Manchester Airport drop-off and pick-up – Terminal 2
If you have not travelled from Manchester Airport Terminal 2 since July 2021, here is all you need to know about the new changes for dropping off and picking up passengers and getting to the new-look terminal in general.
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As a part of the £1bn redevelopment of Manchester Airport, Terminal 2 has been extended and upgraded to provide a more seamless, spacious and efficient experience for both departing and arriving passengers.
If you have family or friends offering to drop you off at Manchester Airport and your flight departs from Terminal 2, then you’ll need to be aware of what options are available to you and the charges that apply. Likewise, if you are being picked up, you need to agree where to meet up.
Manchester Airport Terminal 2 forecourt – image credit: Manchester Airport
Manchester Airport Terminal 2 – drop-off
There is a free, designated drop-off point at Manchester Airport on Thorley Lane, next to JetParks 1 car park. Just follow the signs from the M56. Once you have unloaded your luggage, you can take a free shuttle bus transfer to Terminal 2. The shuttle service runs frequently throughout the day and night and there is a Help point for travellers requiring assistance once the bus arrives at the terminal.
If you prefer to be dropped off right outside the terminal, there is a designated drop-off zone on the upper forecourt of Terminal 2, next to the main check-in hall. The charges are £5 for five minutes and £6 for 10 minutes and you pay at the exit barrier. If your vehicle stays in the drop-off zone more than 10 minutes, you’ll be charged an overstay fee of £25.
Blue Badge holders are exempt from the drop-off charges, but the travelling passenger must be able to show their valid Blue Badge to the traffic marshals when entering the forecourt area. The exemption does not apply to drivers with a Blue Badge, if the travelling passenger does not also hold a Blue Badge.
To reach the drop-off zone outside Terminal 2, exit the M56 at Junction 5 and follow the signs to Terminal 2, keeping left along the slip road. At the top of the slip road, take the second exit off the roundabout. At the next roundabout (Flag Island), take the third exit, signposted “Terminal 2 Drop Off”. Follow the ramp up to the forecourt outside Departures and head for the designated drop-off point in Zone 2.
Manchester Airport Terminal 2 – pick-up
The pick-up zone at Manchester Airport Terminal 2 is located on Level 0 in the Terminal 2 West Multi-Storey car park. Simply take a ticket upon entering the car park and pay at one of the automated ticket machines when you are ready to leave. Alternatively, you can pay by credit or debit card at the exit barrier. The charges are £6 for up to 30 minutes, £12 for up to one hour, £20 up to two hours, £30 up to four hours and £58 for up to 24 hours and for each additional 24 hours. Pre-booking is not required. Arriving passengers just need to follow the signs to the car park from the Terminal 2 arrivals hall.
Manchester Airport Terminal 2 – parking
Manchester’s Terminal 2 offers a choice of parking options. For great value, book ahead for our own APH Car Park, located a 10-minute shuttle bus ride from the terminal doors. The shuttle transfers operate every 15 minutes throughout the day and night and the car park carries the Police-approved Park Mark Safer Parking award. If you prefer to drive directly to the terminal, then consider our Meet & Greet Terminal 2 service, for the ultimate in convenience. If you are going to be away for more than a week, then Drop & Go at Manchester Airport is the ideal parking solution. For those taking just a short trip away, the Multi-Storey Terminal 2 car park may be just the ticket, although we recommend pre-booking for the best rate.
Get an APH parking quote here.
Manchester Airport Terminal 2 – hotel and parking
Driving to the airport the day before you fly can be a relaxing start to your trip, especially if your flight departs early, or if you are travelling some distance. There are various types of hotel and parking packages and a choice of hotels, both on-airport and off-airport, including the 3* Holiday Inn Express Manchester and the 4* Double Tree by Hilton, both of which can be paired with the APH Car Park to make a great value package.
Get an APH hotel and parking quote here.
Manchester Airport Terminal 2 – getting there by road
Manchester Airport lies next to the M56 at Junction 5, nine miles south of the city centre. Travelling by car from Manchester city centre takes approximately 25 minutes. There are direct links from the M56 to the M6 and M60, and on to the M62, making the airport easily accessible from anywhere in the country. The post code for Manchester Airport is M90 1QX and Terminal 2 is clearly signposted once you reach the airport.
