Airfield search

Ringway (Manchester)

Major
Also known as: Manchester Airport / Manchester International Airport / RAF Ringway / RAF Station, Ringway / Ringway Aerodrome / Ringway Airport
County: Greater Manchester
Current Status: Aviation
Date: Opened 8 June 1937
Current Use: Active
Used By: RAF / Civil / Civil (foreign)
Landing Surface Types: Unpaved, later paved (1941)
Prominent People: Yuri Gagarin

N.B. - Ringway is situated across the two counties of Cheshire and Greater Manchester but primarily geographically resides in Greater Manchester.


The following organisations are either based at, use and/or have at least potentially significant connections with the airfield (as at 01/09/2011):

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  • Airport Hotel Manchester Ltd
  • Airport Inn Manchester Hotel & Spa
  • Alpha Airport Shopping
  • Attitude
  • bar 08
  • Bar MCR
  • Be Relax
  • Best of the Best
  • Bewleys Hotel Manchester Airport
  • Biza
  • Bolton Council
  • Boots
  • Broderick's
  • Burger King
  • Bury Council
  • Caffe Nero
  • Caffe Ritazza
  • Claire's Accessories
  • Clancy's Coffee
  • Costa Coffee
  • Crowne Plaza Hotel Manchester Airport
  • Delice de France
  • Dixons Travel
  • Epernay
  • Fat Face
  • Frankie & Benny's
  • Giraffe
  • Greggs
  • Hilton Manchester Airport Hotel
  • JD
  • Jo Malone
  • Joe's Kitchen & Coffeehouse
  • Kuehne+Nagel Ltd
  • Kurt Geiger
  • Manchester Airport Marriott Hotel
  • Manchester Airports Group (M.A.G)
  • Manchester City Council
  • Mango
  • Monsoon
  • Next
  • Oldham Council
  • Premier Inn Manchester Airport
  • Radisson Blu Hotel Manchester Airport
  • Ringway Parish Council
  • Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council
  • Runway Bar
  • Runway Brasserie
  • Salford City Council
  • Servisair
  • SockShop
  • Soho Coffee Co.
  • Spar
  • Starbucks
  • Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council
  • Swatch
  • T.M.Lewin
  • Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council
  • Temptation
  • The Airport Public House & Grill
  • The Body Shop
  • The Bollin River Cafe
  • The Medlock
  • The Observatory Bar
  • The Real Food Company
  • Tie Rack
  • Timberland
  • Trafford Council
  • Trattoria Milano
  • Travelodge Manchester Airport
  • WHSmith
  • WHSmith Books
  • Wigan Council
  • Wrapid

Notable Past Associated Organisations:

  • AV Roe & Company (Avro)
  • Aviance UK
  • BAA Limited
  • BAA plc
  • British Airports Authority
  • Fairey Aviation Company
  • Heathrow Airport Holdings

Main unit(s) present:

