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'Manchester Airport ' is a major airport in Manchester, UK. It opened to airline traffic in June 1938. It was initially known as 'Ringway Airport' and during World War Two, as RAF Ringway. 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.
It has two parallel runways the second of which opened in 2001. The airport has three adjacent terminals and a railway station. It is owned by the Manchester Airport Group which is controlled by a group of ten local authorities in the Greater Manchester area.
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 ranked as the 16th busiest world airport in 2004 (in terms of passengers carried on international flights) and is the fourth busiest airport in the UK (after London Heathrow, London Gatwick and London Stansted). 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 234,835^[3] aircraft movements, of which 213,100 were air transport movements (third highest in the UK) behind Heathrow and just under Gatwick.

Contents

Worldwide hub

Passenger numbers

Runway changes

Security

Terminals and destinations

Terminal 1 International

Terminal 2 International

Terminal 3

Future airlines

World Freight Terminal

Ground transportation

Criticism

Incidents and accidents

Public attractions

Trivia

See also

Bibliography

References

External links

Worldwide hub

The airport provides regular direct flights to many destinations worldwide by 85 airlines. Major North American carriers from Manchester include American Airlines, Continental Airlines, Delta Airlines and US Airways of the USA, and Air Canada, 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, Saudi Arabian Airlines, Syrian Arab Airlines and Cathay Pacific Airways serve the Asian market, whilst later this year Thomsonfly will start low-cost flights to Tel Aviv. 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, 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 will have flights to more destinations than any other UK airport from summer 2007. It will offer flights to 225 destinations - with more direct routes than Heathrow and Gatwick. Heathrow offers 180 destinations, all scheduled, while Gatwick has about 200, (although the two London airports handle considerably more flights and passengers than Manchester).
^[4] Many of Manchester's overseas routes are served by charter flights to holiday destinations, some being seasonal.
Manchester will also offer more destinations than some of the biggest airports in the US, including New York, Chicago and Dallas. 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.^[4] However, Manchester serves more foreign destinations than Atlanta and Frankfurt (but not Amsterdam), although being much smaller in terms of total passengers handled.
^[4]
Due to the large number of tour operators based at the airport, and charter destinations that are served, Manchester Airport is often labeled a 'bucket and spade airport', a term invented by the media.

Passenger numbers

Manchester is the fourth busiest airport in the UK and the biggest outside of London, in terms of passengers per year. 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. The first seven months of 2007 have seen a steady overall reduction in passengers, with the moving 12 months total to July of 21.9 million, dropping by 1.5% compared with the previous year (UK airports average for the same period - 1.6% increase). The airport has fierce competition from London Stansted for passenger numbers and London Gatwick for total aircraft movements. Manchester Airport is the world's 21st busiest airport in terms of international passengers, above some of the world's major aviation hubs, including Los Angeles International Airport (this is because many international passengers from MAN fly only 3/ - a distance which would be 'inter-state' in the US) ^[7]
The airport's latest long range plan, published mid 2006 and widely circulated to interested parties, forecasts at page 39 that passenger numbers will increase to circa 38 million passengers per annum by 2015, a fast average growth rate of 6.2% and reach 50 million by 2030. The airport authorities are examining measures to cope with this postulated increase, which so far not materialised.^[8]

Runway changes

On 7 June 2007, Manchester Airport's runway assignments were changed in relation to the Magnetic Compass bearings. The previous headings for the runways were 057° and 237° with assignments 06L/24R and 06R/24L respectively (23/4/07). 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.^[9]
This ended 66 years of 24/06 operations, as the original tarmac runway, initially just 3000 ft long, was hastily and skimpily laid down in the latter half of 1941.

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.^[10]

★ 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. ^[11]

★ In 2005, after spotted acting suspiciously, police used a taser to shoot a man on the apron, after he appeared to resist arrest.^[12]

★ 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.^[13]

Terminals and destinations

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 and are connected by a corridor. Terminals 1 and 2 are linked by the skywalk, with travelators to aid passengers with the long walk. The skywalk also connects the railway station (where a few shops are located) and the Radisson Hotel.

