Manchester airport is getting busier and busier ... and that’s long before its new £1bn ‘super terminal’ is ready.
Figures just released show that 1.7 million passengers used the airport in November bringing annual passenger numbers up to 27.7m, an increase of 9.7% year on year.
It means this financial year has seen Manchester adding more passengers than any other UK airport.
Top routes last month include Amsterdam, Dublin and Dubai.
It comes as work starts on the airport’s new £1bn super terminal which is the region’s biggest ever construction project.
The November passenger figures are 2% up on the same month in 2016.
It comes as Civil Aviation Authority data reveals Manchester added more passengers than any other UK airport between April and September 2017.
But growth has slowed at the airport due to the collapse of Monarch Airlines which has left some capacity unused for this winter season.
The airport remains confident that by the start of the summer season all capacity will be filled and this has already started with Jet2.com, TUI and Thomas Cook Airlines all already increasing capacity for next year.
Manchester Airport chief executive Andrew Cowan said: “Now the summer peak is over we are continuing to invest in the airport and passengers will start to see our £1bn transformation take shape and develop over the coming winter months.”
Foundation works on the super terminal are now well underway with a mammoth tower crane and numerous diggers on the 900,000 sq ft site.
There are about 300 workers in action working on demolition, piling and foundations. But when the project reaches peak productivity there will be 1,500 on the site - with 150 apprentices.
On the busiest days it will cost its investors up to £1m a day.
By 2019, major changes will be noticeable. The entire project, including the demolition of Terminal One, a new car park and access roads, should be complete by 2023.
The plan, led by Dutch firm Arcadis, comes with the promise of faster check-in and security checks, as well as a speedier journey through immigration and baggage claim.
