Manchester Airport

Manchester Airport (IATA: MAN, ICAO: EGCC) is a major airport in Manchester, England. Opening to passenger traffic in June 1938, it was initially known as Ringway Airport. During World War Two it officially became RAF Ringway, and from 1975 until 1986 the title Manchester International Airport was used. It is located on the boundary between Cheshire and Manchester in the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester, 10 miles (16 km) south-west from the city centre.

It has two parallel runways, the second of which opened in 2001 at a cost of £172 million. The airport has three terminals and a railway station. It is owned by the Manchester Airports Group (MAG) which is controlled by the ten metropolitan borough councils of Greater Manchester and is the largest British-owned airport group.

Manchester Airport has a CAA Public Use Aerodrome Licence (Number P712) that allows flights for the public transport of passengers and for flying instruction.

Manchester Airport was the fourth busiest airport in the United Kingdom (after London Heathrow, London Gatwick and London Stansted) in 2006 and the third in 2002 (after Heathrow and Gatwick). In total passengers handled, Manchester ranked 48th in the world in 2005, down from 45th in 2004.^[2] Also, in 2006 Manchester had a recorded 229,729 aircraft movements,^[3] of which 213,114 were air transport movements (third highest in the UK) behind Heathrow and Gatwick.

History

Pre-war origins

The origins of the airport can be dated back to 1934 when the location was selected as a new site to build an airfield,^[4]. On 25 July 1934, Manchester City Council voted narrowly in favour of the Ringway site as the City's new airport. Construction started on 28 November 1935 and was complete by early summer 1938. The airport was opened and received its first scheduled flight, a KLM operated Douglas DC-2 from Amsterdam.^[5] The airport at this time was called Ringway, named after the parish it lay within. Prewar, KLM was the only international operator out of Ringway and offered a request stop at Doncaster.

Second world war

Main article: RAF Ringway

Construction of a Royal Air Force station commenced in 1939 on the NE edge of the airfield. RAF Ringway was used for both operational flying and training. The main user was No.1 Parachute Training School which trained over 60,000 paratroopers. The NW side of the airfield was used by Fairey Aviation for the construction, modification and testing of over 4000 aircraft of several types. From spring 1939, Avro used the 1938-built main hangar for assembly and testing the prototype Avro Manchester, Avro Lancaster and Avro Lincoln bombers. Three southside hangars were erected in 1942/43 and used for the assembly of Avro York military transport aircraft.

The advent of heavier aircraft types resulted in the all-grass landing area being badly damaged in wet weather during the winter of 1940/41. Two runways of 3000 ft length were therefore hastily and skimpily laid down between June and December 1941. The runways were designated 06/24 and 10/28 and the former was lengthened to 4200 ft by January 1943 to accommodate the four-engined aircraft now using RAF Ringway.

Post war expansion

After the war the airport grew massively and by 1958 the airport was handling 500,000 passengers annually. In 1972 the airport was renamed to Manchester International Airport and in the 1980s the airport was designated an "international gateway" allowing it to handle direct long-haul flights. This also meant a second terminal was needed to be built to deal with the increase in passenger numbers, and the airport complex was linked nationally by motorway and rail services.^[4] Manchester also plans to accept Airbus A380 aircraft in the next few years, as part of the larger expansion at the airport.^[6]

Runway changes

On 7 June 2007, at 00:00 UTC (01:00 BST), Manchester Airport's runway assignments were changed in relation to the magnetic compass bearings. The previous headings for the runways were 056° and 236° with assignments 06L/24R and 06R/24L respectively. The new headings for the runways are 054° and 234° with new assignments of 05L/23R and 05R/23L respectively. The signs located on taxiways and entrances to the runway were changed on the evening of the 6th June, 2007.^[7] The runway designators changed at the same time.

