Emirates set for record Manchester Airport passenger figures

UAE airline Emirates is on track for a record year at Manchester Airport, with demand for its Dubai service rising by 9.5%.

So far this year, 610k business travellers and holidaymakers have flown between the two cities, putting the carrier in line for a record 1m passengers for the 2016/17 financial year.

Emirates celebrated its first full year of operation at Manchester Airport in 1991, when it flew just 17k passengers from the region.

Since then, the company has carried more than 9m people to its UAE heartland and beyond, with some of its most popular destinations including Singapore, Mumbai, Bangkok and Perth.

To increase its footprint in the North West, earlier this year the airline announced a third daily A380 service that will kick off from January 1 2017 and raise its capacity by 11%.

Emirates’ vice president for the UK, Laurie Berryman, said: “Manchester was the second route launched in the UK and it remains just as important to our operations today as it was 25 years ago.

“Since 1990, Manchester has grown from a small regional airport to a vital gateway for the North of the country, and the demand we’re seeing for both travel and exports to Dubai and beyond has never been stronger.”

She adedd: “To hit the symbolic milestone of one million passengers will be hugely significant for us, and will only strengthen our commitment and contribution to the region.”

The commercial director of Manchester Airport Group, Stephen Turner, commented: “We’re incredibly proud of our relationship with Emirates and how the airline has flourished here over the last 25 years.

“The A380 has proved hugely popular with passengers and spotters alike since it started flying into the airport in 2010. The third daily A380 now puts Manchester on a par with London, Paris and Barcelona as some of the only European destinations to have an all A380 service.”

Stephen continued: “We’re looking forward to Emirates continuing to grow and celebrating many more milestones at Manchester Airport in the years to come.”

Today, Emirates employs a team of 30 permanent staff at Manchester Airport and over 350 at its Manchester-based European customer contact centre.