Manchester Airport

Manchester Airport
Summary
Airport typePublic
Owner/OperatorManchester Airports Group
ServesGreater Manchester
LocationRingway, Manchester, England
Opened25 June 1938 (1938-06-25)
Hub for
Elevation AMSL257 ft / 78 m
Coordinates53°21′14″N 2°16′30″W / 53.35389°N 2.27500°W / 53.35389; -2.27500
Websitewww.manchesterairport.co.uk
Map
MAN/EGCC
MAN/EGCC
MAN/EGCC
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
05L/23R 3,048 10,000 Concrete
05R/23L 3,050 10,007 Concrete/
grooved asphalt
Statistics (2025)
Passengers32,117,126
Passenger change 24-254.1%
Aircraft movements203,212
Movements change 24-253.6%
Sources: MAG Manchester Airports Group website, UK AIP at NATS
Statistics from the UK Civil Aviation Authority

Manchester Airport (IATA: MAN, ICAO: EGCC) is an international airport in Ringway, Manchester, England; it lies 7 miles (11 km) south-west of Manchester city centre. In 2025, it was the third-busiest airport in the United Kingdom in terms of passengers (the busiest outside London), and the 20th-busiest airport in Europe in 2024, with 32.1 million passengers served.

The airport comprises a cargo terminal and two passenger terminals – a £1.3 billion redevelopment programme will merge former Terminal 1 and current Terminal 3 in 2026. It covers an area of 560 hectares (1,400 acres) and has flights to 199 destinations, placing the airport thirteenth globally for total destinations served.

Officially opened on 25 June 1938, it was initially known as Ringway Airport. During the Second World War, as RAF Ringway, it was a base for the Royal Air Force. The airport is owned and managed by Manchester Airports Group (MAG), a group owned by the ten metropolitan borough councils of Greater Manchester, with Manchester City Council owning the largest stake, and the Australian finance house IFM Investors. Ringway, after which the airport was named, is a village with a few buildings and a church at the western edge of the airport.

In 2017, an eight-year redevelopment programme commenced which will culminate with the closure of Terminal 1 and enlargement of Terminal 2 to better facilitate transfers. The new terminal, due for completion in 2025, will take 80% of all passenger traffic. Terminal 3 will remain with a focus on low-cost, short-haul airlines.