Manchester Airports Group, the owner of Manchester, London Stansted and East Midlands Airports, has this month seen a 1.8% year-on-year increase in passenger numbers, with Manchester Airport now having served 29 million passengers in a year for the first time in its history.
Manchester Airport welcomed nearly three million passengers in June, an increase of 3.8% on June last year, as the North?s global gateway reached a total of 29 million passengers served in the past year.
Direct, long-haul connectivity continues to drive Manchester?s growth, with passengers on scheduled long-haul flights up 10.0% year-on-year. For example, the increased frequency of Qatar Airways? service to Doha meant there was a 43.3% increase in passengers travelling to the Middle Eastern hub, with passengers travelling to Singapore increasing by 23.8%. Traffic to North Africa also drove growth at Manchester, with passengers travelling to Morocco increasing by 37%, alongside a 34% increase in passengers travelling to Egypt and 24.1% to Cape Verde.
London Stansted Airport saw an increase in passengers of 1% compared to June last year, as it welcomed 2.7 million passengers. The top three countries for passenger growth were Turkey (+31%), Portugal (+19) and France (+ 14%).
East Midlands Airport saw a decrease of 4.2% in passenger numbers this month, but still welcomed well over half a million (536,303) to the airport, departing to popular European holiday destinations. The airport saw a 40.3% increase in passengers travelling to Turkey.
Graeme Elliott, corporate affairs director, MAG, said: ?Manchester Airport serving more passengers than ever before shows the benefits of an increase in competition and choice that our expanding long-haul network is delivering. With more connections to destinations on offer, Manchester Airport continues to demonstrate the key role it can play in rebalancing the UK economy, boosting inward investment and business opportunities into the Northern Powerhouse and further afield.
?The expanding route network across MAG?s airports means that more passengers than ever are using them to reach global destinations. Increased frequencies to global hubs and a more diverse selection of destinations across Europe is proving popular for both business and leisure connectivity.
?As we enter the peak of our summer season we?re focused on delivering the best service we can to make sure passengers find travelling through our airports an easy and enjoyable experience as they head off on their hard-earned holidays.?
