← Home / Airports / United Kingdom

Data source: OurAirports (2026-09-01 Snapshot) · Methodology & Verification →

Manchester Airport

Compiled by Bill Gao

Manchester, Greater Manchester, England (United Kingdom)

IATA: MAN ICAO: EGCC

Longest Active Runway

10,007 ft

3,050 meters

Field Elevation

257 ft

78 m MSL

Runway Inventory

2 active

Lighted / Paved

Coordinates & Class

53.3494°, -2.2795°

LARGE AIRPORT

🏆

Multi-Universe Rankings & Statistical Standing

How ranks work →

RunwayFacts Published Dataset

tied #542 of 650

In curated primary commercial index

Global Commercial Universe

#903 of 7558

Top 12.0% percentile worldwide

For airports with equal runway length, the worldwide order does not indicate a length difference.

National Standing (United Kingdom)

#4 of 5 in GB

#5 of 94 in full national registry

vs Large Airport Median

+0.1%

Compared to 10,000 ft baseline

💡 MAN in numbers: 10,007 ft longest runway · tied #542 of 650 published · #903 of 7,558 worldwide (top 12.0%) · #4 in United Kingdom.

🛫

Editorial Aerodrome Deep Dive: Manchester Airport (MAN)

Curated Aerodrome Profile

Manchester Airport serves as the central aviation spine for the North of England. Its parallel runway system provides essential capacity separation, with Runway 2 providing 10,500 ft of concrete surface engineered for heavy twin-aisle widebodies. Positioned in the Cheshire Plain, MAN contends with moist Atlantic westerly airflow, utilizing advanced Category III ILS and dedicated de-icing bays to preserve winter schedule integrity.

Runway Layout & Magnetic Alignments

Dual parallel staggered runways 05L/23R (10,000 ft / 3,048 m) and 05R/23L (10,500 ft / 3,200 m).

Expansion Milestones & Predecessor Facilities

Opened in 1938 as Ringway Airport, serving as an RAF parachute training base in WWII. Commissioned Runway 2 (05R/23L) in 2001 following major public environmental inquiries, establishing the UK's only dual-runway commercial system outside London.

Regional Differentiation & Cluster Role

Primary northern England long-haul gateway, offering direct intercontinental flights to the US, Middle East, and Asia that eliminate feeder trips through London.

Data Nuances & Operational Quirks

Runway 05R/23L operates on restricted hours during off-peak and winter periods, with nighttime single-runway operations channeled onto 05L/23R for noise mitigation.

📚 Official Aerodrome Sourcing: UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) · NATS Aeronautical Information Service (UK AIP Aerodromes)

Verification Methodology →

🔬 Operational & Aerodrome Engineering Comparative Analysis

Longest runway 8,000–10,499 ft

⛰️

Elevation & National Context

Lowland Aerodrome (<2,000 ft)

MAN lies at 78 m (257 ft), #351 of 650 published airports by elevation and 40.4 percentile among 7,558 worldwide. It is equal to the United Kingdom median; STN is highest at 348 ft, 91 ft higher than MAN.

🧭

Regional Density & Alternates (100 NM)

1 Qualifying Aerodrome in Vicinity

Closest of 1 paved-runway (≥5,000 ft) neighbour within 100 NM: Birmingham Airport (BHX), 57.1 NM, 10,013 ft. BHX has the radius's longest runway, 6 ft more than MAN.

✈️

Runway Inventory & National Standing

Primary Runway: 10,007 ft (3,050 m)

MAN runways: 05R/23L 10,007 × 148 ft concrete (con); 05L/23R 10,000 × 148 ft asphalt (asp). National standing: #4 of 5 in United Kingdom; LHR leads by 2,792 ft (12,799 ft). +0.1% vs the 10,000 ft baseline.

🛫 Physical Runway Inventory & Surface Engineering

Runway Designator	Length (ft / m)	Width (ft / m)	Surface Material	Lighting	Status
05R/23L	10,007 ft (3050 m / 3.050 km)	148 ft (45m)	`Concrete (CON)`	✅ Lighted	✅ Active
05L/23R	10,000 ft (3048 m / 3.048 km)	148 ft (45m)	`Asphalt (ASP)`	✅ Lighted	✅ Active

🧭 Comparative Aerodromes (100 NM Radius, ≥5,000 ft Paved)

Great-circle Haversine spatial proximity matching for commercial facilities with paved runway capacity within 100 NM.

Aerodrome Name	IATA	Distance	Longest Runway	Lighting
Birmingham Airport (Birmingham, West Midlands)	`BHX`	57.1 NM (105.7 km)	10,013 ft	✅ Lighted

🛡️ Source: OurAirports Open Aviation Database, snapshot 2026-09-01 · Provenance →