Manchester Airport Terminal 2 – by bus
The bus station at Manchester Airport is in the airport’s dedicated transport interchange facility, called The Station, which links buses, coaches and trains all in one building. You can reach all Manchester Airport terminals from The Station by the Skylink combination of moving walkways, lifts and escalators. Manchester Airport is well served by local and regional bus routes.
Manchester Airport Terminal 2 – by coach
Coach services arrive into Manchester Airport’s The Station, from where you can access Terminal 2 via the Skylink system of covered walkways, escalators and lifts. Manchester Airport coach services depart from The Station too.
Manchester Airport Terminal 2 – by train
With regular services to and from Manchester Piccadilly station, travelling by train is an easy way to get to Manchester Airport, especially for those without too much luggage. The trains arrive and depart from The Station – Manchester Airport’s central transport hub – from where Terminal 2 can be reached via covered walkways, escalators and lifts. It’s about a 10-minute walk. Manchester Piccadilly is well connected to the national rail network.
Manchester Airport – the new-look Terminal 2
Manchester Airport’s newly extended Terminal 2 opened in July 2021. The expansion and upgrade formed a key part of the £1bn Manchester Airport Transformation project, which was announced in 2015.
The glossy, new-look terminal has a light, modern check-in hall, the latest in security technology, a re-designed departure lounge with new shops, bars, cafes and restaurants, and a spacious new immigration hall for arrivals.
The new security area has 10 lanes, each 29 metres long, to allow passengers to flow through quickly and smoothly, and the new departure lounge features include an impressive honeycomb light installation with 16 million settings, and a huge digital screen providing essential information and interactive content.
On the upper level, two airport lounges feature floor-to-ceiling windows offering panoramic views over the airfield.
The new Terminal 2 offers a world-class experience for those departing and arriving at Manchester Airport.
Manchester Airport Terminal 2– which airlines
The following airlines fly from Manchester Airport Terminal 2, as of April 2024. Please check your flight details before travel.
Aer Lingus (EI)
Aegean Airlines (A3)
airBaltic (BT)
Air France (AF)
Air Canada (AC)
Brussels Airlines (SN)
Cathay Pacific (CX)
Ethiopian Airlines (ET)
Eurowings (EW)
Jet2.com (LS)
KLM (KL)
Norwegian (DY)
Pakistan International Airlines (PK)
Pegasus Airlines (PC)
Qatar Airways (QR)
Singapore Airlines (SQ)
TUI (BY)
Virgin Atlantic (VS)
Manchester Airport Quick and Easy Guide
ITs really sad that any person who is using Manchester Airport who is going on holiday or coming back of holiday should be Charged a Fee at all when you are giving them your Business, when this Airport was first Derived and Depended on the Travelling Public, PLUS public and Tax Payers money out of the Public Purse. Maybe we should call for an out side Public Investigation has to how they use our Public Money for the so called use of the Airport, has to Benefit the Public and not them selves by not charging for Dropping off or picking up it should be Free, not Scamming the Travelling Public. As Manchester Airport ever Published or Declared their Earnings or Profits that they make per year.
Yes. Its absolutely disgusting. I was there for 7 minutes and got changed 25. I will be disputing it. Please be careful.
Chaos at immigration and bag collection . Has been the case for the last 20 years or so . No profit to be made by the airport authorities at either of these. No problem finding machines to pay for parking . Never full machines so plenty of staff available to empty them on a regular basis and collect the money. Says it all . Time the airport spent money on the infrastructure to assist passengers rather than infrastructure to collect money from them .
I took my disabled wheel-chair bound grandson to Manchester Airport for a flight and I fail to understand why the idiotic airport staff don’t understand someone who is disabled will take longer to get from point A to point B at the ‘drop-off’ point
So after the last bit of public transport has left for the night passengers have to relay on friends or family to pick them up. The prices are to say the least daylight or nighttime robbery, even Dick Turpin wore a mask when he robbed people. But not Manchester Airport they do it quite openly. Might I suggest that prices are reduced after the public transport has finished or do you intend to squeeze every penny you can from travellers who have no choice. Personally I try to give the penny pinching Manchester Airport as little money as I can when having to use it.
I’m with you, it’s just that disgusting that you can’t be collected outside terminal 2.
Is the over height drop off and pick up point still at the side of the multi story at T 2 as last time i went it was closed except to builders.
Will this now require a payment to get out of the car park when previously dropping off was free ?
where will private coaches be dropping off for terminal 2