September is the busiest month for car park bookings at Manchester Airport, and that surge in drivers is the main reason traffic around the campus became so heavy last month. While July and August see the highest passenger numbers, the mix of travellers changes after the school holidays, which pushes up the number of cars on site.
Taxi firms and private hire vehicles reported waits of up to 30 minutes to reach the airport forecourt for drop-offs and pick-ups. Blackpool-based Mark's Taxis shared images of the congestion on TikTok on September 25 with the caption: "Another day another complete shambles at Manchester Airport. It has taken 20 minutes to get out of the T2 drop area due to the traffic."
Why September is busier than summer for cars
September marks the start of the 'shoulder season' - autumn and spring - when demand for travel surges among couples, solo travellers and those without school-age children. Holidays are usually cheaper during these periods, and the weather across European destinations is often preferable to the extreme heat of summer.
A Manchester Airport spokesperson explained: "Although July and August are the busiest months at the airport in terms of passenger numbers, September is the busiest month for car park bookings and, as a result, traffic around the airport campus."
"That's because in the summer the majority of travellers are in family groups usually travelling with three, four or more people per car - but that changes in September after the school holidays when the majority of passengers are solo-travellers and couples looking to take advantage of shoulder season deals. It means the ratio of people to cars goes down and increases the overall number of cars on site."
Measures taken and current journey times
The airport deployed extra traffic marshals to keep traffic flowing and worked with Transport for Greater Manchester to change the timing of traffic lights in the area.
The spokesperson said: "Since the first two weeks of September the average time it takes people to get from the M56 motorway spur to the forecourt of Terminal 2 has dropped significantly and now the average time is around 4m 30s."
ANPR data from the last week showed the journey from the M56 spur to the terminal 2 upper forecourt never exceeded 820 seconds (13.5 minutes), and the lower forecourt never exceeded 500 seconds (8.3 minutes). On average it is currently 350 seconds (5.8 minutes) to the upper forecourt and 150 seconds (2.5 minutes) to the lower.
Future plans and passenger advice
Going forward, the airport said it will review the road network and traffic arrangements in and around the campus to see if there are ways to improve traffic flow. It also plans to keep working with partners like Transport for Greater Manchester.
Passengers are urged to use alternatives to the forecourt drop-off areas. The spokesperson added: "We also urge passengers to look at ways in which they can avoid having to use our forecourt drop off areas. We have a free drop off area next to JetParks 1 off Thorley Lane which is convenient and quick to use. We are also the only airport in the UK with a train, tram and bus station on-site - and thanks to the Bee Network public transport is a more convenient option than ever before."
"Looking further into the future, we continue to work closely with Government and rail providers to see that promised improvements to rail connectivity across the North are delivered in a timely fashion."
