While the airport said it was “feeling a sense of excitement” about catering for more passengers and flights, it wanted the government to do more in lifting the remaining restrictions.
Karen Smart, the airport’s managing director, said: “Looking ahead, as we continue to recover, we can still go further, and so in the new year we’ll be calling on the government to further simplify the travel system.”
Meanwhile Smart also talked about hopes that the forthcoming half-term holidays would act as a “springboard” for recovery in travel over the next few months.
“We are all hopeful we will see a meaningful increase in passenger numbers during the October half-term next week – and that it will be a springboard for bookings to continue to grow during winter and into 2022,” she said.
“That is reflected by the confidence we are seeing from our airline partners, as they either return to the airport, start new services from Manchester or increase frequency on existing routes.”
Smart said this confidence was reflected in Aer Lingus’s decision to choose Manchester as its first base for transatlantic flights from the UK with a route to Barbados due to launch on 20 October.
“I look forward to December when the Irish flag carrier starts further services to Orlando and New York, with the latter being a key trade route for many businesses across the north,” she added.
But despite these new services, the airport does not expect a return to pre-Covid passenger numbers until “at least” 2024.
“We are hoping for many more new routes in the weeks and months ahead, ensuring we continue to connect the north to key global destinations,” said Smart. “The next stages of our transformation programme will continue too, with new baggage systems being the next phase.”
