A look at how Manchester
airport, with the revenues generated by car hire companies and retailers has
led to development and expansion. Manchester Airport is considered by many to
be the primary Airport in the north of England. With Birmingham it is one of
the two major airports that are not linked to London. As a major air
destination it contains all of the hallmarks of the modern airport including Manchester Taxis hire desks, shops and
restaurants. It is similar to London's Heathrow in the respect that it has two
operational runways, a fact that puts Manchester ahead of both Gatwick and
Stansted. Additionally Manchester Airport has its own link to the national rail
network and also has extensive road links meaning that if travelling by bus,
hire car or train access is a breeze. But what is the history of this site? How
has it reached its position of primacy in terms of northern airports? Like the
majority of the airports within the UK the life of Manchester began during the
nineteen thirties due to a growth in air travel generally. In its first
incarnation the site was named the Ring field Aerodrome after a nearby parish.
In the latter half of the thirties the first international flight was flown
from Ring field, this flight flew to Amsterdam. However the onset of the Second
World War meant that civilian uses for the airfield were soon suspended.
Requisition of the site rapidly occurred. Whilst sorties were flown from
Manchester the predominant role was as a maintenance, testing and training Center.
The training role was extremely important to the war effort, the new parachute
regiments spent a great deal of time at Ring field perfecting operational
drops; the work of these regiments was especially important when the Normandy
landings were undertaken, allowing commanders to drop troops behind enemy
lines. In addition to this training role, Manchester was also used as a testing
facility for the British aircraft manufacturer Afro, subsequently planes such
as the Lancaster were thoroughly tested at the site. Civilian usage however
recommenced after the war. The appeal of having a major airport outside of
London was soon realized. After achieving around half a million passengers a
year during the fifties companies soon realized the benefits of placing car
hire desks, restaurants and other retail spaces within the terminal buildings.
At this time the airport was under the plenary authority of the Manchester City
Council, a group that later passed control of the site over to the Manchester
Airport Group. At this time the runway was lengthened in order to accommodate
the larger passenger aircraft coming into circulation. Additionally the
seventies saw the changing of the site's name from Ring field to Manchester
International Airport. The renaming saw a change in focus for the airport.
Another terminal expansion with the usual services such as car hire desks,
shops and restaurants occurred but the largest change was the commencement of
transatlantic and transcontinental flights. Subsequently the greater range of
destinations resulted in a new terminal being constructed and in the nineties
the addition of a rail link truly brought the site into the modern era.
Manchester airport has evolved from a simple field in a parish near the city
into one of the major elements in the UK's air transportation network. Its
position as the primary airport outside of London is assured although
Birmingham and Leeds Bradford are strong contenders. Today the MAG are benefiting from the revenue generated by ManchesterTaxi hire companies and retailers and are even considering buying another
major UK airport. It is through expansion and a forward thinking attitude that
this has been a possibility.
