Manchester Airport Visitors Center

General information

A great day out for all the family, the Runway Visitor Park is one of the North West's most popular outdoor attractions. Adjacent to the busy runways of Manchester Airport, the park’s raised viewing areas mean you can stand literally just a few metres away from real ‘live’ planes as they go past, with around 600 aircraft movements – landings and take-offs – every day.

The park is also home to a variety of retired planes, including the spectacular supersonic airliner, Concorde G-BOAC; and former RAF military spy plane, Nimrod. There’s also a DC-10, Avro RJX and a retro Trident airliner, offering a glimpse of what flying was like in the 1960s and 1970s.

In addition to a picnic area, there is also the Concorde Restaurant and coffee house, a play area and The Aviation Shop, which stocks a range of plane-related souvenirs, suitable for children through to the more serious aircraft enthusiasts.

Visitors hoping to see the Emirates A380 super-jumbo on its daily visit to Manchester can watch it arrive at around 11:45am* and depart at around 1.30pm* (*scheduled times, subject to change).

The Runway Visitor Park is located next to Manchester Airport’s runways, two minutes from Junction 6 of the M56 motorway. It’s open daily from 8am except Christmas and Boxing Day.