Terminal 1 International

Terminal 1 handles international traffic and is served by many scheduled airlines and charter operators. It is also used as the base for MyTravel and Thomas Cook Airlines, Monarch Airlines and Jet2.com also have a strong presence here. It has 24 stands, 18 of which have airbridges. Opened in 1962, the terminal has undergone many extensions and renovations since opening. There are currently 107 check-in desks in the terminal. The current passenger throughput is just over 9 million passengers per year. Terminal 1 is currently undergoing a multi-million pound redevelopment. The first phase of the project is to expand and relocate the security search area; following this a major extension and overhaul of the departure lounge will be completed.

★ Aer Arann (Galway, Kerry, Nantes, Sligo, Waterford)

★ Aer Lingus (Cork ''[Starts Winter 2007]'', Dublin)

★ Air Berlin (Hamburg, London-Stansted [ends October 2007], Paderborn)

★ Air Canada (Toronto-Pearson) ''[seasonal]''

★ Air Transat (Calgary, Toronto-Pearson, Vancouver)

★ AMC Airlines (Sharm-el-Sheik)

★ Aurigny Air Services (Guernsey))

★ BH Air (Burgas, Plovdiv, Sofia, Varna)

★ Centralwings (Krakow, Warsaw [Starts October 28th 2007])

★ City Airline (Gothenburg-Landvetter)

★ Cyprus Airways (Larnaca, Paphos)

★ Cyprus Turkish Airlines (Dalaman)

★ Etihad Airways (Abu Dhabi)

★ Eurocypria (Heraklion, Larnaca, Paphos)

★ EuroManx (Isle Of Man)

★ Finnair (Helsinki)

★ Flyjet (Arrecife, Corfu, Dalaman, Heraklion, Larnaca, Las Palmas, Paphos, Rhodes, Sharm-El-Sheik, Tenerife-South, Thessaloniki)

★ Futura International Airways (Alicante, Arrecife, Dalaman, Ibiza, Larnaca, Las Palmas, Mahon, Palma, Reus, Tenerife)

★ Icelandair (Reykjavik-Keflavik)

★ Jet2.com (Alicante, Amsterdam, Barcelona [ends September, 2007], Berlin-Schönefeld, Budapest, Chambery, Faro, Geneva, Gran Canaria, Ibiza, Lanzarote, Malaga, Milan-Bergamo [Ends October, 2007], Murcia, Nice, Palma, Paris Charles-De-Gaulle, Pisa, Prague, Rome-Fiumicino, Tenerife-South, Toulouse, Valencia, Venice Marco Polo)

★ Libyan Airways (Tripoli)

★ LOT Polish Airlines (Warsaw [Ends October 2007])

★ Lufthansa (Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich)
:
★ Eurowings (Dusseldorf)

★ Luxair (Dublin, Luxembourg)

★ Monarch Airlines (scheduled) (Alicante, Almeria, Arrecife, Barcelona, Faro, Ibiza, Jerez, Mahon, Malaga, Murcia [begins February, 2008], Palma, Tenerife)

★ Monarch Airlines (charter) (Arrecife, Calgary, Cancún, Catania, Chania, Corfu, Dalaman, Faro, Fuerteventura, Goa, Grenoble, Heraklion, Hurghada, Ibiza, Kittila, Kos, Las Palmas, Luxor, Mahon, Male, Naples, Orlando-Sanford, Palma, Paphos, Preveza, Punta Cana, Rhodes, Salzburg, Shram-El-Sheik, Skiathos, Sofia, Tenerife, Thessalonika, Venice, Zakynthos)

★ MyTravel (Agadir, Alicante, Almeria, Antalya, Arrecife, Bergamo, Bodrum, Bucharest-Otopeni, 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, Mallorca (Majorca), Malé, Malta, Monastir, Montego Bay, Naples, Orlando-Sanford, Palma, Paphos, Puerto Plata, Reus, Rhodes, Rimini, Salvador- Dois De Julho, Salzburg, Sharm El Sheik, Tenerife, Toronto-Pearson, Turin, Vancouver, Varadero, Zakynthos)

★ Olympic Airlines (Athens)

★ Ryanair (Dublin, Shannon)

★ Scandinavian Airlines (Copenhagen, Stockholm-Arlanda, Oslo)

★ SkyEurope (Bratislava, Krakow)

★ Spanair (Madrid, Barcelona)

★ 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)

