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Planning a holiday and looking for the best airports near Manchester to fly from or to? We are here to help!
Manchester is one of the largest cities in the UK and the biggest in the North West.
Manchester Airport itself is the third busiest airport in the United Kingdom after Heathrow and Gatwick, making it the busiest in the UK outside of London.
With thousands of flights each week, it serves a lot of destination however, we don’t always find direct flights to the places where we want to go.
For this reason, it’s often worth checking out the airports near Manchester England and see what options are available.
In this article, we tell you everything about the airports around Manchester and which ones are the best to use.
1. Manchester Airport (MAN)
📍Distance / time from Manchester City Centre: 8 miles / 25 minutes
Manchester airport is the closest airport to Manchester.
You can easily get there from the city centre with the train from Piccadilly, the Navy Blue tram line, buses as well as with a taxi.
There are 3 terminals in Manchester Airport.
Terminal 1 is the largest and oldest terminal. It serves both domestic and international flights,.
There is a wide range of facilities including duty-free shops, restaurants, cafes, currency exchange facilities, clothing shops and more.
It also houses many airlines, including British Airways and Emirates.
Terminal 2 is the newest terminal. It was recently refurbished and is absolutely fantastic. There are several lounges, shops like Boots, JD or WHSmiths as well as several cafes.
Airlines flying from T2 include Air France, KLM, TUI and Aer Lingus.
Terminal 3 on the other hand is known for its Ryanair flights. If you’re looking for cheap European flight tickets, this is the Terminal for you.
It is smaller than the others but you can still find cafes and duty free.
It’s also worth noting that the airport in Manchester has several car hire places and car parks if you decide to drive there and leave your vehicle during your holiday.
Finally, it’s important to note that there is a £6 drop off and pick up fee at the airport but if you want to avoid it, you can also go to the free drop off location and take the shuttle from there.
☀️Top destinations from Manchester Airport: New York, Beijing, Barcelona, Dubai, Lisbon, Toronto, Hong Kong, Amsterdam, Paris…
2. Liverpool Airport (LJLA)
📍Distance / time from Manchester City Centre: 33 miles / 55 minutes
Liverpool Airport is another airport near Manchester that you can easily reach.
It’s called Liverpool John Lenon Airport and was named after The Beatles member John Lennon.
Remember, the Beatles were from Liverpool and used to play frequently at the Cavern Club, on Matthew Street.
If you are into music, heading to Liverpool for a day trip is an excellent thing to do.
But when it comes to the airport, here is why it’s a good alternative to Manchester airport.
Firstly, it’s less than 1 hour drive from the city centre. The car park is located in front of the terminal (unlike Manchester where you will often end up in a car park further away) and is pretty affordable compared to Manchester.
You can also easily get there from Manchester by train. Here you have two options. You can either take a train from Piccadilly to Liverpool South Parkway and then a bus to the airport or take a train from Victoria and change in Lime Street to take a bus to the airport.
If you opt for the Piccadilly option, it will take you a bit over 1 hour. From Victoria, it will be around 1 hour and a half.
is located in Liverpool, England. As of my knowledge cutoff in September 2021, here are some details about this airport:
The airport is actually quite small, especially compared to Manchester. Itoperates a single, two-story terminal building.
The lower level is where you’ll find check-in counters, baggage claim, some retail and food outlets (like Boots, WHSmith and the Duty Free) and the gates.
The upper level hosts additional food and retail outlets such as Burger King, Frankie and Benny’s and a currency exchange desk (Travelex).
Liverpool Airport serves various domestic and European destinations. Airlines operating out of the airport include easyJet, Ryanair, and Wizz Air, among others.
The airport offers a range of services for passengers, including car rental agencies, currency exchange, airport lounges, and free WiFi.
☀️Top destinations from Liverpool Airport: Alicante, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Belfast, Brussels, Geneva, Ibiza, Isle of Man, Reykjavik, Rome, Stockholm and more
3. Leeds Bradford Airport (LBA)
📍Distance / time from Manchester City Centre: 47 miles / 1 hour 30 minutes
Leeds Bradford is another airport close to Manchester and is particularly convenient if you live in East Manchester or even in the Peak District.
It’s located in the town of Yeadon, which is between Bradford and Leeds (hence the name).
If you are driving, it will take about 1 hour and a half to get to the airport. Once you’re there, it’s quite easy to park.
