Manchester Airport has its best February on record

Image courtesy MAG

Thanks to a bumper half term week, more than 800,000 of the month’s passengers travelled during the school holiday, a surge driven by people taking advantage of the first break of the year to seek sunshine in places like Tenerife, Alicante and Dubai.

The 2,012,134 passengers recorded in January is 5.9% up on last year – the previous best February on record.

The successful month sets the scene for what is set be another record-breaking year for the UK’s global gateway in the North – which will be further boosted by the announcement of a new route to India launching with the country’s biggest airline IndiGo in the summer.

It will make Manchester the only airport in the North with a direct route to India – the world’s fastest growing major economy. With more than 500,000 people with Indian heritage living within two hours’ drive of Manchester Airport, it is likely to be popular, as well as being a catalyst for trade, tourism and investment.

February also saw Manchester Airport delivering consistent good service to passengers, with 98% of passengers waiting less than 15 minutes to get to security – and over three quarters getting to security in under five minutes.

Manchester Airport Managing Director Chris Woodroofe (above) said: “Here at Manchester Airport, we are proud to connect the North to the world – so delivering a great service for our passengers during school holidays is really important to us.

“We’ve just recorded our busiest February on record – more than two million passengers – and that was driven by people putting their faith in us during half-term.

“And I’m happy to say that we delivered. Most of our passengers waited less than five minutes to get to security – that’s the kind of seamless experience we know families really value and helps them start their holidays at the airport.

“It’s set to be an exciting year. We’re looking forward to the completion of our £1.3 billion transformation programme and the full opening of our brand-new, world-class Terminal 2, which will become the airport’s main terminal and serve around 70% of our passengers.

“On top of that we’re continuing to add the new routes that people in the region want. Our new partnership with IndiGo means we’re the only Northern airport with a direct connection to India.

“We already serve more than 200 different destinations with 50 airlines but India is a fantastic addition. Not only is it an incredible place to visit and the world’s fastest growing economy, but it’s a great connection for the half a million people of Indian heritage who live within two hours of the airport.

“I’m looking forward to continuing to deliver for our passengers over the rest of 2025 and beyond.”