MANCHESTER Airport is to continue its campaign to get restrictions on its growth relaxed despite reporting an increase in pre-tax profits for the year to March 31.
The airport said an increase in long-haul traffic helped it record a 28% rise in profits to £42.4m. However, incoming chairman Cllr Bill Hinds said the airport will lobby hard to be released from legal constraints on forming commercial relationships to improve profits.
As the airport is local authority-owned it must seek government permission to operate as a private company.
Hinds said:”We must lobby hard to be released from these constraints. This is of particular importance if we are to increase our business and also given the damaging effect that the abolition of intra-European duty-free will have on our commercial income.”
He confirmed Manchester was granted special permission to acquire the majority of Humberside International Airport earlier this month.
Manchester Airport chief executive Geoff Muirhead said traffic growth was up 9% in the last financial year.
He said this would be improved once the airport’s second runway opens next year.
Services from the US and increased frequencies from Emirates, Singapore Airlines and British Airways played a large role in helping Manchester to boost its long-haul traffic.