Manchester Airport highlights European connectivity for football fans from across the North

Manchester Airport is ready to welcome football fans from across the North and the Midlands as clubs begin their European campaigns.

With the biggest route network of any UK airport outside London – more than 200 destinations served by 50 airlines – Manchester Airport is in many case the only airport offering fans of clubs from as far afield as Newcastle and Nottingham with direct connections to their games.

Here is how football fans can follow their team on the continent via Manchester Airport:

Manchester City

It’s not long since Manchester Airport welcomed City back home after they won their historic first Champions League in 2023. Fans will get to follow their team to Monaco, Spain (twice) and Norway in this season’s first round.

Monaco – 1 October: Despite being a country in its own right, Monaco doesn’t have its own airport – the closest airport to the principality is Nice International Airport about 20 miles away. Ryanair operates direct flights to Nice from Manchester Airport. Once you’re there you can get a bus, train or taxi into Monaco.

Villarreal – 21 October: Villarreal is in the province of Castellon which is part of the Valencian Community in the east of Spain. Valencia Airport is the closest major international airport 37 miles south of Villareal. You can fly directly with Ryanair in about two-and-a-half hours. From there it’s a straightforward train ride or less than an hour’s drive to Villarreal.

Real Madrid – 10 December: The pick of Man City’s ties in the first round is an away trip to Spanish giants Real Madrid. The Santiago Bernabeu is one of the world’s most famous football grounds and is a must-see for serious football fans. City fans have a choice of airlines and times with multiple fights operating between Manchester and Madrid every day.

Bodo/Glimt  – 20 January: This fixture offers a rare opportunity to catch your team in action north of the arctic circle. Bodo/Glimt play in Bodo which is on a peninsula in northern Norway. Manchester Airport has direct flights to Oslo with Norwegian and Scandinavian Airlines, from there it’s a short connection to Bodo Airport. Other routes connect to Bodo via Amsterdam or Copenhagen.

Liverpool

Despite local rivalries, Manchester Airport will welcome a huge number of Liverpool fans ahead of European games this season as no other airport in the North West offers connections to their exciting fixture list across Turkey, Germany, Italy and France.

Galatasaray – 30 September: Galatasaray are based in Istanbul, Turkey’s most visited city. Manchester Airport offers a range of flights to Istanbul with several airlines including easyJet, Pegasus and Turkish Airlines. Flights take just over four hours.

Frankfurt – 22 October: Frankfurt is a major German financial hub so is well served with flights from Manchester Airport all year round. Lufthansa operates a route that takes just under two hours and runs several times each day, meaning fans have flexibility over when they travel.

Inter Milan – 9 December: Last year’s beaten finalists Inter will offer Liverpool their toughest first round away trip. Milan is well known for fashion and style and the San Siro stadium is one of the most famous in world football. Milan is served by no fewer than three airports – Milan Malpensa (MXP), Milan Linate (LIN), and Milan Bergamo (BGY) – and Manchester Airport has flights to all three.

Marseille – 21 January: Even in January the south of France is an enticing prospect and with temperatures of around 11C it should feel a bit warmer than Merseyside. Fans can fly direct to Marseille with Ryanair in just over two hours.

Newcastle

Newcastle’s travels will take fans on a tour of central Europe, taking in Belgium, Germany and France (twice). Manchester Airport will welcome Geordie fans as the closest airport to Tyneside serving all the areas the team will be playing in.

Union SG – 1 October:  Royale Union Saint-Gilloise, better known simply as Union, are based in Brussels – which is served by multiple flights each day from Manchester Airport with a range of airlines.

Marseille – 25 November: The Toon Army will visit Marseille ahead of Liverpool fans in January. Although they’re famously resistant to cold weather, Newcastle fans will find it a bit milder than Liverpool fans with temperatures of up to 15C. Fans can fly direct to Marseille with Ryanair in just over two hours.

Bayer 04 Leverkusen – 10 December: Bayer Leverkusen were founded by workers at the Bayer pharmaceutical factory in 1904. Leverkusen doesn’t have its own airport; the closest airports are in Cologne and Dusseldorf – and both are served directly from Manchester with multiple flights available each day with Ryanair and Eurowings.  

Paris St Germain – 28 Jan: PSG will offer a stern test for Newcastle – but even if the result doesn’t go the right way at least fans will be in a city famous for culture, food, attractions, architecture and so much more.You can fly to Paris fro m Manchester on multiple flights each day with a range of airlines.

Nottingham Forest

A return to European football for the first time in almost 30 years is an exciting prospect for Forest fans. Europa League fixtures in Spain, the Netherlands, Austria and Portugal will provide a varied mix of experiences for supporters – and Manchester Airport makes it easy to get to every game.

Forest began their travels with a trip to Seville in Spain to play Real Betis and hundreds of fans took advantage of Manchester Airport’s direct connections to the city.

Sturm Graz – 6 November: Graz is in southern Austria near the borders with Slovenia and Hungary. It isn’t served directly by many UK airports but it’s easy to get there from Manchester via Munich with Lufthansa.

Utrecht – 11 December: Utrecht is in the centre of the Netherlands and it the country’s fourth most populated city. It doesn’t have its own airport but is served by Amsterdam Schiphol. Manchester has multiple flights to Amsterdam each day with a range of airlines.

Braga – 22 Jan: A trip to northern Portugal in January could be a great getaway for Forest fans. Happily, Ryanair offers direct flights to Braga from Manchester making it a straightforward journey.

Aston Villa

Villa will head to the Netherlands twice on their European travels – meaning short, convenient flights from Manchester. A slightly longer flight to Switzerland follows before a game in Turkey in the New Year

Feyenoord – 2 October: Feyenoord are one of Dutch football’s famous big three sides, alongside Ajax and PSV. The easiest way to get to Rotterdam, where Feyenoord are based, is via Schiphol, which is served by multiple airlines from Manchester with several flights running each day.

Go Ahead Eagles – 23 October: The quirkily named Go Ahead Eagles are based in Deventer in the central region of the Netherlands. They were founded as Be Quick but changed their name to Go Ahead in 1907. The suffix Eagles was added in the 70s by manager Barry Hughes. The easiest way to get to Deventer from Manchester Airport is to fly to Schiphol, which is served by multiple flights with several airlines each day.

Basel – 11 December: Swiss giants Basel are a mainstay in European football. easyJet fly non-stop to Basel and the journey takes less than two hours.

Fenerbahce – 29 January: The Europa League final will be played in Istanbul but Villa don’t need to get that far to get a trip to Turkey’s most famous city thanks to this first round tie. Manchester Airport offers a range of flights to Istanbul with several airlines including easyJet, Pegasus and Turkish Airlines. Flights take just over four hours.