Manchester International Airport is an airport in Manchester, England. It is the third-busiest airport in the UK (after Heathrow and Gatwick) in terms of passengers per year. In 2005, the airport will have handled over 21 million passengers and provided direct flights to over 180 destinations worldwide by over 95 airlines. It is owned by the Manchester Airport Group who own several other UK airports including Nottingham East Midlands, Bournemouth and Humberside.

Located on the boundary between Cheshire and Manchester in England, the airport, formerly known as Ringway, is the transatlantic hub for bmi, as well as a hub for British Airways and the charter airline MyTravel as well as many other British carriers. It has two parallel runways, three adjacent terminals and a railway station. It was once the centre of operations of Cargolux's charter airline venture, Lion Air.

Because of the length of its runways, the airport is able to handle large jets, including the Airbus A340 and the Boeing 747. For this reason, Manchester airport was frequently used as a diversion airport for Concorde if Heathrow and Gatwick were fogbound.

Terminal One is mostly used by non BA international traffic. It is also the terminal used as the base for MyTravel who have a separate check-in on the lower level. It has 24 stands, 18 of which have airbridges (Gates refer to those accessible from the piers). It opened in 1952 and will have to be removed in 2010 due to the fact it is overburdened.

Terminal 2 is used mostly by long haul and charter traffic. It opened in 1993. It has 15 gates, of which 14 have airbridges (Gates refer to those accessible from the piers).

Terminal 3 was formerly known as terminal 1 domestic, before being revamped and renamed in the late 1990s when BA decided Manchester should be one of the hubs for their CitiExpress service . It is part of Terminal 1, it is primarilly used for British Airways, oneworld and domestic traffic. It has 18 gates, 14 of which have airbridges (Gates refer to those accessible from the piers).

The airport is about 20 minutes drive from central Manchester on the M56 motorway with a dedicated link road from the motorway at junction 5. Taxi ranks are situated by arrivals at all three terminals. If driving to the airport passengers can use the drop off and pick up areas or choose from a range of both short and long stay car parks situated on site and off airport. National Express runs coaches from all over the UK to terminals one and two. If travelling from terminal 3 the bus stop at terminal one should be used, there are also urban bus links to the Manchester Urban Cornubation. There is a train station in the heart of the airport complex. The Skylink moving walkway links the station and the three terminal buildings. There are regular trains running between the airport station, Manchester Piccadilly, Manchester's main station, and stations all over northern England. Trains are operated either by Northern Rail or First Transpennine Express.