Freshers deliver soaring September passenger figures for Manchester Airport

Manchester Airport is celebrating after welcoming a record number of passengers last month.

The UK’s third-busiest airport recorded its busiest September ever after seeing 2,671,199 passengers pass through its terminals.

Following the bumper month, Manchester Airport’s rolling annual total now stands at 24,846,962.

Bosses have also attributed the growth, in part, to the swathes of freshers flying into the city to begin their studies at the region’s universities – of which there are more than 25 located within a two-hour drive.

The figures were also boosted by the increasing popularity of destinations in the Med, with Majorca, the Costas and Tenerife all featuring in the airport’s top five passenger favourites.

Some of the more popular holiday spots further afield included Orlando, New York and Dubai.

The CEO of Manchester Airport, Ken O’Toole, said: “It’s been another excellent month for the airport as we continue to break passenger records on a monthly basis.

“It was also particularly pleasing to see the large numbers of international students arriving into the airport ahead of starting their studies.”

He continued: “The wide range of institutions from as far as Wales, Scotland, the North East and Yorkshire meeting the students only served to highlight the importance of our connectivity and wide reach of our catchment area.”

Last month also saw European carrier Austrian Airlines celebrate the one-year anniversary of its flights between Manchester and Vienna.

In September, Manchester Airport achieved an 11% year-on-year increase in total aircraft movements, with over 18,600 planes coming and going from the facility’s two runways. Elsewhere, freight rose by 12% to 9,791 tonnes handled.

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