Hundreds of passengers, many from Thomas Cook, have waited for several hours at Manchester Airport after a computer glitch.

Manchester Airport has continued its spell of double-digit growth, with 1.9 million passengers flying through the airport’s three terminals in March, 10.1 per cent more than in March last year.

Virgin Atlantic has kicked off a major growth drive at Manchester Airport, launching the first of a hat trick of new long haul routes to America. The airline waved off its inaugural service to San Francisco, the first ever direct route to northern California from the north of England.

Manchester Airport is continuing to break its own passenger records after more than 26 million passengers passed through the airport over the last 12 months. After 35 months of consecutive growth, the UK’s third largest airport flew through the 26 million annual passenger mark in February.

“The time is now,” for government to truly throw its weight behind the ‘Northern Powerhouse’ vision. That was the message delivered by Manchester Airport chief executive Ken O’Toole as he unveiled the next phase of its £1 billion transformation programme at the property.

This week Manchester Airport has got into the Chinese New Year spirit with lots of entertainment and fun in the terminals. A lion dance and traditional Chinese dancers entertained passengers while they waited for their flight to Beijing during the celebrations.