Manchester Airport saw over 2.8m passengers in September
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The most popular single destination was Palma de Mallorca – which has consistently led the way over the summer – with 110,000 passengers heading to the Balearic island.
Yet the most popular country was Turkey, with more than 175,000 heading to Dalaman and Antalya Airports combined. In fact, the airports – which are both in the country’s southern region, on the Mediterranean coast – took up the second and third spots in the top 10.
Lots of passengers also enjoyed short hops to destinations like Dublin and Amsterdam while perennial favourites like Alicante and Malaga kept their places in the top 10. Dubai was the most popular long-haul destination with 82,000 passengers heading to the Middle Eastern hub.
The popularity of September breaks comes as no surprise – it is considered a ‘shoulder month’ in the travel industry meaning it comes directly after the peak season when prices begin to drop following the school summer holidays but generally temperatures in most popular destinations are still high.
Manchester Airport’s most popular destinations for September were:
1. Palma de Mallorca (Spain) – 110,188 passengers
2. Dalaman (Turkey) – 89,466
3. Antalya (Turkey) – 88,497
4. Amsterdam (Netherlands) – 85,667
5. Alicante (Spain) – 82,848
6. Dubai (UAE) – 82,114
7. Tenerife (Spain) – 80,642
8. Dublin (Ireland) – 72,484
9. Faro (Portugal) – 63,034
10. Malaga (Spain) – 59,966
Those coming through the airport in September were able to enjoy a good level of service – with 99% of passengers queueing for under 15 minutes in security and able to go and enjoy the full range of bars, restaurants shops and more in the airport’s terminals.
Chris Woodroofe, Managing Director of Manchester Airport said: "We’re here to serve the people of the North – getting them to the places they want to go with a route network unrivalled by any airport outside London.
“And in September we saw our passengers taking advantage of that by seeking out sunshine outside the peak holiday season.
“At Manchester Airport, we want people to feel their holidays start as soon as they set foot inside the terminal. That’s why it’s good to see 99% of September passengers queuing in security for under 15 minutes – because then they’re able to relax and enjoy the restaurants, bars and shops in our terminals.
“Now we’re looking to the future – getting ready for people coming through to take holidays in the October half term and then to the ski season and Christmas while also continuing with our £1.3bn transformation that will see our service and passengers’ experiences continue to improve.”
Work continues to further improve the airport through the £1.3 billion Manchester Airport Transformation Programme. The brand-new Terminal 2 is already open with the second phase of work on the terminal scheduled for completion in 2025.
