Manchester Sets a September Record as Heathrow Slips
Manchester carried a record 3.1 million passengers in September. Heathrow's 7.2 million was down 2.3% as Gulf disruption hit transfer traffic.
Britain’s two biggest airports moved in opposite directions in September.
Manchester: a record month
Manchester Airport handled 3.1 million passengers, its best September on record and up 1.4%. Mallorca was the busiest route. Orlando was the top long-haul destination, with almost 25,000 passengers. The airport says shoulder-season holidays can be 20–40% cheaper than peak.
“Seeing so many passengers passing through the UK’s global gateway in the North during September has been really exciting,” said Chris Woodroofe, managing director.
Heathrow: down 2.3%
Heathrow carried 7.2 million passengers, 2.3% fewer than a year earlier, as disruption in the Gulf hit its routes. About 1.4 million were transferring. Cargo was up 5%, and Heathrow says more than 40 airlines want slots there.
The airport also published polling showing 68% local support for a third runway. Chief executive Thomas Woldbye is due before the Transport Select Committee this week. “The debate about whether the UK needs additional hub airport capacity has been settled,” he said.
Sources
Lauren Smith writes Hotel Watch for Not An Atlas. She grew up in Glasgow and now works from Toronto, usually within reach of a pug, a laptop and a stack of McDonald's Monopoly vouchers. Her first flight was to Orlando, and she still remembers how kind everyone was. She's a window-seat loyalist (somewhere to rest your head), eats whatever the locals recommend (schnitzel and an Austrian beer, the moment she landed in Vienna), and always packs spare underwear. Just in case. Hallstatt on a sunny day is her “this is why I travel” moment, the Highlands are where she'd go back tomorrow, and South Korea or Japan is next. Friends say bubbly, caring and fun. Her mum says chaotic but organized.
