Boeing 737-800 takes off in the early-morning light
A Ryanair 737-800 takes off from Manchester's second runway, 23 Left, just as the sun rises in the East. The Northwest's 'gateway' airport is the only major UK airport apart from Heathrow to have the luxury of two runways.
A Thomas Cook Airlines A330-200 passed the Signature executive hangars
Thomas Cook currently base 15 aircraft at Manchester. Here an A330 rolls off runway 23 Right after an overnight long-haul from New York JFK. This particular aircraft belongs to AirTanker, who provide the Royal Air Force with transport/tanker aircraft, and can be quickly recalled in an emergency.
Helevtic Airways ERJ-190 lit up by the sun despite moody skies behind
Swiss International, and its predecessor Swissair, have flown schedules to Manchester for many decades, and some services are flown by Swiss carrier Helvetic Airways. Here an Embraer ERJ-190 awaits its turn for departure on 23L.
A Flybe Bombardier Q400 still in the original colour scheme.
Flybe is the UK's main domestic carrier, flying a mix of Bombardier Q400s and Embraer ERJ175/190s. Eight aircraft are based at Manchester and this Q400 (the latest in the Dash 8 family) is on its way to Exeter in the Southwest of England.
Singapore Airlines A350-900 touches down, with Terminal 3 behind
Singapore Airlines offer services to both Singapore and Houston non-stop from Manchester. Previously the Singapore route utilised Boeing 777-300s, with a stop in Munich, but the Airbus A350-900 now flies the 13-hour route non-stop.
Singapore Airlines A350 rolls off the runway, passing the Concorde hangar
The A350's Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines partially open as the aircraft brakes to a stop. The grey building behind is the purpose-built exhibition hangar containing one of the former British Airways Concordes.
Aer Lingus/Stobart Air ATR72 taxying for departure
Aer Lingus operate numerous daily services the short distance across the Irish Sea to the Irish Republic. Here an ATR72 operated by Stobart Air, in Aer Lingus' colours, taxies towards the sun before heading off to Cork.
An Airbus A330-200 of Thomas Cook Airlines lifts off for Barbados
One of Thomas Cook's A330's takes off runway 23L creating wingtip vortices in the damp morning air. This flight was to Bridgetown, Barbados, with the aircraft having arrived from Varadero, Cuba before first light.
KLM 737-800 in the Dutch carrier's latest bright blue colours
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines use a mix of Boeing 737-700/800/900s and Embraer ERJ190s on their many daily flights from Amsterdam to Manchester. This 737-800 was delivered in December 2007.
Big trail, Little trail. A Turkish Airlines A330 and Ryanair 737-800 cross high above Manchester
Manchester has a number of high-level airways routes that pass right overhead. A Turkish Airlines A330 returning to Istanbul from North America is 'chased' by one of huge number of Ryanair 737-800s that pass over the UK every day.
An SAS Boeing 737-600 exits the runway, passing the executive parking area
SAS Scandinavian Airlines are the largest operator of Boeing's 'baby' 737, the -600. According to Aviation Week's Fleet Discovery database, there are only 46 still operational worldwide, with SAS accounting for 15 of those. Canada's Westjet is the other major operator, with 13 in service.
Emirates' giant Airbus A380 departing on another routine hop to Dubai
Emirates Airlines have been flying into Manchester from Dubai for over 25 years, and now fly up to 3 times a day. Most services are flown by the double-decker Airbus A380, carrying between 500 and 600 passengers each. Manchester was one of the first airports to have an A380 service, and quite possibly the first regional airport anywhere to do so.
No mistaking the operator on Jet2's fleet !
Leeds-based Jet2 base 15 aircraft at Manchester over the winter, mostly Boeing 737-800s as pictured here, with a few older 757s, which are often for longer routes such as Cyprus and New York JFK. This 737 is on its way to Faro on the Portuguese Algarve, and arrived from Krakow, Poland, the day before.
An Easyjet Airbus A319 about to depart Manchester for sunnier skies up above
Easyjet are the UK's major low-cost airline, with a fleet of Airbus A319/A320/A320NEOs. This A319 lines up for Amsterdam, with darkening skies and Terminal 3 behind.
A Turkish Airlines A321 lands past Terminal 2's 'Manchester' sign
Turkish Airlines typically fly twice a day to Istanbul with Airbus A320/A321 equipment. The crane in the background is part of the huge construction project being undertaken to massively expand Terminal 2.
A Flybe ERJ175 also in the old colour scheme
FlyBe mainly uses Embraer ERJ175s on its jet services from Manchester, this one on its way to Dusseldorf, Germany. A sister ship is evident in the background, about to taxi away from the terminal.
A TUI 787-8 'Dreamliner' heads to runway 23L for departure
Thomson Airways recently became TUI Airways, the fleet having flown in the European multinational TUI's colors for many years. Thomson were the first UK operator of Boeing's 787 'Dreamliner', and this 787-8 is heading to Montego Bay, Jamaica, just a few hours after arriving from Barbados. TUI base 13 aircraft at Manchester, a mix of 737-800s/757s/787-8s.
A GEnx engine on the wing of a 787-8
The exhaust from the 787's GEnx engine blurs a number of Jet 2 and other TUI aircraft, parked up on Manchester's terminals.
A Saudia 787-9 lifts off, clearly showing the distinctive jagged GEnx engine housing
Saudi Arabian Airlines were the first operator in Manchester of the -9 model of Boeing's 787. Saudia fly to Jeddah several times a week, the route previously flown by 777s.
One of TUI's 757s takes off for Las Palmas in the Canary Islands.
The popularity of the Boeing 757 shows no sign of waning among the pilot community, and TUI operate 14 of them. Their payload, power and range is something that airlines love, but they are an ageing fleet, and Boeing is regularly being asked to come with a replacement.
Airbus flagships A380 and A350 at Manchester
Whilst the late-morning Emirates A380 awaits clearance to Dubai from Terminal 1, a Singapore A350 taxies out to head for home, after arriving 2 hours earlier from Houston.
A Hainan Airlines A330-300 takes off for Beijing,
Hainan Airlines started direct services to Beijing in June 2016, marking Manchester's first direct service to mainland China. Initially using A330s, they later swapped to 787s, and have reverted to using A330s for the winter schedule. Flight 7904 takes off at 11.00 am for its 9-hour flight to the Chinese capital.
Brussels Airlines A319 taking off past Manchester's new control tower
Brussels Airlines, the successor to SABENA, operates a mix of Airbus A319/A320s on its regular flights to the Belgian capital. As this A319 takes off from runway 23R, it climbs past the new ATC tower, with Thomas Cook's large maintenance hangar also in the background.
A bright purple ATR72 under bright blue Manchester skies
Ireland's Stobart Air also fly for the UK's FLybe, as well as for Aer Lingus. This ATR72 is in the new unmissable FlyBe color scheme and departs into beautiful blue Manchester skies for a domestic flight to the Isle of Man.
Virgin's 747-400s are the only 747s regularly seen at Manchester nowadays
Virgin Atlantic have two aircraft based at Manchester at the moment, with this 747-400 on its way to Orlando. Other regular routes include Barbados and JFK.
A Cathay Pacific Airbus A350 heading home to Hong Kong.
Cathay Pacific flies direct to Hong Kong several times a week, flying the latest Airbus A350-900 aircraft. The flight takes around 11 hours eastbound and 12 hours westbound.
Manchester cements its place as the UK's third busiest airport, behind London's Heathrow and Gatwick. Once seen as a regional airport, it now offers many long-haul destinations as well as its well-established domestic and regional routes.
