The Growing Popularity of Manchester Airport
Manchester is home to one of the UK’s busiest airports. Only Gatwick and Heathrow have a greater amount of passengers through their doors. But many of these people are now rethinking their travel arrangements… With all of the Manchester airport parking areas and modern facilities, it is a very appealing location to fly from.
The ‘Manchester International Airport’ first opened in 1938. However, it hasn’t always had the same name… Since it is located in the Ringway area of Manchester, its original moniker was (fittingly) ‘The Ringway Airport’ until the Second World War when it changed to ‘RAF Ringway’. So, it wasn’t until after WWII had ended that the more well-known ‘Manchester International Airport’ title actually came into being!
There are two runways at Manchester Airport and these are parallel to one another. The second one came under a lot of criticism from protesters, some of whom actually set up camps to delay the construction work. However, the runway finally opened in 2001 after accruing a bill within the region of £172 million!
Manchester International Airport has three interconnected terminals -
· Terminal 1- is Manchester Airport’s oldest (it opened in 1962) and is reserved for international flights. It is used by several airlines including; MyTravel, Jet2 and Monarch. Work is currently being carried out on this terminal to improve its baggage sorting system and to increase its overall capacity.
· Terminal 2 – opened in 1993, effectively doubling Manchester Airport’s international capabilities. It is also used for long haul flights as well as European trips. With 15 gates, this terminal alone handles an estimated 7.2 million passengers every year!
· Terminal 3 – was mainly kept for the use of British Airways; however, it is now home to several other airlines such as BMI, BMI Baby and Flybe. It was opened in 1989 by The Princess of Wales and it is the least busy terminal at Manchester Airport with a throughput of only (!) 5 million annual travellers.
Manchester International Airport has a fantastic level of accessibility; it even has its own railways station which is linked directly to terminals 1 and 2 by a moving footpath! Buses run regularly from the city centre to the airport and driving to it by car is also a straightforward matter. There are plenty of Manchester Airport parking facilities with passengers having a choice of on or off-site locations.