  • No 1 Parachute Training School
  • No 4 Sqn
  • No 5 SFTS
  • No 6 AACU
  • No 7 AACU
  • No 8 AACU
  • No 14 FP ATA
  • No 14 FPP (Civilian)
  • No 50 (Army Co-operation) Wing
  • No 50 E&RFTS
  • No 64 Sqn
  • No 78 Sqn
  • No 107 (Transport) OTU
  • No 110 (Anti-Aircraft Co-operation) Wing
  • No 253 Sqn
  • No 264 Sqn
  • No 296 Sqn
  • No 613 Sqn
  • No 663 Sqn
  • No 1951 Reserve AOP Flight
  • Adria Airways
  • Aeroflot
  • Air 2000
  • Air Algerie
  • Air Anglia
  • Air Atlanta Europe
  • Air Canada
  • Air Europe
  • Air France
  • Air India
  • Air Jamaica
  • Air Malta
  • Air Manchester
  • Air Mauritius
  • Air Polonia
  • Air Scandic
  • Air Scotland
  • Air Seychelles
  • Air Southwest
  • Air Transat
  • Air UK
  • Air UK Leisure
  • Air Wales
  • AirBaltic
  • Airborne Forces Establishment
  • Airborne Forces Experimental Establishment
  • Airtours International Airways
  • Airviews
  • Airworld
  • Alitalia
  • American Airlines
  • Aurigny Air Services
  • Austrian Airlines
  • BA Connect
  • Balkan Bulgarian Airlines
  • BEA
  • Belavia
  • BH Air
  • Biman Bangladesh Airlines
  • Blue Islands
  • BMI Regional
  • bmibaby
  • Britannia Airways
  • British Airtours
  • British Airways
  • British Airways Citiexpress
  • British Island Airways
  • Brooklands Flying Group
  • Brussels Airlines
  • Brymon Airways
  • Bulgaria Air
  • Cal Air International
  • Caledonian Airways
  • Cambrian Airways
  • Capital Airlines
  • Cathay Pacific
  • Central Landing Establishment
  • Central Landing School
  • Centralwings
  • Channel Airways
  • China Airlines
  • City Airline
  • Continental Airlines
  • Croatia Airlines
  • Cunard Eagle Airways
  • Cyprus Turkish Airlines
  • Czech Airlines
  • Dan-Air
  • Danube Wings
  • Delta Air Lines
  • Development Unit (Central Landing Establishment)
  • Dragonair
  • Dubrovnik Airline
  • easyJet
  • El Al
  • Emirates
  • Estonian Air
  • Etihad Airways
  • Eurocypria Airlines
  • EuroManx
  • Excalibur Airways
  • Fairey Aviation Ltd
  • Fingland’s Airways
  • Finnair
  • First Choice Airways
  • Fly Hellas
  • Flybe
  • Flyglobespan
  • Germanwings
  • Glider Exercise Sqn
  • Glider Exercise Unit
  • Glider Flight
  • Glider Training Sqn
  • Guernsey Airlines
  • Gulf Air
  • Hunting-Clan Air Transport
  • Iberia
  • Icelandair
  • Isle of Man Air Services
  • Jat Airways
  • Jersey Airlines
  • Jet Armenia
  • Jet2.com
  • KLM Cityhopper
  • Laker Airways
  • Libyan Airlines
  • LOT Polish Airlines
  • Lufthansa Cargo
  • Luxair
  • Mahan Air
  • Malaysia Airlines
  • Malev Hungarian Airlines
  • Malinair
  • Manchester Air Taxis
  • Manchester Flying Club
  • Manchester UAS
  • Melba Airways
  • Mercury Airlines
  • Monarch Airlines
  • MyTravel Airways
  • Neos
  • Northern Executive Aviation
  • Norwegian Air Shuttle
  • Olympic Airlines
  • Orbest Orizonia Airlines
  • Pakistan International Airlines
  • Parachute Exercise Sqn
  • Parachute Training Centre
  • Parachute Training School
  • Parachute Training Sqn
  • Pegasus Airlines
  • Portugalia
  • Qantas
  • Qatar Airways
  • Railway Air Services
  • Ringway Aero Club
  • Ryanair
  • SAS Braathens
  • SATA International
  • Saudia
  • Scandinavian Airlines
  • Scottish Airlines
  • Silver City Airways
  • Singapore Airlines
  • Sivewright Airways
  • SkyEurope
  • Small Planet Airlines
  • SN Brussels Airlines
  • South African Airways
  • Spanair
  • Starways
  • Swiss International Air Lines
  • Syrian Air
  • TAP Portugal
  • Thomas Cook Airlines
  • Thomson Airways
  • Tradair
  • Tunisair
  • Turkish Airlines
  • United Airlines
  • US Airways
  • Uzbekistan Airways
  • Viking Airlines
  • Virgin Atlantic Airways
  • Virgin Sun
001geograph-122343-by-Frank-Airey.jpg

View of Ringway, 1 July 1956.

002geograph-3417630-by-David-Dixon.jpg

Wilmslow Road tunnel under the airfield, 5 April 2013.

003geograph-3736454-by-David-Dixon.jpg

View of Ringway, 7 November 2013.

004Aerial View. Ring way : Manchester Airport - 26 April 2015.png

Aerial view of Ringway, 26 April 2015. © Richard Flagg

005Taxiway Alpha - 17 February 2016.png

Taxiway Alpha at Ringway, 17 February 2016. © Richard Flagg

006Light Aircraft ROMPA - 17 February 2016.png

Looking across the airfield, 17 February 2016. © Richard Flagg

007Hangar : M.A.P. Aircraft Shed - 17 February 2016.png

Hangar: M.A.P. Aircraft Shed at Ringway, 17 February 2016. © Richard Flagg

008Control Tower (New) 2 - 17 February 2016.png

The newer Control Tower at Ringway, 17 February 2016. © Richard Flagg

009Control Tower (New) - 17 February 2016.png

The newer Control Tower at Ringway, 17 February 2016. © Richard Flagg

010Control Tower (Old) - 18 August 2018.png

The older Control Tower at Ringway, 18 August 2018. © Richard Flagg

Includes footage of the Lord Mayor of Manchester digging the first sod for the airport, starts at approx 1:30mins. Courtesy of British Pathé

Footage of Manchester (Ringway), 1949. Courtesy of Fred Pedley

Footage from Ringway, c. 1950s. Courtesy of Spellbound media

Footage of Ringway, c. 1960s. Courtesy of belkin59

Footage from Ringway, c. late 1960s. Courtesy of std8mmcinefilm

Manchester Airport Promo Film, 1972. Courtesy of Classic Airliners & Vintage Pop Culture

Predecessor Airport(s):

Barton

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