ท่าอากาศยานแมนเชสเตอร์
ท่าอากาศยานแมนเชสเตอร์ (Manchester Airport) เป็นท่าอากาศยานหลักของ แมนเชสเตอร์ อังกฤษ เปิดให้บริการเมื่อเดือนมิถุนายน พ.ศ. 2481 โดยใช้ชื่อว่าท่าอากาศยานริงเวย์ (Ringway Airport) และในช่วงสางครามโลกครั้งที่ 2 ว่า ฐานทัพอากาศริงเวย์ (RAF Ringway) และตั้งแต่ปีพ.ศ. 2518 ถึง 2529 ใช้ชื่อว่า ท่าอากาศยานนานาชาติแมนเชสเตอร์ (Manchester International Airport) ท่าอากาศยานแห่งนี้ตั้งอยู่ระหว่างเมืองเชสไชร์และแมนเชสเตอร์ ในเขตมณฑลแมนเชสเตอร์
ท่าอากาศยานแห่งนี้ประกอบด้วยทางวิ่ง 2 เส้น อาคารผู้โดยสาร 3 หลัง และมีสถานีรถไฟ บริหารงานโดย Manchester Airport Group
Terminal 2 is mostly used by SkyTeam airline members and long haul and charter airlines flying to international destinations only. It opened in 1993, handling many scheduled European and Intercontinental flights. Some European scheduled airlines such as Air France, Air Malta and KLM operate flights from the terminal, whilst charter airline Thomson Airways uses the terminal as a base.
Terminal 2 has 16 gates, of which 15 have airbridges. The design of the terminal allows it to be readily capable of extensive expansion; planning permission already exists for a major extension providing additional gates, together with the construction of a satellite pier. Terminal 2's current capacity is around 8 million passengers a year and will be extended to ultimately handle 25 million passengers a year. In 2007 an £11 million project commenced to redevelop Terminal 2 by improving security and enhancing retail and catering services. A new upper-level security control area opened on 16 July 2008, and the first phase of Terminal 2's retail and catering improvements are scheduled for completion by mid-September 2008.
Terminal 2 is expected to accommodate the Airbus A380. In the expansion plan, a dedicated new gate area facility and lounge is to be added to the terminal and most of the new gates and stands will be designed to accommodate the A380, should commercial flights begin at the airport.
Terminal 3 was for a number of years known in succession as "Terminal 1 - British Airways", "Terminal 1A" and "Terminal 3 - British Airways and Domestic". It was opened by Diana, Princess of Wales in May 1989. In June 1998, British Airways opened their new £75 million terminal facility, a major extension to Terminal 3, and were the primary user of the terminal along with their partner airlines. However, more recently they have significantly scaled down operations from Manchester Airport with the sale of their BA Connect subsidiary to Flybe; the ending of their franchise agreement with GB Airways and the retraction of their daily New York-JFK service in October 2008, after 54 years of operation. This leaves a severely truncated BA operation serving only London Heathrow and London Gatwick from Manchester.
After taking over BA Connect's select routes, Flybe has gone on to add several more successful destinations. Today, Flybe, bmibaby and easyJet are the major operators at Terminal 3. Other carriers operating from the terminal include American Airlines, Brussels Airlines and domestic carrier Air Southwest.
Terminal 3 is due for expansion between 2008 and 2010, in an aim to provide extra stand capacity and a more spacious and logical check-in area. Security improvements are due to be completed by spring 2009, with project completion set for winter 2009/10.