In honour of its 85th anniversary, Manchester Airport in the north west of England has started a series of celebrations including a retrospective glance at the airport through the years and culminating in an 85-prize giveaway which will be held in July.
Formerly known as Ringway Airport, the first-ever commercial flight (to Amsterdam with KLM) took off from the northern hub on 27 June 1938, two days after it officially opened its doors on the 25th.
At the time of its opening, King George VI was on the throne and Neville Chamberlain was Prime Minister. The airport is now the UK’s global gateway to the North, employing tens of thousands of people and connecting the region to nearly 200 destinations.
Commenting on the airport’s festivities, Chris Woodfoofe, Managing Director of Manchester Airport, said: “We are proud to celebrate 85 years of connecting this region to the world, and it is fantastic to be joined in marking this occasion by many of the airline partners who have helped Manchester Airport grow into the UK’s global gateway in the North.
“Manchester Airport is already the UK’s largest airport outside London but we are intent on improving the passenger experience. Our £1.3bn Transformation Programme is due to completed in 2025 and will give us the platform to compete with other major European airports for routes to new destinations, which will in turn attract inward investment to the wider region.”
Planned activities to mark Manchester’s anniversary include the return of one of the airport’s iconic Venetian chandeliers, which will be hung in the revamped Terminal 2, a prize draw with free flight tickets, Concorde champagne tours, Duty Free vouchers and complimentary lounge passes worth a combined £20,000. Eight airlines, including KLM, Turkish Airlines, Air France, Singapore Airlines, Ethiopian Airlines, Emirates, Hainan Airlines and AirTransat have offered up prizes for the competition.
To promote the reduction of plastic waste and the airport’s free water refill scheme, thousands of reusable water bottles are also being donated to airport staff and passengers, while a pop-up history exhibition in the airport’s station will look at the airport’s evolution from RAF Ringway onwards.
To reaffirm its commitment to neighbouring communities, the airport is also relaunching its volunteering scheme, where colleagues can claim up to two days of company time per year to volunteer for a good cause of their choice.