Statistics

Future Airport Expansion

As part of the Government's White paper into the future of British airports, Manchester published its master plan on its future expansion up until 2030. Demolition of older buildings (such as old storage depots) to the east of Terminal 3 has already begun and this is to make way for a new apron and taxiway towards runway 23R/05L. It is proposed that Terminals 1 and 3 will undergo vast improvements and refurbishments. This will only be done in the current footprint of the terminal building. It is also proposed that Terminal 3 may be extended east. Terminal 2 will undergo a major extension to the west, allowing more gates and a larger apron area. There will also be a construction of a remote satellite terminal. A full length parallel taxiway may also be added to the 23L/05R (Runway 2) and more crossing points added across runway 23R/05L to improve ground movements of aircraft. The master plan also states that there will be dedicated facilities for 'no frills' airlines, but does not go into depth about what these could be. In the process of refurbishing Terminal 1, it is proposed that there will be a new control tower constructed. The current fire station on the north of the airfield is becoming outdated and expensive to maintain and is also in the way of future apron and taxiway developments, so it is also stated that this may be demolished and a new facility built close to the original building. A large proportion of these changes may be started or already completed by 2015. Despite these big changes planned for the airport, the plan does strongly states that it will not consider a proposal for a third full-length runway at the airport before 2030.^{[citation needed]}

Worldwide hub

The airport provides regular direct flights to many destinations worldwide by 85 airlines. Major North American carriers at Manchester include American Airlines, Continental Airlines, Delta Air Lines and US Airways from the United States, and Air Canada [seasonal], Air Transat and Zoom Airlines from Canada. UK operators serving the USA market are Virgin Atlantic Airways, bmi and British Airways. Singapore Airlines, Emirates, Pakistan International Airlines, Air Blue, Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways, Libyan Airlines, Saudi Arabian Airlines and Syrian Arab Airlines serve the Asian market. Manchester is an international hub for bmi which offers several destinations from Terminal 3. Charter airlines First Choice Airways, MyTravel, Thomas Cook and Thomsonfly use Manchester as their primary operational base. The airport serves as a secondary hub for Flybe, Jet2.com, bmibaby, XL Airways, Monarch Airlines, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic Airways and Pakistan International Airlines. Several other British airline carriers have a strong presence.

Manchester Airport offers flights to 226 destinations^[10] across the globe, which is more than any other UK airport, with more direct routes than even Heathrow and Gatwick. Heathrow offers 180 destinations; all scheduled, whilst Gatwick has about 200 (although the two London airports handle considerably more flights and passengers than Manchester).^[11] Many of Manchester's overseas routes are served by charter flights to holiday destinations, some being seasonal.

Manchester also offers more destinations than some of the biggest airports in the US, including New York, Chicago and Dallas, although it is still slightly behind the three biggest `hubs' in the global aviation network - Atlanta, Frankfurt and Amsterdam - which each offer more than 250 destinations.^[11] However, Manchester serves more foreign destinations than Atlanta and Frankfurt (but not Amsterdam), although being much smaller in terms of total passengers handled.^[11]

Due to the large number of tour operators based at the airport, and charter destinations that are served, Manchester Airport was often labeled a 'bucket and spade airport', a term invented by the media^{[citation needed]}. However, the proportion of scheduled passengers from Manchester has climbed from just 40% in the early 1990s to reach 63% during the last twelve months, making the label much less valid.

Passenger numbers

Manchester is the fourth busiest airport in the UK and the biggest outside of London, in terms of passengers per year.

The airport has fierce competition from London Stansted for passenger numbers and London Gatwick for total aircraft movements. In 2006 Manchester Airport was the world's 22nd busiest airport in terms of international passengers, (17th in 2005), and ranked above some of the world's major aviation hubs, including Los Angeles International Airport (this is because many international passengers from Manchester fly only 3/400 miles (640 km) - a distance which would be 'inter-state' in the US)^[12]

The airport's latest long range plan, published in July 2006, forecasts that passenger numbers will increase to approximately 38 million passengers annually by 2015. This would require an average annual growth rate from 2007 to 2015 of 7.1%. Further growth is postulated to 50 million by 2030. The airport authorities are examining measures to cope with this predicted increase

Passenger Numbers 2006

In the twelve months to December 2006, Manchester handled 22.12 million terminal passengers, a figure exceeded only by Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted in the UK (per CAA 2006 annual traffic statistics report, Table 2.2). Manchester's passengers remained static in 2006, increasing by 0.2%, compared with average growth rates of 3.0% in the UK and 6.4% in Europe as a whole.

Passenger Numbers 2007

Calendar year 2007 saw an overall reduction in passengers, with the annual total dropping by 1.0% to 21.89 million terminal passengers. This decrease compared with the UK airports average for the same period of a 2.2% increase (per CAA 2007 annual traffic statistics report, Table 2.2).

