Manchester Airport sees record-breaking February passenger numbers

Manchester Airport has experienced its best February on record with 1.9 million passengers flying into or out of the airport, in part driven by holidaymakers seeking a getaway during the school holidays.

February 2024 is the third consecutive month to break passenger number records at Manchester Airport, highlighting the aviation sector’s recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic. Popular destinations included Dublin, Amsterdam and Tenerife, as well as Dubai and Qatar that offer connections to more far-flung locations.

Despite the record number of passengers, service levels at the airport remained high with every single passenger queueing for less than 15 minutes to get to security, with February marking the first time all three terminals at Manchester Airport have reached that target. 96% of passengers waited less than five minutes, the airport has reported.

Manchester Airport Managing Director Chris Woodroofe said: 

“We’re here to serve the people of the North and it’s clear that they are really excited to travel this year. We keep breaking our monthly passenger records which is great to see – but what’s especially pleasing is that we’re providing a really good service to everyone who travels with us, with no-one waiting more than 15 minutes to get to security.

“We’ve put a lot of work into making sure people’s airport experience is as seamless as possible including recruiting lots of extra security staff and making sure we remind people to plan for their journeys by remembering the things like not inadvertently bringing items that will slow their progress through security, like liquids in containers greater than 100mls.“

Looking ahead to the summer season, traditionally the travel industry’s busiest time of year, new routes continue to be added at Manchester Airport. The hub’s ongoing £1.3 billion Transformation Project will also reach a number of key milestones, including the announcement of new retailers, bars and restaurants to go in the new section of Terminal 2 and the activation of a new, state-of-the-art baggage system. Chris Woodroofe added: 

“The summer season is just around the corner and we’re really excited for everything that’s coming. We’ve recently seen our inaugural flight to Amman with Royal Jordanian Airlines take off, our first flights to Las Vegas take off in June and we have a few more announcements up our sleeves.

“All this comes as work continues on our epic Transformation Programme. Terminal 2 isn’t even finished yet and it’s already been named one of the most beautiful in the world. We’re confident passengers will get a great experience whether they’re travelling at Easter or later in the year.”