This is probably going to be a bit of a biased article, that being said, my local airport is actually EGGP so I really shouldn’t be writing this. Unfortunately we don’t get to see A350’s or 787’s everyday here so let’s call Manchester my second local and why I love going plane spotting there.
A very long time ago, when I was much younger, my grandfather used to take me to Liverpool Airport to see the planes coming and going. Back then the mound as we know it today was fully accessible and gave plane spotters a brilliant view of arriving jets as they screamed overhead and down onto runway 27. In recent years the airport boundary has gotten bigger meaning the famous Dungeon Lane mound was closed to the public, since then spotters now gather just around the corner on a much higher mound of mud next to the airport’s general aviation apron and flying school.
But anyway that’s Liverpool and although I love it, sadly it doesn’t see enough traffic for the average avgeek to get excited about, sure we’ll see the odd military or charter movement but for something a bit more exciting you can head about 35 miles down the road to Manchester International Airport and easily spend a day there spotting or taking photographs.
EGCC or for you non avgeeks, Manchester Airport is located just under 10 miles from Manchester City Centre and operates flights to the US, Europe and Asia with airlines such as Emirates, Virgin Atlantic, Qatar, Cathay Pacific and of course the low cost airlines like EasyJet, Ryanair and Jet2. It’s a perfect place for spotters and photographers thanks to a nice variety of airlines and aircraft.
Before the pandemic, Manchester saw some truly amazing aircraft movements, it was commonplace to see 747-400’s, 757’s and 767’s.
I didn’t start visiting Manchester on my own till a couple of years back, when I was younger my grandfather brought me to the runway viewing park on a few occasions, it wasn’t what it is today however. The RVP back then consisted of a few purpose built mud mounds for the spotters to get a better view on and some old portaloos for those extra long spotting days.
Today the Runway Viewing Park has become a place where us avgeeks can still appreciate the aircraft and capture them up close with brilliant detail. It’s also a place families can bring their kids, everything has been completely upgraded and is of course home to Concorde Alpha Charlie which sits in its own hangar complete with cafe and aviation memorabilia store.
This article isn’t an official guide but will give you some idea of how to get to various locations around the airport. I’m an amateur aviation photographer who has visited the airport as a spotter and passenger on many occasions. The idea is to give you a good idea of locations you can visit, my experience at those locations and whether Manchester Airport is in fact one of the best UK airports to visit as a spotter.
Let’s start with photography, again I’m no expert but for the most part during the morning and daytime up until around 4pm, you’ll probably want to stick to the South of the airport. Generally your pictures will be facing away from the sun, if we have any that is and will help your photos be better lit.
In the summer you’ll get much longer over on what is known as Southside, when the sun starts to set however, setting yourself up at Runway Viewing park or even on the top of Terminal 3’s multistory car park will help you capture some really nice “golden hour” shots with the sun facing directly towards the aircrafts nose and engines.
On a nice clear and dry day I fully recommend walking past the Airport Pub located on Ringway Road and taking a right onto the Airport Eastern Link Road (A555). From there take a walk along the pedestrian path which will take you right under the approach lights for Runway 23R, this is a brilliant experience especially if you have an arriving wide body landing.
Keep walking South and you’ll find a public field which is fenced and gated. This area is fantastic in the morning as the sun rises. You can get some great shots of arriving aircraft seconds before they touch down on 23R.
Back out onto the main road you can then cross over via the traffic lights and head down onto Styal Road, if you take the first right you’ll find yourself in Jet Parks 3 which is a huge airport car park for staff and passengers. Keep in mind you are entering an area here with lots of cars and buses, stay safe and most of all respectful. Personally I’ve never been asked to leave this spot, I’ve never actually come across any security here either but again but cautious and if you are asked to leave again be respectful.
From this spot you are essentially closer to Runway 23R, if you are able to, climb onto the massive concrete blocks that separate the parking zones. You’ll find you are higher up and able to get a mostly unobstructed view of the aircraft just before they land, you can also get some shots of aircraft taxing out when using 23R for departures.
Now comes the fun part, I’m writing this out from my experience and Southside is pretty much a place to explore if you drive. Let me rephrase, it’s a hell of a lot easier, if you’re walking it then stock up on snacks and drinks. There is absolutely nowhere if you’re hiking Southside for a drink or food so yeah, definitely pack a lunch.
Ready for a walk? Head back out onto Styal Road and head away from the A555 where you were before, you’ll come to the beautiful Moss Lane on the right, head down Moss Lane and keep following the road until you reach the airport perimeter fence. At this point Moss Lane will bend to the left and continue South until meets Altrincham Rd, if you take a left onto Altrincham Road you’ll eventually meet the airport perimeter again.
On a summer day I would fully recommend keeping an eye out for the public foot path that basically joins Moss Lane with Altrincham Rd, this cut through will save you a bit of walking time but word of warning, make sure to take appropriate footwear as this path is full of mud even on hot days it will still be very wet.
Walking along the airport perimeter road beside the fence you’ll soon reach the Southside mound, again be careful walking up to this, although the path is visible and accessible via a dedicated opening in the fence, it gets super muddy and slippery.
Southside is absolutely perfect for capturing Runway 23L and even 05R movements, you’ll be able to get cracking shots of aircraft lining up before take off and if you are adventurous then you can continue walking along the length of Runway 2 and photograph planes as they rotate or touch down depending how far you trek.
