Manchester Airport has published details of its development plans for the next 25 years as it aims to become one of the leading 21st Century airports in the World.
The draft Masterplan describes how Manchester Airport will deliver its long-term role, set by the Government in the 2003 Aviation White Paper.

Included in the draft Masterplan are details of the challenges and opportunities for Manchester Airport during the next 25 years, the links between the Airport and the wider region, its physical development and how the positive and negative effects of the Airport’s growth will be managed.

Commenting on the draft Masterplan, Geoff Muirhead CBE, chief executive of the Manchester Airports Group said: “The Government has confirmed that air travel is essential to the UK’s economy and the country’s continued prosperity.

Manchester Airport is the only truly global gateway to Northern Britain and has a pivotal role to play in securing growth of the UK regions and the great Northern cities.

“Our airport is crucial to achieving the vision for Manchester’s development as a city of national and international significance. New routes will bring jobs and investment, and open up new destinations for North West travellers and businesses. But the draft Masterplan also strikes a careful balance between capitalising on the massive economic and social benefits that having a major world airport located in the region brings, against the need to achieve this through sustainable development that offsets the negative impact with stringent environmental and community measures.

“As well as supporting the wider growth of the city and region, the draft Masterplan also details the regenerative effect that Manchester Airport will bring to the wider Wythenshawe community, which has some of the most disadvantaged areas in the region. By investing time, commitment and resources in this community, we will aim to train and employ more local people, building a workforce for the future through schemes such as the recently launched Airport Academy.

“In 2005, Manchester Airport generated GBP938m of income in the North West region and in realising this Masterplan, this amount is expected to exceed GBP2.1bn* in 2030. By making social responsibility central to our business planning, we are confident this can be delivered in a sustainable way benefiting the millions of people and thousands of businesses we serve in the region.

Key statistics:

2005 2030 2 Runways 2 Runways 36,388 passengers handled 62,500 passengers handled per hectare per hectare 22 million passenger 50 million passenger journeys per year journeys per year Approx 42,000 jobs (direct Approx 64,000 jobs (direct and indirect)* and indirect)* Limited use of noisy At least a 50% reduction in aircraft perceived noise 430,000 tonnes of carbon emissions from the site Carbon neutral (includes all surface access, aircraft on the ground, airport vehicles, energy).

15% of energy supplied from The vast majority of energy renewable sources supplied from renewable sources Traditional check in desks Off site satellite check in in Terminals facilities through railway stations, car parks and similar.

710 hectares of Operational 750 hectares of Operational Area (proposed) Area (proposed)

An extensive consultation on Manchester Airport’s Masterplan is already underway with a wide range of stakeholders including local councils, residents, community groups, Members of Parliament, airlines, local businesses and regional inward investment and tourism authorities.

The current consultation ends on 29 September 2006. The final version of the Manchester Airport Masterplan will be published by the end of 2006.
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