Passenger Numbers 2008

The first month in 2008 saw the airport handle a 0.9% decrease in passengers compared to the first month in 2007, with numbers for the month at 1.31 million. The rolling 12 month total up until the end of January was 21.88 million passengers, a 1.1% decrease. Air Transport Movements for the month were also down 5.4%.^[13]

Security

Manchester Airport is policed by the Greater Manchester Police. Several security related incidents have occurred at the airport in recent years. In particular:

• In 2002, a security firm successfully smuggled fake explosives, detonators and genuine firearms onto a flight.^[14]
  • In 2004, the BBC's Whistleblower program revealed a series of security failures at the airport, including faulty metal detectors and a lack of regular random baggage checks.^[15]
    • In 2005, after spotted acting suspiciously, police used a taser to shoot a man on the apron, after he appeared to resist arrest.^[16]
      • On 6 June 2006, Aabid Hussain Khan, 21, of West Yorkshire and a 16 year old boy were arrested at the airport and later charged under Section 57 of the Terrorism Act, for conspiracy to murder and conspiracy to cause public nuisance by using poisons or explosives.^[17]

        Terminals and destinations

        Image:Manchester airport terminal 2.jpg

        Terminal 1 Skylink walkway

        Manchester Airport has three interconnected terminals, allowing passengers to move between all the terminals without going outside. Terminals 1 and 3 are located in the same building. Terminals 1 and 2 are linked by the skylink walkway, with travelators to aid passengers with the long walk. The skylink also connects the terminals to the airport railway station and the Radisson SAS Hotel.

        Terminal 1

        Terminal 1 handles international traffic and is served by many scheduled airlines and charter operators. It is also the base for Jet2.com, Monarch Airlines, MyTravel Airways and Thomas Cook Airlines. The terminal has 24 stands, 18 of which have airbridges. Opened in 1962, the terminal has undergone many extensions and renovations since opening. The current passenger throughput is just over 9 million per year. Terminal 1 is currently undergoing a major £35 million security enhancement and retail redevelopment, due for completion in summer 2009.
        

