Great photos show Manchester Airport before things really took off

The Easter holidays signalled the busiest period of the year so far at Manchester Airport with more than 100,000 passengers a day passing through. Today, flights from Manchester go to more than 200 destinations worldwide via 50 different airlines but when these great black and white photos taken in November 1979 were taken, it was a much smaller operation. Air travel and the package holiday business was beginning to take off - no pun intended - but Manchester International Airport was not the international hub it is today.

Until 1975, the airport was known as Ringway and has been operating since 1938. Today, you would be unlikely to see the gates standing empty as they are here or a lone aircraft on the Tarmac. The facilities have altered somewhat too with three terminals now dealing with departures and arrivals and a vast array of shops, restaurants and bars available to passengers with a £1.



3bn transformation project due to be completed this year..