Manchester Airport records busiest December on record
Image courtesy MAG
It is the first time the airport has ever served more than 2m passengers in December, with record numbers using it to make sure they were able to spend the festive period with loved ones, enjoy a city break or to escape the British weather for a bit of winter sun.
December was the third consecutive month that passenger numbers outstripped pre-pandemic (2019) levels.
Over the course of the month, service levels remained high with 99.3% of passengers getting to security in 15 minutes or less, and nobody waiting for more than half an hour.
The top three routes for the month were Dublin, Amsterdam and Dubai, all of which saw more than 90,000 passengers flying to them. Five Finnish airports also saw bumper numbers with more than 30,000 people heading to the Scandinavian country, many of whom will have been to see Santa in Lapland.
Chris Woodroofe (above), Managing Director of Manchester Airport, said: "We’re here to serve the people of the North and we’re extremely proud to be able to do that.
"More than 2m people flying through the airport during December is a record for us and it shows that we’re giving the people of the region what they want via our extensive route network – offering choice unrivalled outside London. This is backed up by service levels that see the majority of passengers not having to queue to get to security.
"Hot on the heels of our best summer ever, we have now embarked on an epic 18 months of continued improvement – culminating when the second phase of the Manchester Airport transformation programme completes in 2025. At this point, our brand-new, award-winning Terminal 2 will serve the majority of our passengers.
"Between now and then, though, we have a whole host of new announcements and developments for people to look forward to; from exciting new routes to the opening of a stellar new range of retailers, bars and restaurants.
"So, whether you’re travelling from Liverpool to Las Vegas, Bradford to Beijing or Carlisle to Cairo, 2024 promises to be another exciting year here at Manchester Airport."
The most popular destinations in December were:
- Dublin – 91,307 passengers
- Amsterdam – 91,053
- Dubai – 90,391
- Tenerife – 81,567
- Paris (Charles de Gaulle) – 67,309
Ski season is well underway at Manchester Airport – meaning the number of destinations the airport serves goes up to over 200 to accommodate winter getaways.
The airport is also preparing for the launch of a number of new routes including Virgin Atlantic flying to Las Vegas, making Manchester the only English airport outside London to fly direct to America’s West Coast, Royal Jordanian’s new service to Jordan’s capital Amman and Luxair’s flights to Luxembourg.
In November, Manchester Airport’s new Terminal 2 was recognised as one of the most beautiful airport buildings in the world by the prestigious Prix Versailles. The Prix Versailles is an independent, UNESCO-backed award that recognises excellent design and architecture.
It opened in 2021 and is part of the ongoing £1.3 billion Manchester Airport Transformation Programme. Although it has already been given the award, the project to completely redevelop Terminal 2 is only halfway through. By the time it is finished in 2025 the terminal will have almost doubled in size and serve nearly 80% of the airport’s passengers.
