page_title: North West England
section_title: Air
hierarchical_section_title: North West England / Transport / Air
caption_attribution_description: English: Aerial view of Manchester Airport
context_page_description: North West England is one of nine official regions of England and consists of the five counties Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside. The North West had a population of 7,052,000 in 2011. It is the third-most-populated region in the United Kingdom, after the South East and Greater London. The largest settlements are Manchester, Liverpool, Warrington, Blackpool, Chester, Stockport, Sale and Bolton.
context_section_description: The biggest international airport in the region is Manchester Airport, which serves 28.2 million passengers annually; more than some of the world's major aviation hubs. The airport is home to three terminals, plus the World Freight Terminal, which serve destinations worldwide. The largest airlines at the airport (in terms of numbers of flights in 2007) were Flybe, BMI, British Airways, Jet2.com and Lufthansa; several long-haul carriers such as American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Virgin Atlantic, Singapore Airlines and Emirates also operate from the airport. Manchester Airports Group is owned approximately one-third by Manchester Council and one-third by the other nine Greater Manchester councils. In 2007, Manchester had a recorded 222,703 aircraft movements. The airport is also a hub for major holiday airlines such as First Choice Airways and Thomson Airways; it was previously served by Thomas Cook Airlines and Monarch Airlines.
  The region's second largest airport, but is the oldest and fastest growing, is Liverpool John Lennon Airport, which serves over 5 million passengers annually. The airport serves destinations primarily in the UK and Europe and is a major hub for EasyJet and Ryanair.
  The only other significant passenger airport in the region was Blackpool Airport, which was refurbished in 2006 and handled around half a million passengers annually. Destinations ranged from the Canary Islands in Spain to the Republic of Ireland. Commercial flights ended there in March 2017.
  Cumbria
  Barrow/Walney Island Airport – Operated by BAE Systems Submarines, private use
  Carlisle Lake District Airport – Operated by Stobart Group, public use
  Greater Manchester
  City Airport Manchester – Operated by City Airport Manchester Ltd, public use
  Manchester Airport – Major international airport operated by Manchester Airport Group, destinations worldwide
  Woodford Aerodrome – Operated by BAE Systems Regional Aircraft, now closed
  Lancashire
  Blackpool Airport – Operated by Balfour Beatty, public use (commercial flights withdrawn)
  Warton Aerodrome – Operated by BAE Systems, private use
  Merseyside
  Liverpool John Lennon Airport – International airport operated by Liverpool Airport plc, destinations worldwide
  RAF Woodvale – Operated by the Royal Air Force, military use
  Southport Birkdale Sands airstrip – Sand runway located on Southport beach (infrequent use, subject to prior permission)
caption: Manchester Airport aerial view
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