Manchester Airport’s Record January: Quick Security Times & New Developments

Over the course of the month, more than 2 million passengers used the UK’s global gateway in the North – and 91% of them waited for five minutes or less to get to security.

Waiting times at security have steadily reduced in recent years due to several factors, including staffing levels, training, and new ways of working.

The airport also now has new scanners in place in all security lanes, meaning passengers no longer have to remove electronics or liquids from their bags, speeding up the process.

The most popular destinations during January were Dublin, Dubai, Amsterdam, Paris, and Qatar.

The majority of the airport’s passengers – everyone except Ryanair passengers – are now using the new, £1.3 billion Terminal 2 – which is now almost fully open after a decade-long transformation programme.

Ryanair passengers are using a hybrid model using parts of Terminal 1 and 3. The hybrid model will remain in place until the Spring while parts of Terminal 1 are repurposed to become part of Terminal 3, as the buildings are linked.

At that point, Terminal 1 will fully close – but work will continue to expand and improve Terminal 3, with a new sports bar – Sporting Chance – opening in the coming weeks and adding over 400 seats to the terminal.

Chief Airport and Asset Development Officer Ian Costigan said:

“Here at Manchester Airport, we’re proud to connect the North to the world – so we’re obviously really pleased that more passengers than ever before are choosing to fly from the UK’s global gateway in the North.

“But what’s really important is that we’re also giving them a better service than ever – and with nine out of ten passengers in January getting to security in five minutes or less, that really is the case.

“In fact, 99.9% of our passengers for the whole month made it to security in under 15 minutes, which shows that all the improvements we’ve made through our £1.3 billion investment aren’t just skin deep and are making a real difference to people’s journeys.”

“And we aren’t finished with our improvements yet. The transformation of Terminal 2 may be almost complete – with just a few finishing touches and new retailers to come – but now we’re really picking up the work in Terminal 3, so Ryanair passengers will start to notice real differences soon.

“It’s certainly shaping up to be another epic year for Manchester Airport, and I’m looking forward to more passengers getting to experience everything we’re doing here.”

The airport is gearing up for a busy period with the first school holiday of the year starting on Friday. Almost 1 million passengers are expected to fly in or out between this Friday and the following Sunday.

Manchester Airport is nearing the end of its decade-long programme to reshape Terminal 2 into the ultra-modern beating heart of the airport. An extension, which increased the terminal’s footprint by 150%, opened in 2021; the original terminal building was then closed and has been given a complete overhaul to bring it up to the same aesthetic and functional standards as the extension.

More than three-quarters of the airport’s passengers are now using the new T2 facilities. The final touches to the new-look Terminal 2 are expected to be complete in time for the summer.

Manchester Airport recorded its busiest January yet last month – and at the same time set a record for how quickly passengers were able to get to security.

Over the course of the month, more than 2 million passengers used the UK’s global gateway in the North – and 91% of them waited for five minutes or less to get to security.

Waiting times at security have steadily reduced in recent years due to a number of factors, including staffing levels, training, and new ways of working.

The airport also now has new scanners in place in all security lanes, meaning passengers no longer have to remove electronics or liquids from their bags, speeding up the process.

The most popular destinations during January were Dublin, Dubai, Amsterdam, Paris, and Qatar.

The majority of the airport’s passengers – everyone except Ryanair passengers – are now using the new, £1.3 billion Terminal 2 – which is now almost fully open after a decade-long transformation programme.

Ryanair passengers are using a hybrid model using parts of Terminal 1 and 3. The hybrid model will remain in place until the Spring while parts of Terminal 1 are repurposed to become part of Terminal 3, as the buildings are linked.

At that point, Terminal 1 will fully close – but work will continue to expand and improve Terminal 3, with a new sports bar – Sporting Chance – opening in the coming weeks and adding over 400 seats to the terminal.

Chief Airport and Asset Development Officer Ian Costigan said:

“Here at Manchester Airport, we’re proud to connect the North to the world – so we’re obviously really pleased that more passengers than ever before are choosing to fly from the UK’s global gateway in the North.

“But what’s really important is that we’re also giving them a better service than ever – and with nine out of ten passengers in January getting to security in five minutes or less, that really is the case.

“In fact, 99.9% of our passengers for the whole month made it to security in under 15 minutes, which shows that all the improvements we’ve made through our £1.3 billion investment aren’t just skin deep and are making a real difference to people’s journeys.”

“And we aren’t finished with our improvements yet. The transformation of Terminal 2 may be almost complete – with just a few finishing touches and new retailers to come – but now we’re really picking up the work in Terminal 3, so Ryanair passengers will start to notice real differences soon.

“It’s certainly shaping up to be another epic year for Manchester Airport, and I’m looking forward to more passengers getting to experience everything we’re doing here.”

The airport is gearing up for a busy period with the first school holiday of the year starting on Friday. Almost 1 million passengers are expected to fly in or out between this Friday and the following Sunday.

Manchester Airport is nearing the end of its decade-long programme to reshape Terminal 2 into the ultra-modern beating heart of the airport. An extension, which increased the terminal’s footprint by 150%, opened in 2021; the original terminal building was then closed and has been given a complete overhaul to bring it up to the same aesthetic and functional standards as the extension.

More than three-quarters of the airport’s passengers are now using the new T2 facilities. The final touches to the new-look Terminal 2 are expected to be complete in time for the summer.