is a 30 minute drive from Wirral and is one of the UK's longest established airports and also one of Europe's fastest growing. Adjacent to the River Mersey it is owned by Peel and serves more than 70 European destinations and is a base for Europe's two largest low cost airlines Ryanair and Easyjet.
The airport is already one of the largest employers in the Liverpool City Region and is forecast to handle more than 12 million passengers by 2030. The airport is also set to handle 220,000 tonnes of cargo and this expansion is set to create thousands of new jobs in the region.
is a 45-minute car journey away. Passengers can fly to more than 200 destinations from Manchester, with direct flights serving all of Europe's major cities and long haul routes serving North America and Asia.
Manchester was ranked as the 24th busiest airport in Europe in 2010 and the fourth busiest airport in the UK for passenger numbers. It is the largest airport in the UK outside the London region. It has two parallel runways, three terminals and a ground transport interchange, including a railway station and is only one of 17 airports in the world that is capable of handling the world's largest passenger plane, the Airbus A380.
The Airport is rapidly expanding and over £500m has been committed to develop Manchester Airport's facilities. £172 million has already been invested in a second runway. The airport's £60m ground transport interchange offers a comfortable, high quality environment to rail and bus users and includes a link through to the Metrolink tram extension.
By 2015 the total figure for cargo handled by Manchester Airport is expected to be around 250,000 tonnes per year, approximately double the amount currently handled.