Manchester Airport serves 29 million passengers a year for the first time
- MAG, the UK’s largest airport group, saw a rise in passenger numbers to 6.2m passengers in June
- Growth at Manchester driven by increased long-haul and medium-haul traffic including to Qatar, Morocco and Egypt.
MAG, the owner of Manchester, London Stansted and East Midlands Airports, has this month seen a 1.8% year-on-year increase in passenger numbers, with Manchester Airport now having served 29 million passengers in a year for the first time in its history.
Passengers:
| Manchester | London Stansted | East Midlands | MAG |
Rolling 12-month total | 29,013,599 | 28,499,126 | 4,805,071 | 62,317,796 |
June 2019 total | 2,958,321 | 2,656,088 | 536,303 | 6,150,712 |
June 2019 % change year on year | + 3.8% | + 1.0% | - 4.2% | + 1.8% |
Cargo:
| Manchester | London Stansted | East Midlands |
June 2019 total tonnes | 9,442 | 20,626 | 28,771 |
June 2019 % change year on year | -7.3% | -4.7% | -7.5% |
Manchester Airport welcomed nearly 3 million passengers in June, an increase of 3.8% on June 2018, as the North’s global gateway reached a total of 29 million passengers served in the past year. Direct, long-haul connectivity continues to drive Manchester’s growth, with passengers on scheduled long-haul flights up 10.0% year-on-year. For example, the increased frequency of Qatar Airways’ service to Doha meant there was a 43.3% increase in passengers travelling to the Middle Eastern hub, with passengers travelling to Singapore increasing by 23.8%. Traffic to North Africa also drove growth at Manchester, with passengers travelling to Morocco increasing by 37.0%, alongside a 34.0% increase in passengers travelling to Egypt and 24.1% to Cape Verde.
London Stansted Airport continues to grow and saw an increase in passengers of 1.0% compared to June last year, as it welcomed 2.7 million passengers. The top three countries for passenger growth were Turkey (+31%), Portugal (+19%) and France (+ 14%). Growth was also boosted by the operation of 10 new routes compared to June last year, with destinations including Venice, Paris, Nantes, Kyiv, Lviv, Rijeka and Kristiansand.
East Midlands Airport saw a reduction of 4.2% in passenger numbers this month, but still welcomed well over half a million (536,303) to the airport, departing to popular European holiday destinations. The airport saw a 40.3% increase in passengers travelling to Turkey, alongside a 7.3% increase in passengers starting their summer holidays in Jersey.
Graeme Elliott, Corporate Affairs Director, MAG said: “Manchester Airport serving more passengers than ever before shows the benefits of an increase in competition and choice that our expanding long-haul network is delivering. With more connections to destinations on offer, Manchester Airport continues to demonstrate the key role it can play in rebalancing the UK economy, boosting inward investment and business opportunities into the Northern Powerhouse and further afield.
“The expanding route network across MAG’s airports means that more passengers than ever are using them to reach global destinations. Increased frequencies to global hubs and a more diverse selection of destinations across Europe is proving popular for both business and leisure connectivity.
“As we enter the peak of our summer season we’re focused on delivering the best service we can to make sure passengers find travelling through our airports an easy and enjoyable experience as they head off on their hard-earned holidays.”