History of Manchester Airport facts for kids

Ringway Airport in September 1939. You can see the main terminal building, control tower, and hangars. A De Havilland Dragon Rapide plane is also pictured.

Manchester Airport is a big airport in England, UK. It first started being built way back in the 1930s! Construction began on November 28, 1935. The airport opened in stages, with the first part ready in June 1937 and fully open on June 25, 1938. It was originally called Manchester (Ringway) Airport because it was in an area called Ringway.

During World War II, the airport became a military base known as RAF Ringway. It was very important for making and fixing military planes. It was also a key place for training parachutists, who are soldiers who jump from planes.

After the war, the airport grew a lot. It expanded with more runways, parking areas, and buildings. One of the first big new buildings was Terminal 1, which was built between 1958 and 1962. In 1997, plans for a second runway began, but this caused some protests because it would affect local woodlands.

Early Airfields in Manchester

Before Manchester Airport, other airfields served the city. Here's a quick look at some of them:

• Trafford Park Aerodrome: This was open from 1911 to 1918. It's now covered by buildings.
• Alexandra Park Aerodrome: This airfield operated from 1918 to 1924. Today, it's mostly playing fields.
• Woodford Aerodrome: Owned by the famous aircraft company A.V.Roe, this airfield started in 1924.
• Wythenshawe Aerodrome: This was Manchester's first airport owned by the city, open from 1929 to 1930.
• City Airport Manchester: Also known as Barton Aerodrome, it opened in January 1930.
• Manchester Airport: The airport we know today, originally called Ringway.

Area where Manchester Airport and Wythenshawe are now, as it looked around 1925.

How Manchester Airport Started

The current site for Manchester Airport was chosen in mid-1934. The older Barton Aerodrome wasn't big enough for larger planes.

• On July 25, 1934, Manchester City Council voted to build the new airport at the Ringway site.
• Construction officially began on November 28, 1935.
• The very first plane landed at the partly built, grassy Ringway airfield on May 17, 1937. It was a de Havilland Hornet Moth plane. The pilot, Duncan Menzies, got lost in fog and landed there by mistake!
• The airport was fully ready for civilian flights in early summer 1938.
• On June 25, 1938, the airport and its main building officially opened with a public air show.
• The first regular flight was on June 27, 1938, a KLM Douglas DC-2 flying to Amsterdam.
• In 1938, about 4,000 passengers used the airport.
• Civilian flights stopped in August 1939 when World War II began.

Manchester Airport During World War II

General Sir John Dill inspecting gliders at RAF Ringway in December 1940.

No. 613 Squadron RAF Spitfires at RAF Ringway in 1947.

During World War II, Manchester Airport became RAF Ringway.

• It was a major base for the Royal Air Force.
• The most important unit there was No.1 Parachute Training School RAF. They trained over 60,000 paratroopers between 1940 and 1946. These trainees parachuted over Tatton Park.
• Companies like Fairey Aviation and Avro used the airport to build, modify, and test thousands of aircraft. This included famous bombers like the Avro Lancaster.
• The grassy landing area became very muddy in wet weather, making it hard for heavy planes.
• Because of this, two asphalt runways were quickly built in 1941.
• By January 1943, one runway was made even longer to handle bigger, four-engined aircraft.
• After the war, some temporary buildings were removed, and the land was returned to farming.

Returning to Civilian Flights

After World War II, the airport started growing very fast.

• From 1946 to 1957, No. 613 Squadron RAF used Hangar No.7 for their Supermarine Spitfires and De Havilland Vampire jet fighters.
• The original terminal building was updated with a modern, art-deco style. It had a glass-walled restaurant where people could watch planes.
• A special club room was set up for plane spotters, who are people who enjoy watching and identifying aircraft.
• On March 27, 1951, an Air Transport Charter Douglas Dakota 3 cargo plane crashed shortly after takeoff, killing two crew members.
• In 1952, the airport started operating 24 hours a day.
• The first regular flights across the Atlantic Ocean began on October 28, 1953, with Sabena flying to New York.
• By 1954, the airport had served one million passengers since the war.
• On March 14, 1957, British European Airways Flight 411 crashed on approach to Ringway Airport, hitting a house. All 20 people on board and two people in the house died.
• In 1957, RAF Ringway closed, and its buildings were given over for civilian use, including cargo and maintenance.
• A temporary passenger terminal was set up in old RAF buildings while a new, modern terminal was being planned.