As mentioned Southside is generally brilliant for aviation photography, with the sun out you’ll get direct lighting onto the aircraft, my favourite is when there is a darker cloud or sky behind the planes and a nice beam of light hitting the fuselage. Earlier this year I was lucky to get such conditions, the aircraft were also departing 23R which meant I could practice some panning photography, the scenario was perfect and I captured what is one of my all time favourite shots of a TUI 737 rotation off the runway in amazing lighting.
Let’s talk about the Airport Pub, it used to be a normal local boozer located on Ringway Rd just past Terminal 3, it is a pretty easy walk from the Airport Station and offers a great range of food and drink. When I say it used to be a normal pub, I mean it used to look and feel like a traditional English pub, after what I believe was a buy out the location was transferred into more of a gastro pub with aviation inspired decor.
Back then I was afraid that spotters wouldn’t be able to just go in and enter the pub garden which backed out onto the airport perimeter close to runway 23R’s threshold, the pub had gone through such a huge transformation that I feared you’d need to be eating or drinking to stand in the garden and watch the planes.
Luckily that isn’t the case and avgeeks are still welcome to watch the planes from the pub’s garden which also got a lovely face lit in the renovation. Just like the RVP, the Airport Pub is fantastic for families, there’s a kids playground with ample seating in and outside the building, the food on offer is beautiful too.
Before I speak about the Runway Viewing Park, there are two other locations you can spot the planes from, these are both multi-story car parks and also offer a great vantage point for photography.
Heading back towards the airport from the pub, you’ll see a bunch of large car parks, you’ll want the older looking one closer to T3 and head up to the very top floor using the stairs or lift.
Again I’ll just mention that both car parks mentioned are part of the airport and while I haven’t been moved on from either spot, it’s always best to stay safe and keep it respectful.
Terminal 3’s car park does come with obstructed views of the aircraft so you have to be pretty good with your shutter timing, get it right though and you will come away with some brilliant shots of departing or arriving aircraft.
This is also a great spot to practice your panning photography, the aircraft are moving fast enough for you to slow your shutter speed and potentially get those nice blurred backgrounds while keeping the plane in focus.
Another car park you’ll want to check out is the massive Terminal 1 multi-story which you can access via a lift in the arrivals section of Terminal 1, the sky foot bridge connects the airport station to this section so just walk along that instead of navigating the roads below.
On the very top of T1 car park you will get a brilliant view of the aprons and taxiways running from Terminal 2 and Terminal 1, with a zoom lens you can also capture aircraft taxing past the control tower, but honestly the apron views from up here are incredible especially early morning or evening.
The RVP or Runway Viewing Park is probably the most popular plane spotting location at Manchester Airport, it opened to the public on Sunbank Lane in the late 90s and continues to welcome visitors from all over to this day.
The introduction of the Aether Private Terminal caused a section of the RVP to be taken away including the second bigger mound which offered stunning views of taxiway and runway, this way disappointing for sure but obviously necessary for the growth of the airport.
A couple of things to note, the RVP can be a bit expensive, you have to pay if you are driving and on site amenities aren’t cheap but certainly nice enough. The cafe offers a selection of hot and cold food and drink, the aviation store is priced reasonably with a range of professional, hobbyist and kids toys.
The biggest attraction is of course Concorde Alpha Charlie, seeing this iconic aircraft every time I visit never gets old, the viewing park offers different types of tours around the legendary aircraft and generally you can book these on the day.
From my own experience the RVP is always a brilliant place to visit, if you keep an eye on their website you can also catch the annual aviation society fare which takes place in the Concorde Hanger once or sometimes twice a year. Save your pennies for it though, the stalls sell a lot of amazing aviation memorabilia including models, tags, toys, reclaimed items and much more.
I don’t drive so it’s not the easiest place to get to but absolutely still doable via public transport. Get yourself to the airport station on either coach, train or tram and from there you can get a bus to Avro Way which is located at the freight terminal at Manchester.
You can walk from the station, it’s about 30-40 minutes walk depending how you are on your feet but honestly hop onto either the 288 or 313 bus and take the very short ride around to the freight terminal. From there you will have a 10 minute walk down Wilmslow Old Road from the corner of the Romper Pub, be careful down this road as there is no pedestrian path, walk in the direction of the cars and you’ll be fine.
The best part, if you walk, you’ll get into the RVP absolutely free. You can take your own food along, there is a Greggs on Avro Way just near to the bus stops and of as mentioned the on site cafe. Compared to Southside this is a much more family friendly location for seeing the planes at Manchester, there are a lot of options and toilets which is something I didn’t mention before, strong bladders are a must for Southside.
Keep in mind, for photography the RVP will mostly be backlit, when the park stays open later in the summer however you can capture some amazing golden hour shots from raised areas, aircraft vacating 23R can be hit with some lovely orange light as the sun begins to set.
With the amount of locations around Manchester, some of which I’ve not even talked about in this article, plus the variety of aircraft and airlines, I’m confident that it is one of the best airports for spotting and photography in the UK.
But what do you think? If you have been to EGCC to see the planes let me know in the comments.
By Bryan Field
AvGeekHangar
All Photography by Bryan Field
