| Manchester airport is a major airport | | | | large passenger numbers. Additionally, |
| within the UK, its size and passenger | | | | the jet age required extensions to the |
| numbers are large and considered to be | | | | runways as well as larger more efficient |
| the largest outside the London area. | | | | terminal buildings. At this early stage |
| Naturally as with every major airport | | | | airport bosses started to fill these |
| today Manchester is filled with | | | | terminals with shops, cafes and car hire |
| accompanying services such as car hire | | | | desks as a means of earning extra |
| desks, shops, cafes and restaurants. | | | | profits through tenancy agreements. It |
| Like Heathrow Manchester has two | | | | was not until the seventies that the |
| operational runways, an advantage over | | | | site was renamed as Manchester |
| airports like Gatwick and Stansted. The | | | | International Airport. |
| site also has its own railway station | | | | As the major airport outside of London |
| and extensive road links meaning that it | | | | executives soon realised the opportunity |
| is a major air transport hub in the | | | | to begin long haul flights from the |
| north of England. In the previous twelve | | | | site. Long haul planes however meant yet |
| months Manchester saw twenty two million | | | | another runway extension to accommodate |
| passengers fly in and out; the site is | | | | large jets like the Boeing 747. This |
| not owned by BAA but is instead owned by | | | | expansion yielded great results. By the |
| the Manchester Airport Group, a group | | | | early nineties around ten million |
| doing well enough to consider buying | | | | passengers were using the airport on an |
| Gatwick airport in the coming year. | | | | annual basis; clearly having a major |
| Like many of the airports in the UK | | | | airport outside of the London |
| Manchester started operating during the | | | | conurbation was a good idea. It was |
| thirties as part of a growth in air | | | | during these years that another terminal |
| travel more generally. Originally the | | | | was built with all of the auxiliary |
| site's location in the parish of Ringway | | | | services like car hire desks, shops and |
| gave the airfield its name. The | | | | restaurants. Additionally it this period |
| inaugural flight went to Amsterdam in | | | | also saw the addition of a rail link to |
| 1938. The outbreak of war however meant | | | | the national network and a second |
| that the site was soon requisitioned for | | | | runway. The second runway increased |
| military purposes. During these years | | | | passenger numbers two fold in the next |
| the airfield was used for flying | | | | decade or so and is large enough today |
| operational sorties but was | | | | to accommodate the gargantuan Airbus |
| predominantly used as a testing and | | | | A380, the largest passenger jet ever |
| training centre. The British | | | | built. |
| manufacturer Avro, makers of the | | | | Manchester airport today is the largest |
| Lancaster, used the site to test their | | | | and most commonly used outside of the |
| bombers. In terms of training it is | | | | three major London airports. It has |
| believed that the site was the major | | | | developed from a small airfield named |
| training ground for the newly formed | | | | after a local parish to a bona fide |
| parachute regiments that were so | | | | international gateway. With the |
| instrumental in the new form of warfare. | | | | facilities to accommodate the largest |
| As with most airfields in the UK the | | | | and most modern aircraft it will |
| ending of war meant a return to civilian | | | | continue to be a leader in the world of |
| use. By the late fifties Manchester was | | | | air travel. As a fundamental link in the |
| ferrying half a million passengers | | | | transportation network its future is |
| annually. Such high usage meant | | | | somewhat assured. |
| expansion and growth to accommodate | | | | |