With winter schedules now firmly in operation, November saw eighteen months of consecutive growth at Manchester Airport, with 1,313,810 passengers travelling through the UK’s third largest airport last month.

The moving annual total of passengers is currently at 20,624,526, a rise of 5.18 per cent compared to last year.

The continued growth is attributed to a strong winter season with a wealth of new routes for passengers to choose from, plus continued outreach from the airport’s ‘Fly Manchester’ campaign.

Passengers wanting to escape the winter blues now have the choice of three new Caribbean destinations from Manchester Airport.

In November Thomas Cook launched a direct flight to Barbados and this week sees the addition of St Lucia and Antigua.

The flights make Manchester the only airport outside of London to offer direct flights to St Lucia and Antigua.

The inaugural Barbados flight was full, which showcases the demand from passengers in the north of England.

Ken O’Toole, chief commercial officer, Manchester Airports Group, said: “It looks as though we are set for a busy winter here at Manchester Airport and we are delighted that passengers are continuing to choose us as their airport of choice.

“With a wealth of new routes available, including being the only airport outside of London to now fly direct to St Lucia and Antigua, Manchester offers flexibility and options locally, without having to travel further afield.

“We’ve spent a great deal of time this year educating our catchment area that routes operate here, instead of having to travel to congested London airports.

“The time invested into our ‘Fly Manchester’ campaign is now paying dividends as passenger numbers continue to rise.”

As well as the new Thomas Cook routes, Aer Lingus increased capacity on its Manchester–Shannon route, by adding an extra daily flight.