★ Thomas Cook Airlines (Alicante, Almeria, Antalya, Arrecife, Banjul, Barbados, Bodrum, Burgas, Calgary, Cancún, Catania, Cayo Coco, Corfu, Dalaman, Faro, Fuerteventura, Fuchal, Gerona, Heraklion, Hurghada, Ibiza, Innsbruck, Izmir, Jerez, Kefallinia, Kos, Larnaca, Las Palmas, Lyon, Mahon, Malaga, Malta, Monastir, Montreal, Orlando-Sanford, Ottawa, Palma, Paphos, Preveza, Puerto Plata, Reus, Rohdes, Rovaniemi, Salzburg, Sharm-El-Sheik, Skiathos, Sofia, Split, Tenerife, Thessalonika, Toronto-Pearson, Toulouse, Turin, Vancouver, Verona, Zakynthos)

★ TUIfly (Cologne/Bonn, Hannover, Stuttgart)

★ Turkish Airlines (Istanbul-Atatürk)

Terminal 2 International

Terminal 2, opened in 1993, is used mostly by long haul and charter traffic and is the airport's other major international terminal, handling many scheduled and international flights. Some European scheduled airlines such as Air France, KLM and Air Malta also operate flights out of the Terminal. Charter Airlines First Choice Airways, XL Airways and Thomsonfly use the terminal as a base, however Pakistan International Airlines, Virgin Atlantic Airways and Astraeus have a strong presence as well. It has 15 gates, of which 14 have airbridges. There are currently 69 check-in desks in the terminal with plans to add more in future modifications of the terminal. Terminal 2 is planned to be capable of being extensively modified so it can eventually accommodate significantly more passengers than the current throughput of 7.8 million. This is a future project to be carried out within the next few years.

★ Adria Airways (Ljubljana)

★ Air Atlanta Icelandic (Orlando-Sanford)

★ Airblue (Islamabad)

★ Air France (Paris-Charles de Gaulle)

★ Air Malta (Malta)

★ Astraeus (Agadir, Banjul-Yundum, Brescia, Calvi, Chambery, Dalaman, Innsbruck, Izmir, Kefallinia, Kos, Lourdes-Tarbes, Lyon, Olbia, Palma de Mallorca, Paphos, Pula, Sal, Salzburg, Sharm-El-Sheik, Skiathos, Taba, Tenerife-South, Varna, Verona, Zakynthos)

★ Belavia (Minsk)

★ BritishJET operated by Hello (Malta)

★ Bulgaria Air (Sofia)

★ Continental Airlines (Newark)

★ Czech Airlines (Prague)

★ Delta Air Lines (Atlanta, New York-JFK)

★ Emirates (Dubai)

★ First Choice Airways (FCA) (Agadir, Alicante, Almeria, Antalya, Arrecife, Banjul-Yundum, Barbados, Bodrum, Bourgas, Cancún, Cozumel, Cayo Coco, Chania, Colombo, Corfu, Dalaman, Faro, Fuerteventura, Funchal, Geneva, Goa, Grenoble, Hassi Messaoud, Heraklion, Huatulco, Ibiza, Innsbruck, Kefalonia, Kittila, Kos, Las Palmas, Mahon, Malaga, Male, Malta, Mitilini-Lesbos, Mombasa, Monastir, Montego Bay, Naples, Nassau, Orlando-Sanford, Palma de Mallorca, Paphos, Porlamar, Preveza, Puerto Plata, Puerto Vallarta, Punta Cana, Reus, Rhodes, Rovaniemi, Salvador (Dois De Julho), Salzburg, Santorini, Samana, Sharm-El-Sheik, Skiathos, Sri Lanka, Taba, Tenerife, Thessaloniki, Toulouse, Turin, Varadero, Varna, Verona, Zakynthos)

★ Flyglobespan (Calgary [seasonal], Cape Town [seasonal], Toronto-Hamilton, Vancouver [seasonal])

★ KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (Amsterdam)

★
★ KLM Cityhopper (Amsterdam)

★ LTE International Airways (Arrecife, Palma, Tenerife-South)

★ Luxor Air (Sharm-El-Sheik)

★ Onur Air (Antalya, Bodrum, Dalaman, Ercan)

★ Pakistan International Airlines (Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore)

★ Pegasus Airlines (Bodrum, Dalaman)

★ Qatar Airways (Doha)

★ Saudi Arabian Airlines (Geneva, Jeddah, Riyadh)

★ Singapore Airlines (Singapore)

★ Syrian Arab Airlines (Damascus)

