More than a million passengers expected at Manchester Airport over October half-term

More than one million travellers are expected to fly to or from Manchester Airport over the October half-term break, setting another record for the UK’s global gateway in the North.

Dublin and Amsterdam will be the most popular destinations but Alicante, Dubai, Antalya, Tenerife and Malaga will all see thousands of visitors looking for an escape from the autumnal UK weather.

Passengers due to travel are reminded to make sure they know which terminal their airline operates from. Now that Manchester Airport is nearing the end of its 10-year transformation programme, more airlines are operating from the brand-new, £1.3 billion Terminal 2.

It means that many passengers used to using Terminal 1 or 3 may well be flying from Terminal 2 over half-term.

Once it is complete, the new terminal is set to become the beating heart of the airport, with around 75% of all passengers eventually using it. The remaining passengers will all be served by Ryanair and will use Terminal 3.

Terminal 1 as it currently exists will close – but Manchester Airport has set out details of how it will retain parts of the building to give Terminal 3 a bigger footprint meaning more space and facilities for Ryanair passengers. Both terminals are joined together.

It means Ryanair customers flying from Manchester Airport will see a small change to their journey as work continues to improve Terminal 3.

From 21 October, passengers will no longer use the usual Terminal 3 entrance. Instead, they should head to Terminal 1 Departures A, where they will check in and pass through the new security lanes. Once through security, customers will follow a clearly signed route into Terminal 3’s departure lounge, where all existing shops and food outlets remain open.

This arrangement will stay in place until Terminal 1 closes, at which point the entrance will be renamed and permanently become the entrance to Terminal 3. Clear signage will be in place and our airport colleagues will be on hand to assist passengers.

Manchester Airport Customer Operations Director Jennifer Byrne-Smith said:

“Here at Manchester Airport we are proud to connect the North to the world – and we’re really looking forward to welcoming over one million people over the half-term break as they get away for a bit of Autumn sun.

“Our transformation programme is nearing its conclusion now and it’s an exciting time as we put the finishing touches on our brand-new Terminal 2 and continue the work to revamp Terminal 3.

“But this does mean that some passengers used to flying with particular airlines may see some changes to their airport experience – this may be that their airline has moved to Terminal 2 or for Ryanair customers it could mean using a different entrance and security hall.

“In any case, airlines will update their passengers so it’s really important that people keep an eye out for those updates. We’ll also have lots of staff in place to give directions and answer any questions.

“If you’re travelling over half-term we can’t wait to see you and make sure that you are able to start your holiday here at Manchester Airport.”

Other milestones in recent weeks include the first flight leaving from Terminal 2’s new second pier and the opening of the terminal’s new Assistance Lounge, designed to offer a more comfortable, convenient and accessible experience.

The lounge is in the centre of the new terminal near Apiary, close to the escalators. It replaces the former assistance area near Archies.

The October half-term should also see the opening of the final check-in desks in Terminal 2 at Manchester Airport.

The airport also recently announced two new routes that will run from Terminal 2: Islamabad in Pakistan with Pakistan International Airlines and Delhi in India with IndiGo.

The new route to Delhi means Manchester Airport now offers nine flights a week to India – four per week to Mumbai and five to Delhi.

IndiGo is India’s biggest airline. Last year it served more than 118m passengers across its network of more than 90 destinations in India and 40 international destinations. It has a fleet of more than 400 aircraft.