        Airlines and destinations

        Aer Arann (Galway, Kerry, Sligo, Waterford) Aer Lingus (Cork, Dublin) Air Berlin (Hamburg, Paderborn) Air Canada (Toronto-Pearson) [seasonal] Air Transat (Calgary, Toronto-Pearson, Vancouver*) * [Note:Service to be transferred to Thomas Cook Airlines in summer 2008][18] AMC Airlines (Sharm el-Sheikh) Atlasjet (Istanbul-Ataturk) Aurigny Air Services (Guernsey) Austrian Airlines (Innsbruck) BH Air (Burgas, Plovdiv, Varna) Centralwings (Gdansk [begins 1 April], Krakow, Poznan [begins 30 March], Warsaw) City Airline (Gothenburg-Landvetter) Cyprus Airways (Larnaca, Paphos) Cyprus Turkish Airlines (Antalya, Dalaman, Ercan) Etihad Airways (Abu Dhabi) Eurocypria (Heraklion, Larnaca, Paphos, Sharm el-Sheikh) EuroManx (Isle Of Man) [moves to Terminal 3 from 30 March] European Aviation Air Charter (Enontekio) Finnair (Helsinki) Futura International Airways (Alicante, Arrecife, Dalaman, Ibiza, Larnaca, Las Palmas, Mahon, Palma de Mallorca, Reus, Tenerife-South) Icelandair (Reykjavik-Keflavik) Jet2.com (Alicante, Arrecife, Budapest, Chambery [ends 6 April], Faro, Geneva [ends 6 April], Ibiza, Las Palmas [ends 30 March], Malaga, Murcia, Nice, Palma de Mallorca, Paris-Charles de Gaulle [ends 30 March], Pisa, Rome-Fiumicino, Rovaniemi, Tenerife-South) Libyan Airlines (Tripoli) Lufthansa (Frankfurt, Munich) Lufthansa Regional operated by Eurowings (Düsseldorf) Lufthansa Regional operated by Lufthansa CityLine (Hamburg, Munich) Monarch Airlines (Alicante, Almeria, Antalya, Arrecife, Banjul, Barcelona, Bodrum, Bourgas, Calgary, Cancun, Catania, Chania, Dalaman, Dubrovnik, Faro, Fuerteventura, Funchal, Goa, Heraklion, Ibiza, Kittilä, Kos, Larnaca [begins 18 May], Las Palmas, Luxor, Mahon, Malaga, Male, Mombasa, Monastir, Montego Bay, Murcia, Naples, Orlando-Sanford, Palma de Mallorca, Paphos, Preveza, Puerto Plata, Pula, Rhodes, Sharm el-Sheikh, Tenerife-South, Venice, Zakynthos) MyTravel (Agadir, Alicante, Almeria, Antalya, Arrecife, Bergamo, Bodrum, Burgas, Calgary, Cancún, Corfu, Dalaman, Djerba, Faro, Fuerteventura, Gerona, Goa, Grenoble, Heraklion, Hurghada, Ibiza, Kalamata, Kefallinia, Kos, La Romana, Larnaca, Las Palmas, Las Vegas, Luxor, Mahon, Malaga, Malé, Malta, Monastir, Montego Bay, Naples, Orlando-Sanford, Palma de Mallorca, Paphos, Puerto Plata, Reus, Rhodes, Rimini, Salvador-Dois De Julho, Salzburg, Sharm el-Sheikh, Tenerife-South, Toronto-Pearson, Turin, Vancouver, Varadero, Zakynthos) Olympic Airlines (Athens) Ryanair (Bremen [begins 1 April], Dublin, Girona [begins 2 April], Marseille [begins 2 April], Milan-Bergamo [begins 10 April], Shannon) Scandinavian Airlines (Copenhagen, Oslo, Stockholm-Arlanda) SkyEurope (Bratislava) Spanair (Barcelona, Madrid) Swiss International Air Lines Swiss International Air Lines operated by Helvetic Airways (Zürich) Swiss International Air Lines operated by Swiss European Air Lines (Basel/Mulhouse, Geneva, Zurich) Thomas Cook Airlines (Agadir, Alicante, Almeria, Antalya, Arrecife, Banjul, Bodrum, Bourgas, Calgary, Cancún, Catania, Chania, Corfu, Dabolim, Dalaman, Djerba-Zarzis, Faro, Fuerteventura, Fuchal, Geneva, Girona, Halkidiki, Heraklion, Holguin, Hurghada, Ibiza, Innsbruck, Izmir, Jerez, Kalamata, Kefallinia, Kos, Larnaca, Las Palmas, Las Vegas, Luxor, Lyon, Mahon, Malaga, Male, Malta, Marsa Alam, Miramare, Mombasa, Monastir, Montego Bay, Montreal, Mytilene, Naples, Olbia, Orlando-Sanford, Ottawa, Palma de Mallorca, Paphos, Preveza, Puerto Plata, Pula, Punta Cana, Reus, Rhodes, Rovaniemi, Salzburg, Samos, Santorini, Sharm-el-Sheikh, Skiathos, Sofia, Split, Taba, Tenerife-South, Toronto-Pearson, Toulouse, Turin, Vancouver, Varadero, Varna, Venice, Verona, Zakynthos) TUIfly (Cologne/Bonn, Stuttgart) Turkish Airlines (Istanbul-Atatürk)

        Terminal 2

        Image:Ringway-t2.JPG

        Terminal 2

        Terminal 2 is mostly used by long haul and charter airlines. It opened in 1993 and is the airport's other major international terminal, handling many scheduled European and Intercontinental flights. Some European scheduled airlines such as Air France, Air Malta and KLM operate flights from the terminal. Charter airlines First Choice Airways, Thomsonfly and XL Airways use the terminal as a base, whilst Pakistan International Airlines and Virgin Atlantic Airways also have a strong presence. Terminal 2 has 15 gates, of which 14 have airbridges. Terminal 2 was laid out so that it would be readily capable of being extensively modified to accommodate significantly more passengers than the current throughput of 7.8 million^{[citation needed]}. This is a future project to be carried out within the next few years^{[citation needed]}. In an £11 million project, Terminal 2 is currently undergoing a redevelopment to improve security and enhance retail and catering services; due for completion during summer 2008.
        