★ Thomsonfly (Agadir, Alicante, Antalya, Arrecife, Barbados, Bodrum, Bourgas, Cancún, Cape Verde (Summer 2008)^[14], Chania, Corfu, Dalaman, Dubrovnik, Fort Lauderdale, Faro, Figari, Fuerteventura, Funchal, Geneva, Gerona, Heraklion, Hurghada, Ibiza, Kavala, Kefallinia, Larnaca, Las Palmas, Lisbon, Luxor, Lyon, Mahon, Malaga, Malta, Monastir, Montego Bay, Naples, Orlando-Sanford, Palma, Paphos, Pisa, Puerto Plata, Pula, Punta Cana, Reus, Rhodes, Rovaniemi,Saint Lucia, Salzburg, Samos, Santorini, Sharm-El-Sheik, Skiathos, Sofia, Taba, Tel Aviv, Tenerife-North, Tenerife-South, Thessaloniki, Toulouse, Turin, Varadero, Varna, Venice, Verona, Zakynthos)

★ US Airways (Philadelphia)

★ Virgin Atlantic Airways (Barbados, Orlando, St Lucia [seasonal])

★ Zoom Airlines (Calgary, Toronto-Pearson, Vancouver)

★ XL Airways (Alicante, Antalya, Arrecife, Barbados, Bodrum, Burgas, Chambery, Chania, Corfu, Dalaman, Faro, Fuerteventura, Funchal, Geneva, Grenoble, Heraklion, Hurghada, Ivalo, Kalamata, Kavala, Kefallinia, Kos, Larnaca, Las Palmas, London-Gatwick, Mahon, Malaga, Mikonos, Mitilini-Lesbos, Monastir, Murcia, Ovda, Orlando-Sanford, Palma, Paphos, Plovdiv, Preveza, Rhodes, Samos, Santorini, Sharm-El-Sheik, Skiathos, Tenerife, Volos, Zakynthos.)

Terminal 3

Terminal 3 was formerly known as Terminal 1 Domestic and was opened by the late Diana, Princess of Wales before being revamped and renamed in the late 1990s when BA decided Manchester should be one of the hubs for their BA Connect service, now discontinued. The terminal is primarily used by Flybe, British Airways, Oneworld, bmi/bmibaby and domestic traffic, however the airlines that use the terminal primarily are British Airways, Flybe, bmi and bmibaby. There are currently 46 check-in desks in Terminal 3. It has 18 gates, 14 of which have airbridges. Terminal 3 is currently working to expand capacity from its current throughput of 5.0 million passengers per year.

★ Air Southwest (Bristol, Plymouth)

★ American Airlines (Boston [''seasonal''], Chicago-O'Hare)

★ bmi (Aberdeen, Antigua, Barbados, Chicago-O'Hare, Las Vegas, London-Heathrow, Lyon)

★
★ bmibaby (Alicante, Belfast-International, Bordeaux, Cork, Knock, Jersey, Malaga, Newquay, Palma de Mallorca, Perpignan, Prague)

★
★ bmi Regional (Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow)

★ British Airways (London-Gatwick, London-Heathrow, New York-JFK)

★
★ British Airways operated by GB Airways (Heraklion, Malta, Paphos, Tenerife -South)

★
★ British Airways operated by Sun Air of Scandinavia (Billund)

★ Brussels Airlines (Brussels)

★ Eastern Airways (Inverness)

★ Flybe (Belfast-City, Bergerac, Brest, Brussels, Dusseldorf, Edinburgh, Exeter, Frankfurt, Glasgow-International, Guernsey, Hanover, Isle of Man, Jersey, La Rochelle, Limoges, Milan-Malpensa, Norwich, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Rennes, Southampton)

★ VLM Airlines (Antwerp, London-City, Luxembourg, Rotterdam)

Future airlines

★ Air Sylhet (Dhaka, Sylhet)

★ Afriqiyah Airways (Tripoli) [begins 2008 - Subject to Gov't Approval]

★ Royal Bengal Airline (Dhaka)

★ UK International Airlines (Islamabad, Sharjah)

★ Cathay Pacific (Hong Kong) [begins 2008 - Subject to Government Approval]

