MANCHESTER Airport has continued its record-breaking run with its busiest April yet.

More than 2.4 million passengers flew last month, up from 2.2 million in 2023 and 25,000 more than the previous record in April 2019.

The busy month was driven by the popularity of flights to city break destinations like Dublin, Amsterdam and Dubai and traditional holiday destinations like Alicante and Tenerife.

The Easter break marks the start of airlines’ summer seasons with lots of  holiday flights launching.

Some 93 per cent of travellers embarking on trips last month queued for less than 10 minutes to get through security.

Chris Woodroofe, Manchester Airport managing director, said “We’re really proud to connect the North to the world.

“Over the last month it’s been great to see so many passengers coming through, taking advantage of our unrivalled route network of more than 200 destinations that gives them more choice than any airport outside London.

“The vast majority of those passengers have had a great start to their trips, with 93 per cent waiting for 10 minutes or less to get to security.

“If you’re travelling with hand baggage and check-in online, the chances are that you’ll be able to arrive at the airport and walk straight up to security with barely any wait whatsoever.

“What that means is that you’ll be able to start your holiday at the airport, heading straight into our departure lounges and enjoying the facilities we have on offer .

"Whether that’s the award winning architecture of the new Terminal 2, the brand new Gaming Point for fans of virtual reality and computer games in Terminal 1 or the wide range of shops, bars and restaurants all over the airport.”

The top five most popular destinations for April were:

1. Dublin – 87,970 passengers

2. Amsterdam – 85,288 passengers

3. Dubai – 82,518 passengers

4. Alicante – 78,694 passengers

5. Tenerife – 72,324 passengers

In January, the airport marked a year since work started on the final phase of its £1.3 billion transformation programme.

The new Terminal 2 is already open but work continues and will see it double in size, meaning the modern facility will serve more than 70 per cent of the airport’s passengers when it is fully open in 2025.

March saw significant changes to the airfield that will allow the airport to increase its capacity for aircraft and ultimately offer even more destinations to passengers.