Manchester Airports Group (MAG) has reported one of its strongest periods of growth for the six months to September 30.
The group which owns Manchester, Stansted, East Midlands and Bournemouth saw half-year operating profits rise 8.7 per cent to £117.6 million as passenger numbers increased 8.5 per cent.
At Manchester airport passenger numbers are expected to hit 22 million this financial year and Stansted has recently become the fastest growing major airport in the London system, MAG said.
In the group’s April to September financial results it showed the number of destinations accessible from the four airports is at record levels, this includes the arrival of to Jeddah, Eindhoven and Bologna and additional capacity provided on many existing routes such as Abu Dhabi and New York.
“MAG has delivered a strong financial performance in the first six months of the year, meeting or exceeding its financial targets and continuing the growth rate delivered over the past few years,” said Neil Thompson, chief financial officer of MAG.
“A busy summer period saw more passengers than ever before using our four airports and taking advantage of the largest number of destinations that we have ever been able to offer.
“Our focus on long term commercial agreements has made this possible and we continue to focus on further diversifying our route offering, particularly with regards long haul.”