Football fans drive bumper month for Manchester Airport

More than 2.9 million passengers flew into or out of Manchester Airport in May 2026, boosted by football fans travelling to watch Aston Villa and Arsenal in their respective European finals.

While half-term favourites including Alicante, Mallorca, and Faro remained among the most popular destinations of the month, Istanbul and Budapest both saw jumps in traffic as host cities for the Europa League and Champions League finals. More than 18,000 travelled to Istanbul, while Budapest saw more than 8,000 passengers fly from Manchester Airport in May 2026.

Manchester Airport Managing Director Chris Woodroofe said:

“We’re proud to connect the North to the world – and a big part of that is making sure people from the region can get to the big global events that matter to them.

“Last month we saw hundreds of football fans following their teams in Europe and we were really happy to be able to play a part in getting them to matches that they will never forget, particularly for Aston Villa fans.

“I’m especially pleased that we were able to give them a really good experience here at the airport too – last month the majority of our passengers waited for five minutes or less to get to security meaning they could relax in our departure lounges and enjoy all we have to offer.”

The airport’s £1.3 billion improvement programme is wrapping up this year. It means the vast majority of passengers – everyone except for Ryanair passengers – will now use the airport’s state-of-the-art new Terminal 2, which has already won the Prix Versailles for architecture and design.

The full footprint of the new Terminal 2 is now open to the public and the final few retailers and features have been opening over the last few weeks and months. New arrivals in the departure lounge include a Fever Tree bar, the Great Northern Market food hall, a Chanel store and more.

The airport also recently announced that its first Wetherspoon’s pub – to be named the Belle Vue after the historic Manchester stadium – will open in Terminal 2 in September.

The expansion of Terminal 2 has led to the closure of Terminal 1, the oldest part of the airport. It has also allowed work to start on a project to revamp Terminal 3, adding extra space and facilities – including the new Sporting Chance bar, which opened earlier this year.