Manchester International Airport is located 14km from the centre of the city of the same name in the North West of England. It is the second largest airport in the UK and the third largest in terms of passenger traffic. At the same time Manchester Airport is the absolute leader in the number of destinations offered: about 100 airlines operating scheduled flights around the world are served here. Unthinkable for a non-metropolitan airport complex!
Manchester Airport has three passenger terminals: Terminal 1, Terminal 2 and Terminal 3 respectively. The first two are connected by a Skylink footbridge with a moving walkway, while the third is accessed via a small covered walkway in Terminal 1, which by the way is the largest terminal of all. Free Wi-Fi is available to passengers in all terminals for 60 minutes.
Manchester Airport is coded ‘MAN’ by the International Air Transport Association.
The airport’s official website is www.manchesterairport.co.uk.
From the airport to Manchester and other cities
Passengers travelling from the airport to Manchester city centre have a number of public transport options to choose from.
Between Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 is the Manchester Airport train station, which provides train access not only to Manchester, but also to other British cities including Glasgow, Liverpool and Newcastle. You can access the platform via the Skylink footbridge.
Northern and TransPennine Express trains link the airport to Manchester Piccadilly railway station in the centre of Manchester on a daily basis. The timetable is every 10 minutes. Journey time is 20 minutes. Tickets can be bought at ticket offices or from special vending machines at the station as well as online (www.northernrailway.co.uk, www.tpexpress.co.uk). Fares start at £5.
Next to the train platform is Metrolink, Manchester’s light rail service, which resembles an express tram. The F line runs from the airport and ends at Cornbrook station in Manchester’s non-central area. Therefore, if your goal is downtown, you will have to change to another tram of a suitable line at Cornbrook station. By the way, Manchester United football fans should get off at Trafford Bar station, which is a 10-minute walk to the famous Old Trafford Stadium.
As for fares, a trip to Piccadilly Gardens station, for example, and this is the heart of the city, will cost £4.20 and take 30 minutes. Read more about fares here – www.metrolink.co.uk. You can buy tickets from ticket machines at all the stations on the transport network. Trams run every 12 minutes on weekdays and 15 minutes at weekends. It’s worth noting that it’s not the most convenient option if you want to get into the city centre.
The train and tram platforms share the same roof with the bus station, where you can catch the 43 city bus to get downtown in an hour. This bus leaves for the city every 10 minutes. There is also a city bus No.105, which connects the airport with the near-central Manchester area. It runs less frequently – every 30 minutes and the journey time will be 55 minutes. Tickets can be bought from the driver for cash. The cost is £3.
You can also take National Express buses from the airport to Manchester and other British cities. You can find out prices and buy a ticket at www.nationalexpress.com.
As at other airports around the world there is a taxi rank outside each terminal. If you choose to use them, the journey into Manchester city centre will cost £20-25 and take 30 minutes.