March saw both airports, which are owned by Manchester Airport Group, account for more than 1.9 million passengers, with Stansted reaching 94% of pre-pandemic totals and Manchester 92%. Stansted’s figures were up 32% year on year and Manchester’s 30%.

Manchester said it had avoided last summer’s security delays over Easter, with 99% of the 305,000-plus passengers passing through in 15 minutes or less. Stansted also said 99% of passengers in March had passed through security in 15 minutes or under.

Manchester airport managing director Chris Woodroofe said: “We’ve put in a range of new measures this year to give people a great experience, from a state-of-the-art queue monitoring system to a new 100-person resilience team that can troubleshoot a range of issues across the airport as they crop up.”

Stansted managing director Gareth Powell added: “Our preparations to meet rising passenger demand across May due to the multiple bank holidays, including the King Charles III coronation weekend, and the peak summer season, continue to go well. 
 
“We are recruiting even more colleagues to join our teams and have kicked-off a number of upgrades to enhance the passenger experience, including new seating in the arrivals area, a refurbishment of retail and food and beverage outlets plus more charging points and water fountains in the departure lounge.”