Manchester Airport’s New Baggage System Handles Thousands Daily

Friday, April 12, 2024

Manchester Airport has marked its sixth consecutive month of breaking passenger records. In March, it handled 2.1 million passengers, marking a 12% increase from March 2023 and surpassing the pre-pandemic level of 2 million passengers in 2019.

Fueled by a bustling early Easter period, this achievement made it the busiest March in the airport’s history. Additionally, for the second month in a row, every passenger experienced wait times of less than 15 minutes at security checkpoints.

The top destinations during this period included Dublin and Amsterdam, favored for long weekends, followed by Dubai, a key hub in the Middle East serving both as a destination and a connecting point for Asia and beyond. Tenerife and Alicante, popular holiday spots, rounded out the top five, signaling the resurgence of the summer travel season.

Manchester Airport, a vital international gateway in the North, continues to set records as it progresses with its £1.3 billion Transformation Programme. By 2025, Terminal 2 will accommodate about 70% of the airport’s passengers. To maintain its seamless service, a cutting-edge baggage system has been installed, custom-built by Vanderlande. This state-of-the-art system, worth millions of pounds, boasts over two miles of conveyor belts and can process 3,000 bags per hour. Since its launch at the end of March, it has already handled over 100,000 bags. The maximum distance a bag travels within the system is 582 meters, nearly six football fields in length, with an average processing time of around 10 minutes before being loaded onto an aircraft by ground handling staff.

Having rebounded to pre-pandemic passenger levels last year, the airport has consistently broken monthly passenger records since October. April is poised to be another record-breaking month, with approximately 320,000 passengers expected over the Easter bank holiday weekend, an 8% increase from the same period in 2023.

Manchester Airport Managing Director Chris Woodroofe said:

“We are proud to serve the people of the North. On the surface that means offering an unrivalled range of more than 200 destinations, great service so that passengers never wait more than a few minutes to get to security and world class facilities in our terminals.

“But beneath the surface there is a huge amount of work that goes into making that happen. We’re in the middle of a £1.3bn programme that is completely transforming the airport. A key component of that is this new baggage system that will help make sure things continue to run smoothly behind the scenes.

“So while passengers will see the difference as they pass through Terminal 2 – which has already won the prestigious Prix Versailles award for its architecture and design – equally important changes have been made in the parts of the airport that most people will never see meaning that as demand for travel continues to increase, the service we offer our passengers continues to improve.”

The most sought-after travel spots in March were:

• Dublin, hosting 95,254 travelers
• Amsterdam, welcoming 93,838 visitors
• Dubai, with 92,554 passengers
• Tenerife, accommodating 88,330 individuals
• Alicante, receiving 65,824 passengers

With peak holiday season looming, Manchester Airport observes a rising trend in travelers opting for classic vacation destinations like Tenerife and Alicante. Concurrently, passengers are advised to adequately prepare for their journeys to ensure a hassle-free experience at the airport.

Manchester Airport offers key recommendations for travelers:

1. Plan your journey to the airport meticulously, utilizing the extensive transportation options such as rail, tram, and bus services.
2. Ensure your luggage complies with your airline’s specifications regarding weight and dimensions.
3. Arrive at the airport as per your airline’s specified time, typically two hours before short-haul flights and three hours for long-haul flights.
4. Prepare for security procedures, adhering to guidelines such as limits on liquid quantities, easy-to-remove footwear, and accessibility of electronic devices like laptops.
5. Pack your hand baggage thoughtfully, keeping in mind the separate screening process for items like laptops at security checkpoints.

In January, Manchester Airport celebrated a year since the commencement of the final phase of its extensive £1.3 billion transformation project. The newly opened Terminal 2 is operational, with ongoing expansion work set to double its size, catering to over 70% of the airport’s passengers upon completion in 2025.

Additionally, recent modifications to the airfield have bolstered the airport’s capacity for aircraft, paving the way for an expanded range of destinations for travelers.

For media or filming inquiries, contact:

• Michael Murphy-Pyle, Head of Media: 07565 178 364
• Alex Nash, Press Officer: 07565 178 245

This contact information is for media purposes only, not for customer queries.

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