        Airlines and destinations

        Adria Airways (Ljubljana) Air Atlanta Icelandic (Orlando-Sanford) Airblue (Islamabad) Air Europa (Arrecife, Tenerife-South) Air France (Paris-Charles de Gaulle) Air Malta (Malta) Astraeus (Agadir, Banjul-Yundum, Calvi, Chambery, Ilha Do Sal, Kefallinia, Lourdes-Tarbes, Olbia, Paphos, Reus, Salzburg, Taba, Tenerife-South) Belavia (Minsk) BritishJet (Malta) Bulgaria Air (Sofia) Continental Airlines (Newark) Czech Airlines (Prague) Delta Air Lines (Atlanta, New York-JFK) Emirates (Dubai) First Choice Airways (Agadir, Alicante, Almeria, Arrecife, Aruba, Banjul-Yundum, Bodrum, Bourgas, Bridgetown, Cancún, Cayo Coco, Corfu, Dalaman, Faro, Fort Lauderdale [seasonal charter], Fuerteventura, Geneva, Goa, Grenoble, Heraklion, Ibiza, Innsbruck, Kittilä, Kos, Larnaca, Las Palmas, Mahon, Malaga, Male, Malta, Mitilini-Lesbos, Mombasa, Monastir, Montego Bay, Naples, Nassau, New Orleans [seasonal charter], Orlando-Sanford, Palma de Mallorca, Paphos, Porlamar, Puerto Plata, Puerto Vallarta, Punta Cana, Reus, Rhodes, Rovaniemi, Salzburg, Santorini, Sharm el-Sheikh, Skiathos, Taba, Tenerife-South, Thessaloniki, Toulouse, Turin, Varadero, Varna, Verona, Zakynthos) Flyglobespan (Calgary [begins 16 May, seasonal], Toronto-Hamilton [seasonal], Vancouver [seasonal]) KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (Amsterdam) KLM Cityhopper (Amsterdam) LTE International Airways (Arrecife, Palma de Mallorca, Tenerife-South) Luxor Air (Sharm el-Sheikh) Onur Air (Antalya, Bodrum, Dalaman, Ercan) Pakistan International Airlines (Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore) Pegasus Airlines (Bodrum, Dalaman) Qatar Airways (Doha) Saudi Arabian Airlines (Jeddah, Riyadh) Singapore Airlines (Singapore) Syrian Arab Airlines (Damascus) Thomsonfly (Agadir, Alicante, Antalya, Arrecife, Bodrum, Bourgas, Bridgetown, Cancún, Chania, Corfu, Dalaman, Dubrovnik, Fort Lauderdale, Faro, Figari, Fuerteventura, Funchal, Geneva, Girona, Heraklion, Hurghada, Ibiza, Kavala, Kefallinia, Larnaca, La Romana [begins 21 December], Las Palmas, Luxor, Lyon, Mahon, Malaga, Malta, Monastir, Montego Bay, Naples, Orlando-Sanford, Palma de Mallorca, Paphos, Pisa, Puerto Plata, Pula, Punta Cana, Reus, Rhodes, Rovaniemi, Sal, St Lucia, Salzburg, Samos, Santorini, Sharm el-Sheikh, Skiathos, Sofia, Taba, Tel Aviv, Tenerife-South, Thessaloniki, Toulouse, Turin, Varna, Venice, Verona, Zakynthos) Image:Zoom Airlines Boeing 767-300ER At Manchester International Airport.jpg A Zoom Airlines Boeing 767-300ER at Manchester Airport US Airways (Philadelphia) Virgin Atlantic Airways (Bridgetown, Orlando, St Lucia [seasonal]) Zoom Airlines (Calgary, Toronto-Pearson, Vancouver) XL Airways (Alicante, Antalya, Arrecife, Bodrum, Bridgetown, Burgas, Chambery, Chania, Corfu, Dalaman, Faro, Fuerteventura, Funchal, Geneva, Grenoble, Heraklion, Hurghada, Ivalo, Kalamata, Kavala, Kefallinia, Kos, Larnaca, Las Palmas, Mahon, Malaga, Mikonos, Mitilini-Lesbos, Monastir, Murcia, Ovda, Orlando-Sanford, Palma de Mallorca, Paphos, Plovdiv, Preveza, Rhodes, Samos, Santorini, Sharm el-Sheikh, Skiathos, Tenerife-South, Volos, Zakynthos)

        Terminal 3

        Terminal 3, for a short period known as Terminal 1 - British Airways, was opened by Diana, Princess of Wales in May 1989. British Airways were the primary user of the terminal, but they have since scaled down operations from Manchester Airport with the sale of their BA Connect service to Flybe and the ending of their franchise agreement with GB Airways. Today Flybe is the major operator at Terminal 3, flying to 24 destinations, both domestic and international. Carriers operating from the terminal include American Airlines, bmi, bmibaby and other domestic carriers such as Air Southwest and Eastern Airways. From March 2008, easyJet will operate their services from Terminal 3 and over the next few years they plan to base more aircraft for route expansion.
        

