flights to city break destinations like Dublin, Amsterdam and Dubai - which are favourites all-year-round - and traditional holiday destinations like Alicante and Tenerife.

The Easter break marks the start of airlines' summer seasons with lots of flights to holiday destinations launching. And travellers embarking on trips from Manchester over the last month enjoyed great service with 93% of passengers queuing for less than 10 minutes to get through security.

Passengers can help make sure waiting times at the airport are kept to a minimum by following a few simple steps ahead of their trip and when they arrive at the airport. They are:

1. Arrive at the airport at the time specified by your airline - that usually two hours ahead of your flight for short haul, and three for long haul. Arriving too early can cause the airport to become too busy while arriving too late means you could miss your flight
2. Make sure you pack your bags in line with the luggage allowance of your airline. The size and weight of permitted bags, both in hold and hand baggage, can vary by airline and depending on your ticket. Avoid hold ups at check-in by measuring and weighing your luggage ahead of your journey
3. Make sure you've prepared your hand baggage do not have any liquids above 100mls. Liquids under 100mls need to be placed in a clear plastic bag and removed from your hand-baggage as you pass through security. Be ready to take electronic items like laptops out of your bag and are not carrying and other prohibited items. Medication above 100mls can only be brought through in hand baggage with a prescription or a doctor's note although there is an exemption for breast milk and baby formula
4. Dress appropriately - you will need to be able to take off outer layers like coats and jackets, as well as belts, some jewellery and in some instances shoes. Be aware that some fancy dress outfits can be challenging to remove for security
5. If you are travelling with children try to prepare them for the airport experience. The airport is an exciting place for young people but it can also be overwhelming
6. Above all, relax and enjoy the experience. Your holidays start at the airport so give yourself time to enjoy the shops, bars, restaurants and other facilities in the airport's terminals and make sure your trip gets off to a good start

Manchester Airport managing director Chris Woodroofe said:

"Here at Manchester Airport we're really proud to connect the North to the world. Over the last month it's been great to see so many passengers coming through, taking advantage of our unrivalled route network of more than 200 destinations that gives them more choice than any airport outside London.

"And the vast majority of those passengers have had a great start to their trips - with 93% waiting for 10 minutes or less to get to security. In fact, if you're travelling with hand baggage and check-in online, the chances are that you'll be able to arrive at the airport and walk straight up to security with barely any wait whatsoever.

"What that means is that you'll be able to start your holiday at the airport, heading straight into our departure lounges and enjoying the facilities we have on offer - whether that's the award winning architecture of the new Terminal 2, the brand new Gaming Point for fans of virtual reality and computer games in Terminal 1 or the wide range of shops, bars and restaurants all over the airport."

The top five most popular destinations for April were:

1. Dublin - 87,970 passengers

2. Amsterdam - 85,288 passengers

3. Dubai - 82,518 passengers

4. Alicante - 78,694 passengers

5. Tenerife - 72,324 passengers

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.

March saw significant changes to the airfield that will allow the airport to increase its capacity for aircraft and ultimately offer even more destinations to passengers.

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