Manchester Airports Group serves 6.1 million passengers in October, up 3.0%

Manchester Airports Group (MAG), which runs Manchester, London Stansted and East Midlands airports, handled 6,126,094 passengers in October 2026, 3.0% more than a year earlier, according to a release published on 11 November 2026. All three airports grew year on year, and the group attributes the performance to the October half-term getaway.

Manchester handled 2,933,460 passengers (up 2.1%), London Stansted 2,792,227 (up 4.2%) and East Midlands 400,407 (up 1.8%). Over the rolling 12 months the group served 67,588,191 passengers, up 2.7%, with Manchester at 32,527,006, London Stansted at 30,986,916 and East Midlands at 4,074,269.

For passengers, the release also reports security performance during the October school holidays: 100% of passengers at London Stansted and East Midlands passed through security in 15 minutes or less, against 96% at Manchester. On cargo, Manchester handled 10,190 tonnes (up 1.5%), while London Stansted, with 23,905 tonnes (down 8.6%), and East Midlands, with 32,621 tonnes (down 14.6%), both declined.

The release does not name the routes or airlines behind the growth and gives no forecast for the coming months. Passengers flying from these airports this winter should check security and travel advice on each airport's own website before setting off.