        Airlines and destinations

        Air Southwest (Bristol, Plymouth) American Airlines (Chicago-O'Hare) bmi (Antigua, Arrecife, Bridgetown, Chicago-O'Hare, Las Vegas, London-Heathrow, Lyon) bmi Regional (Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow-International) bmibaby (Alicante, Barcelona [begins 8 September], Belfast-International, Bordeaux, Cork, Geneva, Knock, Jersey, Lisbon [begins 17 June], Madrid [begins 16 June], Malaga, Newquay, Palma de Mallorca, Perpignan, Prague) British Airways (London-Gatwick, London-Heathrow, New York-JFK) British Airways operated by GB Airways (Innsbruck [ends 23 March], Malta [ends 27 March], Paphos [ends 29 March], Tenerife-South [ends 28 March]) British Airways operated by Sun Air of Scandinavia (Billund) Brussels Airlines (Brussels) Eastern Airways (Inverness, London-Stansted) easyJet (Heraklion [begins 2 May], Innsbruck [begins 30 March], Malaga [begins 1 May], Malta [begins 30 March], Paphos [begins 30 March], Tenerife-South [begins 1 April]) Flybe (Belfast-City, Bergerac, Berne, Brest, Brussels, Dusseldorf, Edinburgh, Exeter, Frankfurt, Geneva, Glasgow-International, Guernsey [seasonal], Hanover, Isle of Man, Inverness [begins 8 May], Isle of Man, Jersey, Lyon, Milan-Malpensa, Munich, Norwich, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Rennes, Southampton) VLM Airlines (Antwerp, Jersey, London-City, Luxembourg, Rotterdam)

        World Freight Terminal

        Image:An-225-manchester-2006.jpg

        Antonov An-225 at Manchester Airport in 2006

        During 2006, 150,300 tonnes of cargo and mail were handled at Manchester, a small increase of 0.4% over the previous year (per CAA annual statistics table 2.2). The growth in cargo has now resumed and October 2007 saw another new record set at Manchester, with 16,326 tonnes being handled in the month. The twelve-month total to end October 2007 of 164,300 tonnes was 9.8% ahead of the previous year. In February 2008, the 12 month rolling total for cargo volume was 166,500 tonnes. This is a 10.3% increase on the previous 12 months. This increase comes despite a slowdown in the UK market, which has seen little cargo growth over the past year. This increase is partly thanks to the 5 new freighter services which started flying to Manchester throughout last year. 3 Sout-East Asia based airlines, FedEx Express from North America and Aeroflot-Cargo from Russia. The latter was the inaugural direct cargo flight between the Russia and the United Kingdom. By 2015 the total figure for cargo handled is expected to be around 250,000 tonnes per year. Manchester's two biggest cargo markets are the Far East and North America. The Far East is predominantly a source of import cargo for the airport and North America is a key destination for exports. The main cargo destination from Manchester is Hong Kong, with Cathay Pacific making a total of 12 freighter round trips every week. On average each day the airport handles about 6 747 freighter flights.

        
        Cargo Airlines that serve Manchester are:

        • Aeroflot-Cargo (Moscow-Sheremetyevo)
        • Air China Cargo (Shanghai-Pudong)
        • Air Contractors (Glasgow-International, London-Stansted, Paris-Charles de Gaulle)
        • Cathay Pacific Cargo (Amsterdam, Brussels, Dubai, Hong Kong, Milan-Malpensa) [Operated by Cathay Pacific Cargo and Dragonair Cargo]
        • China Airlines Cargo (Taipei-Taiwan Taoyuan)
        • FedEx Express (Memphis, Paris-Charles de Gaulle)
        • Great Wall Airlines (Amsterdam, Shanghai-Pudong)
        • Jett8 Airlines Cargo (Luxembourg-Findel, Singapore)
        • Libyan Arab Air Cargo (Tripoli)
        • MNG Cargo Airlines (Istanbul-Ataturk)

        Ground transportation

        Image:Manchester airport ts.jpg

        TransPennine Express Class 185 arriving at Manchester Airport Railway Station

        The airport is approximately a 20 minute drive from Manchester City Centre and is reached by the M56 motorway, with a dedicated spur road from the motorway at junction 5. The M56 is the main route used by traffic to reach the airport. There are also minor local roads serving the airport from the north (Wythenshawe) and the east (Heald Green). The M56/A538 road junction serves the World Freight Terminal, to the west of the airport. The A538 runs east-west serving the local towns of Altrincham and Wilmslow.

