Traffic rose 2.7% year on year while 93% of passengers waited under 10 minutes for security, with September forecast to approach 3.5 million travellers.
Manchester Airport handled a record 3.58 million passengers in August 2026, with September traffic also expected to remain close to historic highs.
- Manchester Airport handled 3,577,402 passengers including transit traffic in August 2026, up 2.66% from August 2025.
- Mallorca was the month’s most popular destination, with Alicante, Antalya and Dubai also drawing strong summer demand.
- The airport said 93% of passengers waited less than 10 minutes for security and 99% waited less than 15 minutes.
- Almost 3.5 million passengers are expected in September, which could make it the airport’s second-busiest month on record.
(NEWS) MANCHESTER, England, United Kingdom, 2026-Sep-16 — /Travel PR News/ — Manchester Airport handled a record 3.58 million passengers in August 2026, surpassing last summer’s high as peak holiday demand pushed the northern England hub to its busiest month on record.
Official Manchester Airport traffic statistics show 3,577,402 total passengers, including transit traffic, during August. That was 2.66% higher than the 3,484,690 recorded in August 2025. Terminal passenger numbers reached 3,576,118, up 2.64% year on year.
The airport said Mediterranean leisure routes were central to the month’s demand, with Mallorca the most popular destination and Alicante and Antalya also among the leading choices. Dubai was another strong performer as passengers travelled across Manchester’s network of around 200 destinations.
Passenger growth came with short security queues
The record month was accompanied by relatively short waits at security. According to the airport’s September 16 performance update, 93% of passengers waited less than 10 minutes to reach security and 99% waited less than 15 minutes.
Aircraft movements also increased in August. Manchester Airport’s published statistics record 21,005 movements during the month, up 3.88% from a year earlier. Scheduled international movements rose 3.07% to 16,959, while domestic movements increased 14.34% to 1,770.
Freight, including mail, totalled 10,007 tonnes, a 12.15% increase from August 2025. The airport’s rolling annual passenger total reached 32.43 million, almost 2% higher year on year.
September could become the airport’s second-busiest month
Manchester Airport expects almost 3.5 million passengers in September, a level that could make it the second-busiest month in its history. The airport is linking that demand to the autumn “shoulder season”, when many travellers continue to seek Mediterranean sunshine after the main UK school holiday period.
The combination of lower post-summer pricing and warm-weather destinations typically keeps leisure traffic elevated into September, particularly on routes to Spain and Turkey.
Chris Woodroofe, Managing Director of Manchester Airport, said the August result capped a summer in which the airport connected millions of travellers from northern England with its international route network. He also pointed to the low security waiting times as evidence of operational performance during the busiest period.
The August record follows several years of sustained traffic recovery and growth at the airport. In August 2024, Manchester handled 3.36 million passengers, then a record at the time, before August 2025 pushed the monthly high to almost 3.5 million. The latest result moves that benchmark higher again as the airport enters the late-summer and early-autumn travel period.
