Busiest October yet for Manchester Airport as it marks two full years of monthly records

A record 2.9 million passengers use Manchester Airport in October 2025, more than 2% up on the same month last year.

The latest passenger volume figures reveal the Airport has broken monthly records for each of the last 24 months.

In 2023, Manchester Airport went back above pre-pandemic passenger levels for the first time when it recorded its busiest October since 2019 – in the process beating the previous October record.

Last month was boosted by a bumper half-term getaway with more than 114,000 passengers flying into or out of the UK’s global gateway in the North on Friday, October 24 – making it Manchester Airport’s busiest day since the summer holidays.

The month’s most popular destinations reflected passengers’ desire for some autumn sun – with Dubai taking the top spot thanks to its own great weather and attractions as well as its onward connectivity to destinations in Asia. Mediterranean hotspots Antalya and Alicante also featured in the top five along with Amsterdam and Dublin.

During the month, passengers at Manchester Airport received a great service – with 80% wating for less than five minutes to get to security and 99% waiting less than 15 minutes. 

The bumper month comes as the airport puts the finishing touches on its decade-long, £1.3bn transformation programme, which has seen Terminal 2 completely redeveloped into a brand-new super-terminal.

It will soon cater for around 75% of the airport’s passengers with all airlines except Ryanair moving from their homes in Terminals 1 and 3 and into the new Terminal. Most airlines have already moved with just a few to follow over the coming weeks.

It means the majority of October’s passengers benefitted from the state-of-the art new facilities in Terminal 2, which has already been awarded the prestigious Prix Versailles for architecture and design.

Manchester Airport Managing Director Chris Woodroofe said:

“Here at Manchester Airport we are proud to connect the North to the world. Nothing brings that home more than seeing the airport full of excited people heading away on holiday so the busy half-term was great.

“It was particularly good to have so many people going through our amazing new Terminal 2, which is getting really close to being completely finished. The feedback we’ve had from passengers who have used it has been amazing.

“The fact that we’ve now seen two full years of monthlypassenger records is in no small part down to the success of the £1.3bn we’ve invested in Terminal 2 and the wider operation. It’s not only helping us deliver great customer experience, but also unlocking our full capacity.

“It’s helped us attract airlines like Hainan, IndiGo, Juneyao and Pakistan International Airlines as well as helping airlines that already operated here grow their networks from Manchester – which means we’re better able to connect people to the places they want to go.

“So I’m looking forward to breaking more records and seeing more passengers excitedly arriving in Manchester Airport in the months and years ahead.”

The investment in Terminal 2 is helping to unlock the full capacity of Manchester’s dual runways and driving the airport’s continued growth, letting it launch new routes like Islamabad with Pakistan International Airlines, which started last month, and Delhi with IndiGo, which begins on Saturday.

Further parts of the terminal will be opening over the coming months including the Great Northern Market – a market hall style food area featuring pop-up street food vendors – the airport’s first Wetherspoons pub, new shops and bars including Fever Tree and Chanel and a new pier that will allow more flights to depart from the Terminal.

That means some airlines currently based in Terminals 1 and 3 will move over to Terminal 2, as many have already. If you are due to travel your airline will let you know which terminal you will be flying from.

Manchester Airport recently announced further details of its multi-million pound plans to improve Terminal 3 by expanding it to make use of space that will be available when Terminal 1 closes. Some new parts of Terminal 3 will open early next year, including new sports bar Sporting Chance.