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The
Original Ringway Airport
Manchester
has a long association with aircraft and flying. From the early
days of the Avro and the Lancaster bomber to the contemporary
supersonic elegance of British Airways Concorde. It was in 1934
that Manchester City Council approved the building of Ringway
Airport, which was opened in 1938 with the completion of the original
terminal and the commencement of scheduled flights. However, the
Second World War brought a swift halt to scheduled flights in
1939, and for the duration it was the home base of 613 Squadron
RAF and the Parachute Training School.
Manchester
Airport PLC
Scheduled
air services recommenced in 1946 and in 1948, the airport saw
the first visit by a military jet aircraft. In the following years
the original runway was extended several times (in 1951 to 5900
feet, in 1959 to 7000 feet, in 1961 to 7500 feet, in 1965 to 7900
feet, in 1969 to 9200 feet, in 1982 to 10,000 feet. In the meantime,
the airport had seen the arrival of its first "jumbo" aircraft
in 1970, and of the first visit by "Concorde" in 1976. In 1975,
the airport changed its name to "Manchester International Airport"
and in 1986 "Manchester Airport PLC" was incorporated, at which
time it changed its name to the present form : "Manchester Airport".
In 1992 the Railway Station and the new Terminal 2 were opened.
Airport
Information
Manchester
Airport News
A daily updated airport news website: http://www.uk-airport-news.info/manchester-airport-news.htm
Tour
Centre
Guided
tours of Manchester Airport for groups.
Email: tourcentre@tasmanchester.com
Aviation Society Spotter's Club
Membership Enquiries:
Email: a.birtles@btinternet.com
TAS Information Centre Office
Winged Words and Flight Check publications.
Tel: 0161-489 2443
Email: admin@tasmanchester.com
Airport Parking Manchester
See
Main Entry: Airport
Parking
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Manchester
Airport Hotels
There are
a number of hotels and guest houses at or nearby the Manchester
Airport terminal buildings.
See our
main entry to check availability,
tarifs and to book online:
Manchester
Airport World Freight Centre
Nowadays,
over 20 million passengers pass through its booking hall. Originally
called "Ringway Airport", it is now the third biggest international
air terminal in Britain. Rail linked to the city centre, it
takes only 15 minutes to reach, though it is 10 miles out. Air
traffic controllers currently handle 94 airlines, with over
170 world-wide destinations. In 1994, the airport handled over
73,000 metric tonnes of cargo and freight. It has come a long
way since the City
Council first decided to build a municipal "aerodrome" in
1929, and the first arrival of an "international" service landed
in 1938 in the form of a KLM DC-2 from Amsterdam.
Best Airport in the World
Manchester
Airport is unlike most other major UK airports in that it is
not run by the British Airports Authority (BAA), as most are,
but it is independently managed by Manchester Airport PLC, and
owned by all 10 Metropolitan Boroughs
which make up Greater Manchester. It is most proud of its independent
status, and this is reflected in its mission to become "the
Best World Airport".
The Future of Manchester Airport
Many
further developments are planned, including the provision of
airline offices, major terminal extension and refurbishments,
a second runway (currently under construction), a new public
transport interchange with the full integration of the City's
Metrolink tram/train
service, the building of a new Inter-Continental 5
Star Hotel, various extensions to the Arrival Halls, and
generally increased capacities for expected passenger growth.
The Airport anticipates more than 30 million passengers annually
by the end of the decade.
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