Manchester Airport is about nine miles south of the city centre, beside the M56. Trains, trams, buses and coaches all stop at the same station between the two terminals. This page covers each way in, by road from every main direction and by public transport.
Check your terminal first
Two terminals are in use. Ryanair flies from Terminal 3 and every other airline from Terminal 2; Terminal 1 has closed, so ignore older directions that mention it. Our guide to flying from Manchester Airport covers terminals, drop-off and pick-up, how early to arrive and which parking suits your trip.
By road
Every route ends the same way: leave the M56 at junction 5 and follow the signs for your terminal. The airport's own address is Manchester Airport, Manchester, M90 1QX, and the airport warns that sat-navs may not show the latest road layout, so follow the road signs once you are close.
Sat-nav postcodes
- Terminal 2: M90 5PH takes you to the Terminal 2 forecourt. From junction 5, keep left up the slip road, take the second exit at the first roundabout, signposted Terminal 2, and choose your forecourt at the second roundabout, Flag Island.
- Terminal 3: M90 1NN takes you to the Terminal 3 forecourt. Follow the Terminal 3 signs from junction 5; the forecourts are reached past the Hilton and Clayton hotels.
- Parking: every car park, including Meet & Greet handover points and Park & Ride compounds, has its own postcode. If you have booked parking, use the one in your confirmation email rather than a terminal postcode.
From the south (Birmingham and the Midlands)
Come north on the M6 and leave at junction 19, signposted Manchester Airport. Follow the A556 to the M56 at junction 7, head east towards Manchester and leave at junction 5.
From the north (Preston, Lancashire, Cumbria)
Come south on the M6 to junction 20, the Lymm interchange, where the M6 meets the M56. Join the M56 eastbound towards Manchester and leave at junction 5.
From the west (Chester, North Wales, the Wirral, Liverpool)
From Chester, North Wales and the Wirral, the M56 runs east all the way to the airport; the M53 from the Wirral joins it at junction 15. Stay on it to junction 5. From Liverpool, one route is the M62 east to the M6 at junction 21a, south on the M6 to junction 20, then the M56 east to junction 5.
From the north-east and Yorkshire (Leeds, York, Bolton)
Take the M62 west to the M60 Manchester ring road and follow it round the south of the city, to the M56 at its eastern end. Head west on the M56 and leave at junction 5.
From the east (Stockport, Sheffield, the Peak District)
The A555, the A6 to Manchester Airport Relief Road, runs from the A6 near Hazel Grove to the airport and the link road to the M56. From Sheffield, the airport suggests the A57, A628 or A6 across the Pennines, around an hour and 40 minutes depending on the route and traffic.
From Manchester city centre
Head south on Princess Road and Princess Parkway (the A5103), which leads on to the M56. Follow it west to junction 5. The airport puts the drive at around 27 minutes.
By train
Manchester Airport station sits between the terminals, linked by covered walkways, lifts and moving walkways: about five minutes' walk to Terminal 3 and ten to Terminal 2. The station is step-free to all four platforms.
- From Manchester Piccadilly: TransPennine Express and Northern run every 10 minutes, seven days a week, taking around 20 minutes. The first train from the airport to the city is at 04:12 and the last at 01:34.
- Direct from further afield: there are through trains from Stockport (about 35 minutes), Liverpool (about an hour), Sheffield and Leeds (each about an hour and a quarter) and York (just under two hours).
- Tickets: the ticket office is open 06:30 to 22:30, and there are ticket machines too.
By tram
The Metrolink tram stop is inside the airport station. The Airport line runs through Wythenshawe to the city centre and on to Victoria, via Market Street, with connections across the network to places such as Altrincham, Bury, Eccles, Rochdale and the Trafford Centre. The airport says trams run every 12 minutes.
Buy before you board: tap in and out with a contactless card or phone, use the Bee Network app, or buy from the machine on the platform. There are no ticket sales on board. Planned engineering works sometimes cut the Airport line short, so check TfGM's travel updates before an early flight.
By bus
Buses use The Station, the transport interchange at the airport station, open 24 hours, about seven minutes' walk from Terminal 3 and ten from Terminal 2. Bee Network routes include:
- 43 to Manchester city centre via Wythenshawe and West Didsbury.
- 103 to Piccadilly Gardens via Wythenshawe.
- 199 to Buxton via Stockport and Hazel Grove.
- 248 to the Trafford Centre via Sale.
- 313 to Stockport via Cheadle Hulme.
Routes 130, 288 and 368 also serve the airport, and the airport says its Bee Network link to the city centre runs 24 hours a day. Check times on TfGM's live departures before you travel.
By coach
National Express, Megabus and FlixBus all run to Manchester Airport, stopping at the airport station, with covered walkways to both terminals. Book seats with the operator and check its luggage allowance.
Sorted before you fly.
