Getting to Manchester Airport

There is a dedicated tram route running between Central Manchester and Manchester Airport (shown as the navy line from Manchester Victoria on some journey planners).

If you are making your way from various parts of Greater Manchester, you can change at the following stops to board the Airport line:

• Victoria, if travelling from Bury, Rochdale, and Shaw and Crompton
• St Peter's Square, if travelling from Piccadilly station, Ashton-under-Lyne and the City Centre
• Cornbrook, if travelling from Eccles and the Trafford Centre
• Trafford Bar, if travelling from Altrincham
• St Werburgh's Road, if travelling from East Didsbury

First and last tram services

The tram network operates during the following times:

• Monday to Thursday - 6am to 12am
• Friday and Saturday - 6am to 1am (following day)
• Sunday - 7am to 12am

First and last tram times may vary by stop, please make sure to check our tram schedule page before you travel. Here, you can type in your stop and where you want to travel to, and get times specific to your journey.

Tickets

Beat the queue at the machines and touch-in and out at the on-stop machines using contactless, or use the Bee Network app to purchase travelcards and multi-modal tickets. The Airport is located in Zone 4.

The Bee Network is continually improving the network for customers. Make sure you check the tram planned improvements webpage before you travel to see if any works will affect your route.

Manchester Airport is located 9 miles south of Manchester City Centre, next to the M56 and with easy access of the M6, M60 and M62.

Car parking at the Airport

Official parking is available at all three terminals at the Airport upon arrival. To guarantee a parking space, please pre-book via the Airport website.

Pick up and drop off

A dedicated free drop off area is available next to the Jet 1 Car Park, with a frequent bus shuttle operating to all airport terminals. More information can be found on the Airport drop off page.

Charges apply to pick up and drop off points directly outside each terminal. Pick up and leaving your vehicle is only permitted in pick up areas and not in drop off zones, and may incur an additional charnge. A drop off point is also available at the Bus Interchange station. Further information can be found on the Airport website.

When picking up passengers, please use the dedicated car park for each terminal:

Terminal 1: T1 Short Stay car park

Terminal 2: T2 Multi-Storey West car park

Terminal 3: T3 Multi-Storey pick-up zone

Station: T1 Short Stay car park

Taxi

Dedicated taxi ranks are situated outside all three Terminals and the Station, with no bookings required.

More information can be found on the Manchester Airport page.

The Airport is served by a number of routes, connecting it to Wythenshawe, Altrincham, Eccles and Stockport Interchanges.

The 43 bus runs between the Airport and Piccadilly Gardens in the Manchester City Centre.

Buses to Manchester Airport

• 18 from Eccles Interchange via Sale and Trafford Park
• 43 from Piccadilly Gardens via Fallowfield
• 103 from Piccadilly Gardens via West Didsbury
• 130 from Macclesfield via Wilmslow
• 199 from Buxton via Disley
• 368 from Stockport via Cheadle Hulme
• X5 from Warrington via Lymm and Hale

Buses to the City Centre and surrounding areas

• 18 to Eccles Interchange via Sale and Trafford Park.
• 43 to Piccadilly Gardens via Fallowfield
• 103 to Piccadilly Gardens via West Didsbury
• 130 to Macclesfield via Wilmslow
• 199 to Buxton via Disley
• 368 to Stockport via Cheadle Hulme
• X5 to Warrington via Lymm and Hale

Tickets

Get on board a bus with simple and clear low bus fares.

Adults will pay no more than £2 for a single bus journey, while a £5 1 day AnyBus Adult travelcard will cover unlimited bus travel within the 10 boroughs of Greater Manchester until 3.59am the following day.

For more information, you can visit our dedicated webpage.

Local Link

Local Link offers a flexible transport service for local journeys in areas where transport services are limited. Shared minibuses can be booked to travel within the service area in Wythenshawe.

The service runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week, except for Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day.

Coaches

The Airport is served by several coach companies, operating from the bus station, 7 days a week. More information about booking a coach and an overview of coach operators can be found on the dedicated Manchester Airport website.

The Airport is connected with Greater Manchester via the national rail network, with trains serving the Manchester Airport Train Station situated between Terminals 1 and 2.

Trains to Manchester Airport operate from Manchester Piccadilly, with some services also calling at Manchester Oxford Road and Deansgate. There are services operated by Northern Rail, Transport for Wales and TransPennine Express. Please ensure you have the right ticket for your service, if it's operator-restricted.
These run every 10 minutes, 7 days a week, taking as little as 13 minutes.
Direct services to a range of destinations across the country are also available from the Airport.

Remember to plan your journey in advance of your trip by checking with your operator or on the National Rail website.

The Airport is accessible via a network of cycling paths.

You can find TfGM's own interactive map of cycle routes within the Trafford area on our website.
The Airport is also accessible via the Orbital Cycle route, which is accessible on our website or you can visit the TfGM journey planner to find a bespoke route via Greater Manchester's cycle network.

Cycle parking

Parking for public cycles in only permitted outside of the Manchester Airport railway station. Staff parking for bikes is available at all terminals.

To secure your bike, make sure you take your own bike lock with you.

Please ensure that you use the bike racks provided, as locking your bike up at an unauthorised location around the ground may result in your bike being removed. For more information, please visit the Manchester Airport website.

We’re bringing all bus services in Greater Manchester under local control as part of the Bee Network.

See a full list of current and future Bee Network bus services.

There may be some changes to the tickets you can use on Bee Network.

Be sure to download the new Bee Network app to plan any journey in Greater Manchester. 

On the app you can also see live bus tram and train departure times, buy tickets, get travel alerts and quickly Rate Your Journey to tell us how it went. 

Find out more about the Bee Network.

In Greater Manchester, we want everyone to travel safely and easily. We have a variety of accessibility guides suited to your journey on our accessibility hub and some key information for travelling by Metrolink and bus below.

Accessibility on Metrolink

Metrolink is a modern system with a range of accessibility features. All Metrolink trams and tram stops are accessible for wheelchair users.

Every tram stop has:

• A ramp, lift, or escalator - for the latest service updates for lifts and escalators at your stop, visit our dedicated webpage.
• Step-free access for wheelchair users and people with pushchairs
• CCTV and emergency call-points
• platforms with tactile edges for visually impaired passengers.

Every tram has:

• An area for people who use wheelchairs
• Space for pushchairs
• Seats marked for people who have trouble standing
• Emergency call points.

For further information on the accessibility of Metrolink, please visit the accessibility hub.

Accessibility on the bus

Many buses have ramps and can accommodate wheelchairs. Some new buses also have display screens, route numbers, destination displays and audio-visual ‘next stop’ announcements.

A lot of bus operators have low floor buses to make it easier for people who use wheelchairs, mobility scooters, and those with small children and pushchairs.

For further information, visit our accessibility hub and select your bus operator for their accessibility policies.