        Taxi ranks are situated by arrivals at all three terminals. Passengers driving to the airport can use the drop-off areas outside the terminal buildings, but when picking up passengers the airport requires that you park in the short stay car parks provided for a fee. Long stay car parks are situated both on and off site.

        Manchester Airport railway station, forming part of The Station, is located between Terminals 1 and 2. It is linked to the terminals using a Skylink moving walkway. Trains are operated either by Northern Rail or TransPennine Express and connect the airport to Manchester Piccadilly Station and other railway stations mainly throughout northern England. Construction is now underway on building a third platform at the airport railway station, due to an increase in passenger numbers using the facility. The £15 million project will meet the extra future demand for rail services to and from the airport and is expected to be completed by December 2008.

        The Station also incorporates a bus station (see GMPTE map) with buses to many locations within Greater Manchester as well as the 24 hour bus Skyline^[19] to the City Centre at least every 30 minutes. National Express coaches link to places further afield.

        There are also plans in place to build a Metrolink light rail extension to the airport from Manchester Piccadilly.

        Criticism

        Between 1997 and 1999 three protest camps were set up to oppose the building of the second runway, the felling of nearby trees on land owned by the National Trust in Styal, Cheshire and air transportation in general. Three different camps were set up Flywood, Arthur's Wood^[20] and Cedar's Wood. Swampy, a well known activist, was among many protesters.^[21]

        Manchester Airport's second runway was built on around 100 acres (0.4 km²) of greenbelt land. Four Grade II listed buildings were taken down piece by piece and were re-constructed nearby, and over £20m was spent on environmental restoration and protection. Nonetheless, there is criticism that existing natural habitats were destroyed.

        The SW end of the new runway is closer to the town of Knutsford and to the village of Mobberley. There has been an increase in noise experienced by local residents from the aircraft being lower and closer.

        In 2007 Manchester Airport wanted to build on further green belt land in Styal in order to increase its car parking. However, Macclesfield Borough Council refused to give them planning permission to do so and expressed annoyance at the Airport for not investing enough in public transport.^[22] (Currently the town of Knutsford and village of Mobberley, directly under the flight path of planes, have no direct transport links to the airport.)

        Incidents and accidents

        • On 14 March 1957, British European Airways Flight "Bealine 411" operated by Vickers Viscount 701 G-ALWE inbound from Amsterdam crashed on approach to Runway 24 at Manchester Airport due to a flap failure caused by fatigue of a wing bolt. All 20 occupants on board died and two on the ground.
        • 1967 – Stockport Air Disaster – British Midland Airways Canadair C-4 Argonaut crashed near Stockport on 4 June 1967 after loss of engine power and an aborted approach to Manchester Airport, with 72 fatalities.
        • 1985 – British Airtours Flight 28M - an engine failed on the runway, the fire spreading into the cabin, resulting in 55 fatalities aboard the Boeing 737-236 Advanced G-BGJL. The uncontained engine failure was later traced to an incorrectly repaired combustor causing the turbine disc to shatter and puncture the wing fuel tanks.[2]
        • 16 July 2003 – Excel Airways Boeing 737-800 (G-XLAG) with 190 passengers and seven crew took off from Manchester Airport while vehicles were working near the end of the runway. Despite the crew being told the runway was operating at reduced length, they took off from a runway intersection with reduced length using a reduced thrust setting calculated for the assumed normal runway length. The aircraft lifted off over the vehicles, missing them by 56 ft (17 m), according to the UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch report. Six safety recommendations were made.^[23]
          • On March 1, 2005, after a PIA Boeing 777-200ER landed at Manchester International Airport, fire was seen around the left main landing gear. The crew and passengers were evacuated and fire put under control. There were minor injuries to some passengers and the aircraft suffered minor damage.^[24]

            Public attractions

            Image:Concorde in Manchester Airport.jpg

            Concorde on display at the Aviation Viewing Park

            Manchester Airport has created several public viewing areas since the airport opened to the public in 1938. The 1960/70s pier-top facilities have been closed because of security concerns. In May 1997, an official "Aviation Viewing Park" was created, just off the A538 road on the western edge of the airfield. This provides the best viewing facilities for aircraft spotting at any major UK airport. Visitors can view aircraft taking off and landing from both runways, as well as aircraft taxi-ing to and from the runways.

