Record November as MAG marks key infrastructure milestones

• 4.5m passengers travelled with MAG in November, with numbers up at all three airports
• The Group had a rolling 12-month passenger total of 66m
• Strong operational performance continued as MAG prepares for busy festive travel period 

Manchester Airports Group (MAG) had its busiest ever November, with 4.5m passengers travelling through one of its airports, up 2.4% year-on-year. That brings the rolling annual total for the Group – which operates Manchester, London Stansted and East Midlands airports –to 65.9m passengers.  

November’s figures come as the UK’s largest airports group prepares for a busy Christmas period. Between 19^th December and 4^th January more than 3m passengers are expected to travel through a MAG airport. 

Manchester Airport saw a record 2.2m passengers travel through its terminals across the month, a 4.3% increase on the same month last year.  Passenger growth was in part driven by the launch of new long-haul services, including IndiGo’s direct service to Delhi, and Norse Airline’s service to Bangkok.  - Manchester is now the only UK airport outside London with a direct connection to both destinations. The Northern gateway’s rolling 12-month passenger total was up 4.5% compared to 2024, at 32m passengers.  

The airport marked key infrastructure milestone across the month, as it nears completion of its decade long transformation programme. Terminal 2’s Pier 2 became operational, increasing capacity which now sees 70% of passengers using the new facilities.  The airport’s new dual taxiway also went into operation, improving the operational efficiency of its two runways.   

 In November 2.1m passengers flew through London Stansted, which was 0.2% up on 2024.  The airport’s rolling 12-month passenger total is 29.9mm - up 1.3% on 2024.  

East Midlands Airport welcomed more than 170,000 passengers in November - an increase of 7.4% year-on-year. Demand for cargo services from the UK’s largest pure freight operation continued to rise. East Midlands handled more than 36,500 tonnes of cargo, an increase of 16.6% compared November 2024.  

Operational performance across the Group remained strong in the lead up to the busy Christmas travel period. 99% of East Midlands and London Stansted passengers passed through security in 15 minutes or less, the figure at Manchester Airport was 98%.  

Last week, MAG published its interim results for the six-months ended 30 September, where it posted record passengers numbers of 38m. The Group’s positive performance saw it post an adjusted EBITDA of £405.9m, up 7.4% year-on-year, alongside a profit before tax of £144.6m. This was on revenues of £850.6m, up 10.5% on the same period last year. To read more click here. 

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