New US routes deliver passenger growth for Manchester Airport

New services connecting the North West with the east and west coasts of the United States have driven up passenger numbers at Manchester Airport.

In May, 2,244,180 people passed through the airport, up from 2,093,391 the year previous.

Bosses have attributed the 7.22% growth to airline Thomas Cook’s new services to Los Angeles and Boston, both of which kicked off last month.

The airport’s route network expanded further in May with the launch of carrier Jet2.com’s new route to Girona, Costa Brava.

May also represented Manchester Airport’s 26th consecutive month of passenger increases, with the facility’s rolling annual total hitting year-on-year growth of 6.58% at 23,881,688.

Manchester Airport CEO Ken O’Toole said: “It’s been another strong month of growth for Manchester Airport as airlines’ full summer flying programmes started to take effect.

“We were extremely pleased to celebrate the launch of Thomas Cook Airline’s services to Boston and Los Angeles. These long haul destinations are hugely important to our passengers who consistently tell us they’d prefer to fly direct, rather than connecting via another airport.”

He added: “Such services are sure to prove popular with leisure travellers, as well as delivering a boost to businesses wanting access to these key markets and, as the year progresses; we look forward to securing yet more vital routes for passengers across the North.”

The airport saw an increase of 11% in the total number of aircraft movements, at around 17.4k.

Further, the amount of freight handled during the month was 6% higher than in May 2015, at 9,265 tonnes.