A future government aviation strategy that supports regional airports is “critical”, according to Manchester Airports Group.
The call came as it was revealed that the four airports that make up the group handled 6.6 million passengers in August – up by more than 8% on the same month last year.
Manchester airport numbers grew by 7.9% year-on-year to 3.2 million while those using Stansted rose by 9.9% to reach a record of 2.7 million.
East Midlands airport saw growth of 2.5% to 611,000 passengers in July and Bournemouth airport grew 2.7% to 86,000, with both seeing strong performances on Spanish holiday routes.
MAG corporate affairs director Tim Hawkins said: “As Heathrow and Gatwick fill up, Manchester and Stansted still have substantial capacity for growth.
“MAG is investing in new facilities and infrastructure so that its airports can play an even bigger role over the next 10 to 15 years before a new runway in the south-east.
“The figures for August demonstrate that demand for flying to a wider range of global destinations has never been greater and MAG airports will play a critical role in this.
“It’s now critical that government focuses on developing an aviation strategy for the next 10-15 years that helps airports like ours create a prosperous and outward facing Britain.”