Manchester Airport Group makes strides in profits and passenger numbers

Manchester airport saw 26.2 million passengers in the year to March 31 2017, an increase of 11.5%.

Manchester Airport Group (MAG), which also includes Stansted, East Midlands and Bournemouth airports, saw pre-tax profits rise 8% to £343.2 million and passenger numbers rise 7.7% to 55.9 million.

Key short haul growth markets for Manchester airport were Spain, Italy and Greece, with new long-haul routes to Beijing, San Francisco, Houston and Muscat launched.

The other success has been Stansted, which now handles 6.8m more passengers per year than when MAG acquired the airport in 2013 - an increase of 39%.

MAG said Stansted’s growth over the last year “has exceeded expectations”, led by continued strong performance from Ryanair, the arrival of Jet2.com, and a continuation of British Airways European services.

Stansted will shortly apply for planning permission to raise the current passenger cap from 35 million to around 44 million passengers per annum. Currently, it accounts for 24.3 million.

The year saw East Midlands airport, which underwent a £15 million runway resurfacing, grow passenger numbers 4.4% to 4.7 million. Bournemouth airport, however, was unchanged at 700,000 passengers.

MAG’s American business, MAG USA, has continued to grow, with three Escape Lounges now open, a major deal signed with American Express, allowing Platinum Card members complimentary access to Escape Lounges, and a fourth Escape Lounge recently announced at Reno-Tahoe International Airport.

MAG chief executive Charlie Cornish said: “This year has seen our airports fly a record number of passengers to a record number of destinations all over the world.

“Our plans for significant investment in Manchester Airport and London Stansted will not only improve the experience for passengers and airlines using our airports but also provide the foundations upon which we will be able to meet anticipated future demand.”