Here are the recent changes at Manchester Airport that affect how you travel, from new routes and price changes to construction and security rules. This page was last updated in August 2026. It covers what has changed, not today's live status.
Checking live delays and departures today
For today's delays, cancellations and live departure boards, check the official Manchester Airport website and your airline app, or a flight tracker such as Flightradar24. This page tracks the changes that stick, not minute-by-minute status.
Travel alerts and recent disruption
- 19 November 2025 Terminal 1 closed permanently after more than 60 years (opened 1962), making Manchester a two-terminal airport for the first time in three decades. The land is being used to expand Terminal 3. (source)
- 2026 (ongoing) Terminal 2, the airport's new "super terminal," has fully opened as part of a 10-year £1.3bn Manchester Airport Transformation Programme. T2 has more than doubled in size and now handles over 75% of all passengers. Carriers relocated to T2 during 2025 include easyJet, Emirates, British Airways, Finnair, Icelandair, SAS, Gulf Air, Norse Atlantic, Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian and TAP Air Portugal. (source)
- 2026 (ongoing) Terminal 3 upgrade is underway; T3 is now used exclusively by Ryanair. Around 2,000 signs across the airport are being amended to remove references to Terminal 1, and new outlets including a 400-plus-seat "Sporting Chance" sports bar and an Italian restaurant are planned. (source)
- Early 2026 The Great Northern Market Hall, described as the first street-food hall of its kind inside a UK airport, opened with a 470-seat hall featuring six kitchens. (source)
New routes and airlines
- Summer 2026 Manchester Airport confirmed 12 new routes for summer 2026: Algiers, Lahore, Bari, Montpellier, Preveza, Jerez de la Frontera, La Palma, Palermo, Pula, Samos, Castellon and Rimini. Operating airlines include easyJet, Jet2, Ryanair, Air Algerie and Pakistan International Airlines. (source)
- 14 June 2026 Air Algerie launched its new Manchester to Algiers service, with return fares from around £263. (source)
- 3 July 2026 Pakistan International Airlines added a Manchester to Lahore route, building on its existing Islamabad service, with return fares from around £881. (source)
- June 2026 Ryanair launched Manchester services to Castellon, Spain (from 1 June) and Rimini, Italy (from 3 June), with fares from around £34 to £35. (source)
Parking, drop-off and fare changes
- 6 January 2026 Manchester Airport's terminal drop-off charge rose, making it one of the UK's most expensive for drop-offs: £5 for up to 5 minutes and £6 for up to 10 minutes at Terminals 2 and 3. The zone uses barrierless ANPR; drivers must pay online at pay.manchesterairport.co.uk or by phone by midnight the following day or face a £100 Parking Charge Notice. A free drop-off area remains at JetParks 1, served by a 24/7 shuttle bus. (source)
- 2026 Reported UK-wide analysis placed Manchester among the airports whose drop-off fees increased for 2026, alongside Heathrow and Gatwick. (source)
Security rules (liquids and electronics)
- 2026 Manchester still enforces the 100ml liquids rule and the single clear-bag requirement, and laptops must still be removed at security. Manchester had not yet switched to the next-generation CT scanners that allow up to 2 litres per container and laptops left in bags, unlike Heathrow, Gatwick, Birmingham and Edinburgh, which lifted the 100ml limit in early 2026. Travellers should assume the 100ml rule applies at Manchester. (source)
Passenger records and milestones
- January 2026 (2025 full-year results) Manchester Airport handled 32,088,626 passengers in 2025, up 4% year-on-year, its busiest year ever, retaining its position as the UK's third busiest airport behind Heathrow and Gatwick. December 2025 was its busiest December on record with about 2.4 million passengers. (source)
- January 2026 Parent group Manchester Airports Group (MAG to Manchester, Stansted and East Midlands) reported a record 66 million passengers across the group in 2025. (source)
- Early 2026 Manchester handled over 2 million passengers in January 2026 (up about 5.5% year-on-year); by March 2026 the rolling 12-month total was around 32.3 million. (source)
More
More: Overview, Taxis, Public transport, Parking, Drop-off, Routes, FAQs.
Getting a taxi or transfer
Need a door-to-door taxi? For fixed-price, flight-tracked transfers to and from Manchester Airport, we recommend 247 UK Airport Taxi. Your fare is fixed and quoted before you travel, so drop-off charges, night surcharges and traffic never change what you pay.
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Last verified August 2026 by the Manchester Airport Guide editorial team. Prices and timetables change, so confirm the specifics on the official Manchester Airport website before you travel.