Manchester Airport is at Ringway in the City of Manchester which is within Greater Manchester. The terminals are 8.6 miles south of Manchester city centre.
The airport is owned by Manchester Airports Holdings which is run by the ten metropolitan borough councils of Greater Manchester.
There are three passenger terminals, and two parallel runways at Manchester Airport.
Manchester Airport is the third busiest Airport in the UK, and the largest UK airport outside of the London region.
Manchester Airport Map
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Arrivals/Departures & Scanner Frequencies
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Manchester Airport Scanner Frequencies:
Approach/Dir - 121.355
Radar - 118.580, 135.005
Tower - 118.630, 119.405
Ground - 121.855, 121.705(Del)
ATIS - 128.180(Arr), 113.550(Arr), 121.980(Dep)
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History
Manchester Airport or Ringway Airport as it was originally called, fully opened in 1938. During World War II it was RAF Ringway and was used for military aircraft production and parachute training. After the Second World War, the base reverted to a civilian airport and gradually expanded to its present size. Manchester Airport was the busiest airport after Heathrow following the war.
In 1972, the M56 motorway opened to the airport. Manchester Airport saw rapid growth and expansion during the 1980s and 1990s which shaped the airport for the coming decades. In 1993, the airport railway station opened, and despite major protests the second runway was built from 1997 to 2001. 2010 saw the arrival of the Airbus A380 operated by Emirates, which continues to operate the aircraft up to 3 times daily on its route to Dubai. In 2013, Manchester Airport celebrated its 75th Anniversary. It also saw the completion and opening of the newly constructed air traffic control tower.
There are three passenger terminals which are linked to each other and the airport railway station. The airport offers regular direct services to 190 destinations worldwide by over sixty airlines.
Terminal 1, which was opened in 1962, is used by airlines with scheduled and charter operations, flying to European and other worldwide destinations. The terminal has 2 piers which combined have 29 stands, of which 15 have air bridges and is the largest of the three terminals. Gate 12 was specially adapted to accommodate the Airbus A380 which is operated by Emirates on their route three times per day from Dubai to Manchester. Terminal 1 underwent a major redevelopment programme in 2009. Terminal 1 will not be included in the 10 Year Airport expansion project and will be closed and demolished by around 2022. However Piers B and C in Terminal 1 are due to be kept with Pier B due to be entirely rebuilt.
Terminal 2 is used by a variety of airlines, operating both charter and scheduled flights to many European and worldwide destinations. This terminal began redevelopment in 2007 to improve security and enhance retail and catering services. It was announced in June 2015 that the airport would have an expansion taking 10 years to complete including adding new piers, a larger security hall, and more outlets. There will also be a connecting hallway to Terminal 3. The first phase of the new extension, Pier 1, opened on 1 April 2019. The second phase, the terminal extension, was due to open in April 2020 but has been delayed due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The current Terminal 2 will then close for two years for refurbishment.
Terminal A (a self contained new domestic terminal to replace the original pier A) was opened in 1989. The terminal was known in succession as "Terminal A"; "Terminal A – Domestic"; "Terminal 1A" after Terminal 2 opened in 1993; "Terminal 1A - British Airways and Domestic"; "Terminal 3 – British Airways and Domestic" before becoming simply known as Terminal 3 in 1998. In June 1998, British Airways opened their new £75 million terminal, this being a major extension to Terminal A and became the primary user of the terminal along with codeshare partner airlines (Oneworld Alliance).
PremiAir VIP terminal - Work began on PremiAir VIP terminal (adjacent to the Runway visitor park) in 2019 and it opened on 21 October 2019. Passengers are shuttled to their flight by limousine included within the service. Luggage and lounge access is an additional service offered.
Getting to Manchester Airport
The airport is a 20 minute drive from Manchester city centre and is reached by the M56 motorway, with a dedicated approach road from the motorway at junction 5. The Sat Nav postcode is
M90 1QX.
The Station, Manchester Airport's integrated transport hub, offers fast and frequent train services linking the airport with over 100 destinations across the North of England and beyond. Frequent direct services run to and from with
TransPennine Express and
Northern Rail, run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
The
Metrolink currently runs on four lines out from the city centre towards: Altrincham, Bury, Eccles, and South Manchester. Airport passengers can connect to the Metrolink via rail services between the airport and Manchester Piccadilly and with
Arriva bus services 18 and 18A to Altrincham.
Manchester Airport is well served by a network of local and regional buses running daily from early morning to late night, including weekends and bank holidays. There is now a 24 hour bus service operating to/from Manchester Airport. Long-distance coach services are operated by National Express.
Arrow Cars offer an independent private hire service located at each terminal and Hackney cabs are located at each terminal.
Car Parking
• Car Parking.
• Drop off & Pick up.