There are different types of carparks depending on how long you’re planning to stay. This includes the Meet and Greet (up to 24 hours), the Short Stay and Mid Stay carparks are within walking distance and the Long Stay is 2 minutes by shuttle bus.
If you want to use public transport, the journey will take about 1 hour and 50 minutes. To do so, you can take a train to Leeds from Victoria and then the A1 Flyer to the airport.
Leeds Bradford has a single terminal building which serves both arrivals and departures. The terminal has a variety of amenities including retail shops such as WHSmith, food and beverage outlets (the beer house and Camden food) and the gates.
It is a smaller airport than Manchester and Liverpool though so there is less options here.
Apart from basic facilities, the airport also provides additional services such as Fast Track security, car parking, and free WiFi. It also has facilities to assist passengers with reduced mobility.
Leeds Bradford Airport serves quite a few domestic and international destinations across Europe.
There are 10 airlines that operate at Leeds Bradford including Jet2.com, Ryanair, Aer Lingus, EasyJet and Wizz Air.
☀️Top destinations from Leeds Bradford Airport: Budapest, Porto, Dubrovnik, Paris, Bodrum, Ibiza, Channel Islands, Belfast, Barcelona, Ibiza, Naples and more
4. East Midlands Airport (EMA)
📍Distance / time from Manchester City Centre: 89 miles / 2 hours
East Midlands Airport is located in Castle Donington, Leicestershire which is quite close to Derby, Leicester, and Nottingham.
It is a bit further for people coming from Manchester but still a good option if you can get a direct flight to your destination.
It’s better to get there by car. It will take you a couple of hours from Manchester but is otherwise pretty straight forward.
With public transport, it’s a bit more of a hassle because you need to take a train to Nottingham and then change for bus to the airport. This takes 2 hours 45 minutes so it’s not ideal (but again, if that allow you to get a direct flight, it’s probably still worth it).
In terms of carparks, you’ll find a meet and greet, short stay, mid stay, long stay and the JetParks (cheaper but further away).
East Midlands Airport has a single passenger terminal but with a good number of facilities including shops (WHSmith and JD Sports), restaurants (Burger King, Frankie & Benny’s), cafe (Starbucks and Greggs) as well as a Duty Free area.
The airport operates flights to various destinations across the UK, Europe, and occasionally to the Caribbean and New York.
Airlines that operate at East Midlands Airport include Ryanair, Jet2.com, and TUI Airways.
☀️Top destinations from East Midland Airport: Alicante, Budapest, Brussels, Barcelona, Barbados, Dublin, Corfu, Cork, Faro, Guernsey, Krakow, Naples, Prague, Reykjavik and more.
5. Birmingham Airport (BHX)
📍Distance / time from Manchester City Centre: 97 miles / 2 hours
Birmingham Airport, as the name suggests, is the airport located just outside the city of Birmingham.
Though it is further away than other airports mentioned in this article, it’s actually one of the easiest airports to get to from Manchester.
Whether you choose to drive or take public transport, it will take you about 2 hours to get there.
If you’re driving, bear in mind that you will be taking the M6 which means there could be traffic so plan plenty of time.
With public transport, you can take a train from Piccadilly to Birmingham New Street and then change for a train to the airport. You don’t even have to leave the station in Birmingham, just change platform. Trains to both Birmingham and the airport run very frequently so it’s always a good thing.
Birmingham Airport operates a single terminal for both departing and arriving flights. There are two floors though and quite a lot of things to do.
On the ground floor, you will find shops and cafes such as WHSmith, Boots and Costa Coffee.
On the first floor, there is a plethora of restaurants and cafes including chains such as Pret, Wetherspoon and Burger King. You’ll also find many shops including Pandora, JD Sports, Victoria’s Secret and more.
Birmingham Airport serves as a base for several airlines and offers flights to a number of destinations within the UK, across Europe, and to some long-haul destinations.
Airlines that operate at Birmingham Airport include Aer Lingus, Air France, Emirates, Lufthansa, Ryanair, EasyJet, Jet2.com, and TUI Airways, among others.
There are over 150 direct destinations so quite a lot to choose from!
☀️Top destinations from Birmingham Airport: Barcelona, Malaga, Venice, Faro, Paris, Athens, Funchal, Santorini, Catania and more.
Now that you know everything about the best airports near Manchester, it’s time to pack your bag and enjoy your well deserved holiday!
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