Manchester Airport MD comments on route development plans for 2026
Manchester Airport MD Chris Woodroofe commenced (06-Jan-2026) on the airport's route development plans for 2026, stating: "We have a list... of what we refer to as our biggest unserved destinations - that's the destinations that we don't have direct flights to but have the greatest demand, demonstrated by people from the region travelling to them either on connecting flights or from other airports". Mr Woodroofe added: "Those destinations are always our priority. At the start of last year, the biggest names on that list were Bangkok, Delhi, Mumbai and Islamabad - and we've now launched flights to all of those. This year we'll carry on through the list". Mr Woodroofe concluded: "I'm definitely looking to get to 40 million passengers per year over the next five years and there are several specific routes, like Riyadh and Tokyo[,] that I'd like to add to our departure board over that period too. Equally, North America, South America and Africa are all places where we could expand our footprint". [more - original PR]
Background ✨
Manchester Airport achieved consecutive monthly passenger records throughout 2025, driven by recent route launches and investments in Terminal 2, which enabled it to attract new airlines and expand its network to key unserved destinations such as Bangkok, Delhi, Mumbai and Islamabad1. The airport also planned further upgrades, including new retail outlets and baggage facilities in Terminal 2 and expansion of Terminal 3, targeting new routes in Europe, Japan and the US for 20262.