World Freight Terminal

The centre for cargo operations at the airport is the World Freight Terminal. It has dedicated aircraft stands for handling cargo flight. As well as the freighter aircraft the staff at the terminal also handle freight consignments that arrive or depart in the holds of passenger aircraft at the other terminals. During 2006, 150,300 tonnes of cargo and mail were handled at Manchester, an increase of 0.4% over the previous year (per CAA annual statistics table 2.2). 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 a total of 12 freighter round trips every week. Currently the airport handles 16 Boeing 747 freighter flights daily. Cargo Airlines that serve Manchester are:

★ Aeroflot-Cargo ^[15]

★ Air Contractors

★ Cathay Pacific Cargo

★ China Airlines Cargo

★ Great Wall Airlines

★ Fedex - Operated by Air Contractors

★ Jett8 Airlines Cargo

Ground transportation

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 A538 road serves the World Freight Terminal, to the south of the airport, and also connects to the M56 motorway at junction 6. It 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 railways stations 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 also 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 towns within Greater Manchester as well as the 24 hour bus Skyline
Service 43 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^[16] and Cedar's Wood. Swampy, a well known activist, was among many protesters.^[17]
Manchester Airport's second runway was built on around 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 significantly 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 lower flying aircraft . Concorde was at one time the worst offender, but has never landed or taken off from Runway 2.
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. ^[18]
(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 G-ALWE crashed on approach to Manchester Airport due to a flap failure caused by fatigue. All 20 occupants on board died and two on the ground.

★ 1967 – Stockport Air Disaster – 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, 55 fatalities

★ 16 July 2003 – Excel Airways Boeing 737-800 (G-XLAG) with 197 passengers took off from Manchester International Airport while vehicles were working near the end of the runway surface. Despite the crew being told the runway was operating at reduced length they did not notice and took off over the vehicles missing them by 56 ft (17 m), according to the UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch.^[19]

★ On March 1, 2005, a PIA Boeing 777-200ER after landing 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 minor damage to aircraft.^[20]

Public attractions

Manchester Airport has created several public viewing areas since the airport opened in 1938. Whilst the 1960/70s pier-top facilities have been closed because of security concerns, an official "Aviation Viewing Park" has been created, just off the A538 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.
Here, a grounded British Airways Concorde registered 'G-BOAC' was considered the flagship of British Airways' seven concorde fleet, it is on permanent display at the airport along with a BAE Systems Avro RJX G-IRJX, BEA Hawker Siddeley Trident 3B G-AWZK and the forward fuselage of Monarch Airlines Douglas DC-10 G-DMCA are shown on static display which can be boarded by prior arrangement only. Concorde must be booked in advance. 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 oppsite 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 Terminal 1 car park roof features another official viewing area. A spotters' location for the last 32 years, this site was closed during November 2006 whilst car park resurfacing and modernisation took place, but has now been re-opened. The café and aviation shop located at this area have also been closed, with the aviation shop moving to the arrivals area as part of a major refurbishment of Terminal 1. The 10-minutes free parking facility has also ceased.

Trivia

★ There is no gate 13 at Manchester Airport, because of superstitions surrounding the number 13.

★ Servisair, a large ground handling service originated from Manchester.

See also

★ RAF Ringway

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
2. http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=262428
3. http://www.ukaccs.info/manchester/profile.htm
4. Manchester Airport offering more flights
5. Manchester Airport offering more flights
6. Manchester Airport offering more flights
7. International Passenger Traffic
8. Manchester Airport - Ongoing Developments
9. http://www.manchesterairport.co.uk/web.nsf/Content/Runwayredesignation
10. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/1810345.stm
11. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3629336.stm
12. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/4274516.stm
13. ''The Guardian'': "Airport arrest man in court on terror charges".
14. http://news.flightmapping.com/07/07/27/thomsonfly-unveils-summer-2008-schedule_1389.html
15. Air Cargo News
16. http://members.aol.com/pp3office/arthpr.htm
17. http://www.bbc.co.uk/manchester/travel/runway2_history.shtml
18. http://www.thewilmslowexpress.co.uk/news/s/230/230055_victory_for_green_belt_campaigners_as_airports_plan_for_styal_is_rejected.html
19. ''Flight International'' 12-18 December 2006
20. The UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) report on 777 AP-BGL incident

External links

★ Official site

★ Guardian Article: Eco-warriors win propaganda battle

★ Guardian Article: Sell-out claim as trust agrees to fell trees

★ AirportWatch

★ Manchester Airport Consultative Committee

★ Trident Preservation Society (for information on preserved Trident G-AWZK)