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Manchester Airport reviews parking after complaints

Richard SteadNorth West
News imageDC Travel Photograph of traffic congestion on a road close to Manchester Airport. The image shows a queue of cars, with traffic lights in the background.DC Travel
Several taxi firms have reported long queues on roads around Manchester Airport's Terminal 2 in recent months

Parking arrangements at Manchester Airport are being reviewed after several taxi firms reported significant road traffic congestion in recent months.

They have complained about standing traffic on routes around Terminal 2, leading to significant delays in picking up passengers.

Abu Bakar, from MCR Elite Transfers, said: "It's very frustrating for me because I am wasting time in traffic and it takes its toll on you because it makes you tired."

Manchester Airport said it was carrying out an "extensive review" and referred to "a range of factors including lower passenger-to-vehicle ratios caused by greater numbers of couples and solo travellers arriving in cars compared to the summer months".

News imagePhotograph of Abu Bakar from MCR Elite Transfers. He is pictured in front of his taxi. He wears a white, open-collared shirt and brown jacket.
Abu Bakar from MCR Elite Transfers said there has been significant traffic congestion outside Terminal 2 at Manchester Airport in recent months

Bakar added: "All of the time I am stuck in traffic means I'm losing money and my earnings are going to drop because of the congestion at the airport.

"It's been a problem for months and some of my passengers have had to wait for up to 30 minutes."

Other taxi firms have complained on social media about long queues on roads near Terminal 2.

A spokesperson for the airport added: "We are carrying out an extensive review of the system to identify ways of mitigating these issues.

"In the short term we have deployed extra traffic marshals to help keep things moving and we are working with Transport for Greater Manchester to change the timing of traffic lights in the area."

News imagePhotograph of a road outside Terminal 2 at Manchester Airport. The image shows a taxi, with a multi-storey car park in the background.
Several taxi firms have reported long delays for passengers waiting to be picked up outside Terminal 2.

Manchester Airport has undergone a £1.3bn transformation in recent years, with the expansion earlier this year of Terminal 2 and the closure of Terminal 1.

Ryanair now operates exclusively from Terminal 3.

More than 32.4m passengers used Manchester Airport in the 12 months to the end of August 2026, representing an annual increase of 2%.