            On display is G-BOAC, a retired British Airways Concorde, once the flagship of the airline's seven-strong Concorde fleet, with access to its interior being by prior booking. The last airliner to be built in the UK, BAE Systems Avro RJX G-IRJX is also on view. The forward fuselage of Monarch Airlines Douglas DC-10 G-DMCA is on static display, which can be boarded by prior arrangement only. One of only two preserved Hawker Siddeley Trident 3B aircraft in the world, G-AWZK in full BEA livery, is open every weekend from April to October and is accessible with a pre paid ticket from the ticket office opposite the aviation shop.

            Good views of the runways can be obtained from the 'AVP', especially between 12:00 and 15:00 when runway 23R/05L is used for both landings and departures, this being closest to the viewing area itself. The park also features a cafe, and an aviation shop selling related items such as airband scanners, aircraft models books and stationery, and Concorde merchandise.

            The roof of the short-stay car park at Terminal 1 features another official viewing area, which has been a spotters' location for the last 32 years. As part of a recent refurbishment, the café and aviation shop which were once part of the viewing area have now been closed, with the aviation shop moving to the Terminal 1 arrivals area.

            See also

            • RAF Ringway
            • Manchester Airports Group

            Bibliography

            • First and Foremost. Scholefield, R.A. Manchester Airport Authority, 1978.
            • Manchester Airport. Scholefield, R.A. Sutton Publishing, Stroud, 1998. ISBN 0-7509-1954-X.

            References

            1. ^ UK Aeronautical Information Service. AIS. Retrieved on 2007-11-04.
            2. ^ 100 Busiest Airport - International Passengers only 2004. Retrieved on 2007-11-04.
            3. ^ Manchester Airport movements. Retrieved on 2007-11-04.
            4. ^ ^{a b} History of Manchester Airport UK. The Airport Guides (2005). Retrieved on 2007-11-03.
            5. ^ Kidd, Alan (2006). Manchester - A History. Carnegie Publishing, 199. ISBN 1-85936-128-5. 
            6. ^ MA Appoints New Airfield General Manager. Manchester Airport. Retrieved on 2007-10-16.
            7. ^ Runway Designation. Retrieved on 2007-11-04.
            8. ^ ^{a b} Number of Passengers including both domestic and international.
            9. ^ Number of Movements represents total air transport takeoffs and landings during that year.
            10. ^ bmibaby announce more developments at Manchester Airport. Manchester Airport. Retrieved on 2008-03-03.
            11. ^ ^{a b c} Manchester Airport offering more flights. Airport News. Retrieved on 2007-07-30.
            12. ^ International Passenger Traffic. Airports Council International. Retrieved on 2007-07-30.
            13. ^ Provisional CAA Statistics Jan 2008. CAA. Retrieved on 2008-03-09.
            14. ^ Test exposes airport security lapse. BBC. Retrieved on 2007-11-04.
            15. ^ BBC finds airport security lapses. BBC. Retrieved on 2007-11-04.
            16. ^ Man detained after airport alert. Retrieved on 2007-11-04.
            17. ^ Airport arrest man in court on terror charges. The Guardian (Newspaper). Retrieved on 2007-11-04.
            18. ^ See the appropriate section on the Vancouver Airport page
            19. ^ Service 43. GMPTE. Retrieved on 2007-06-29.
            20. ^ Save Arthurs wood Press statements. Retrieved on 2006-12-31.
            21. ^ War in the Woods: A History of Runway 2. BBC. Retrieved on 2007-04-24.
            22. ^ Victory for green belt campaigners as airport’s plan for Styal is rejected. Wilmslow Express. Retrieved on 2007-11-09.
            23. ^ Report No: 3/2006. Report on the serious incident to Boeing 737-86N, G-XLAG, at Manchester Airport on 16 July 2003. UK AAIB. Retrieved on 2007-12-29.
            24. ^ The UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) report on 777 AP-BGL incident. AAIB.

            
            

            External links

            • Manchester Airport - Official website
            • Manchester Airport Consultative Committee

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