All direct flights from Manchester

Flight Summary

Manchester is by far the UK's busiest regional airport. flights from Manchester are available to most major European cities, a wide range of holiday favourites and a growing number of long-haul destinations.

Manchester has only recently started to embrace no-frills airlines, preferring to court more lucrative long-haul and European business routes, but budget carriers such as bmibaby, easyJet, Jet2 and Ryanair are now major players at the airport.

Manchester has an extensive network of domestic flights. As the most important airport in the Britain outside London, competition at Manchester is fierce, especially for shuttle flights to London.

Apart from destinations which are too close to make flights viable (Birmingham, Newcastle etc), there are no major UK cities which do not have regular flights to Manchester. Routes to smaller regional cities such as a Londonderry, Dundee and Bournemouth have not yet been able to sustain themselves. Extensive competition on domestic flights from Manchester helps to keep prices reasonably competitive, but when demand is high, you might find one or two cheaper alternatives at Liverpool. The train is also well worth considering for journeys from Manchester to London, and between Manchester and Scottish cities such as Edinburgh and Glasgow.

Manchester offers an extensive network of flights to Ireland, with five airports in the Republic being served by the UK's largest regional hub. Whilst competition on Manchester to Dublin flights is particularly intense, there is far less choice on flights from Manchester to Galway, Kerry, Knock and Waterford.

It is also worth noting that there are flights from Manchester to both of Belfast's airports (City and International) across the border in Northern Ireland.

Manchester has always had excellent links with the main European hub cities. Athough Manchester was initially criticised for being slow to enter the no-frills arena, it has subsequently become well established as an important base for a number of budget airlines.

There is no shortage of routes to the usual sunshine, ski and city break destinations, whereas there are also a number of links with the former Eastern Bloc countries.

Manchester's long-haul flight route network is by far away the most comprehensive of any European regional airport. The city has a particularly strong network of flights to Asia and numerous direct links with North American cities, including three airlines competing to offer flights from Manchester to New York.

If you are unable to find a direct flight from Manchester, there are numerous possibilities for connections through London, or various other hub cities. The option of taking flights from Manchester to Asia, Australia and New Zealand via the Arabian Gulf is proving to be increasingly popular.

Quick Facts

  • Airport Code: MAN
  • Alternative Name: International | Ringway
  • Miles From City Centre: 10
  • Miles From London: 249

James Says

They say it always rains in Manchester, and although this is not strictly true, there must be something in the air to inspire the wealth of musical talent that has emerged from the city. Indie giants like Joy Division, New Order, The Smiths, The Happy Mondays and The Stone Roses all hail from Manchester, as well rock-pop acts like Oasis, Simply Red, and the oft-forgotten Rick Astley (discovered in a chip shop in nearby Newton-le-Willows).

Mark Says

By the mid-19th century 350,000 people had been drawn to this new metropolis to work in the thriving cotton mills, and although it went through a dramatic decline during the post-war years, the last two decades have seen a remarkable renaissance which has thrust Manchester back into the limelight. A devastating IRA bomb blast in 1996 damaged huge swathes of the city centre, but forward thinking planners used the opportunity to revitalise the area.

The result has been remarkable as the ugly 1960s veneer that once dominated has been replaced by some of the most exciting and innovative buildings in Britain.

This renewal has provided the catalyst for a host of new shops, bars, restaurants and museums. Much of nearby Salford, strictly speaking a city in its own right, has been transformed from being run-down and boarded-up, to being ultra-trendy. It is also home to two of the area's most stunning new buildings; the Daniel Libeskind designed Imperial War Museum, and Michael Wilford's Lowry Centre.

Of course the most obvious symbol of Manchester's resurgence is Manchester United. The Red Devils may have only won three European Cups (to Liverpool's five), but on a commercial level they have become untouchable. Their 76,000 capacity Old Trafford stadium – with its trophy laden museum and supermarket size megastore – is one of Manchester's most popular tourist attractions. Across town Manchester City now pose a genuine longterm threat to United's trophy monopoly thanks to the very deep pockets of Abu Dhabi-based investors.

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