Manchester Airport reports busiest month in 77-year history

Manchester Airport experienced its busiest month ever in August, with passenger numbers hitting an all-time high.

The facility welcomed 2.69m holidaymakers last month, an average of 86.7k every day, making it the busiest in the airport’s 77-year history.

Now, Manchester Airport’s rolling annual passenger total has been bumped up to 22.8m, putting it on track to surpass 23m by the end of 2015.

August represented a year-on-year increase of 7.66% in the number of scheduled international travellers passing through the airport, while charter travel saw an increase of 1.13% against August 2014.

The airport’s managing director, Ken O’Toole, said: “This has been a truly astounding summer and the number of people flying from the north of England has surpassed all forecasts, providing a boost for our airline, tour operators and retail partners, as well as creating jobs and boosting the local economy as a direct result.

“We continue to work hard to ensure services and capacity match the demand that continues to grow across our broad and diverse catchment area.”

Elsewhere, the number of private jets using Manchester Airport soared year on year by more than a third (around 36%). The airport has put the increase down to the transfer window signings of football clubs like Liverpool FC and Manchester United, as well as pop stars landing in the city for festivals being held in the North and Midlands.

Meanwhile, air freight rose by 6.27% and brought the annual rolling figure for cargo carried to 100.67k tonnes, which is the first time it has surpassed 100k since 2008.

Ken continued: “I’d also like to thank not only the colleagues who work at the airport to make sure all these planes and people can get where they need to be, but also to the people who chose to fly from Manchester Airport.

“As this, our strongest summer in history, which spans over three-quarters of a century demonstrates, Manchester Airport is [a] vital cog in rebalancing the economy and ensuring the Northern Powerhouse gathers speed and momentum.”

More than 17k flights touched down and took off at Manchester Airport in August, with an average of 570 aircraft using its runways each day.

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