The Start of Modern Terminals

• In 1958, construction began on the current Terminal 1. This was the airport's first specially built terminal after the war.
• By 1958, the airport was handling 500,000 passengers each year.
• A main runway was extended in April 1958 to allow for regular non-stop flights to North America. For a while, a road even crossed the runway with gates, like a railway crossing!
• Many old buildings were removed to make space for the new Terminal 1.
• Terminal 1 opened in late 1962. Manchester was then the only airport in Europe to have aircraft piers, which are walkways that connect the terminal to planes.

The Era of Widebody Planes and More Growth

This BOAC Boeing 747 was the first widebody airliner to arrive at Manchester Airport on August 17, 1970.

• In 1970, the first large "widebody" airliner, a Boeing 747, arrived at the airport. This was to test if the airport could handle such big planes.
• In 1975, the airport changed its name from "Ringway" to "Manchester International Airport." It later changed back to "Manchester Airport" in 1986.
• On August 17, 1982, the main runway was extended to its current length of 10,000 feet (about 3,000 meters). This was done to attract very long-haul flights from all over the world.
• A road (the A538) had to be diverted into a tunnel under the runway for this expansion.
• In the 1980s, Manchester Airport was named an "international gateway," meaning it was a key airport for international travel.

The wreckage of British Airtours Flight 28M on the runway at Manchester International Airport in August 1985.

• On August 22, 1985, British Airtours Flight 28M caught fire on the runway before takeoff. Sadly, 55 people on board died in this accident.

Three Terminals and More Expansion

• In 1986, the World Freight Terminal (for cargo) opened, expanding the airport westward.
• By 1988, the airport was handling 9.5 million passengers each year. A second terminal was clearly needed.
• In May 1989, Terminal 1A Domestic (later renamed Terminal 3) was opened by Diana, Princess of Wales.
• In the early 1990s, car parking areas were greatly expanded, and some old farms were removed to make space.
• An official Aviation Viewing Park was created in May 1992. This is a great spot for people to watch planes take off and land.
• Terminal 2 opened in 1993.

Railway Station

• In 1993, Manchester Airport railway station opened. This connected the airport directly to the national train network, making it easier for passengers to get there.

The Second Runway

• On January 15, 1997, permission was given to build Manchester's "Runway Two." This caused protests because it would affect woodlands in the Styal area.
• The new runway had to be built over the A538 road, which now goes through tunnels under both runways. This was a huge construction project.
• The river Bollin also had to go through a culvert (a tunnel for water) under the new runway.
• During this construction, important prehistoric items were found at Oversley Farm.

Aircraft stands at Terminal 3.

• Runway Two officially opened on February 5, 2001. It cost £172 million and was the first full-length commercial runway to open in the UK in over 20 years.

Manchester Airport in the 21st Century

• In 2004, the airport reached a new milestone: 20 million passengers a year!
• Also in 2004, a new £60 million public transport interchange called "The Station" opened. This brought bus, coach, and train passengers together under one roof.
• Manchester Airport was also updated to handle the giant Airbus A380 aircraft.
• On June 7, 2007, the runway names were changed to match new magnetic compass bearings.
• In March 2010, Emirates announced they would start daily A380 flights from Manchester to Dubai, which began on September 1, 2010.

Manchester Airport railway and tram station.

• In 2011, work began on a tram stop for the Manchester Metrolink Airport Line within the railway station. The tram stop opened on November 3, 2014.
• On May 17, 2012, the original de Havilland Hornet Moth plane (G-ADND) landed at Manchester Airport again, 75 years after its first landing!
• In June 2013, a new, 60-meter-tall air traffic control tower was opened. It cost £20 million.
• In 2019, construction started on the PremiAir VIP terminal, which offers special services for passengers.