Manchester Airport: Overnight passengers warned of M56 delays

Project manager Sajjad Ali said the diversions had been used previously and "have worked well"

People heading to Manchester Airport for late night or early morning flights in the coming weeks have been warned that nearby roadworks mean they should leave extra time for journeys.

National Highways said overnight work was planned on the M56 between 14 July and 6 August.

It means those heading to the airport from the west will face diversions.

Project manager Sajjad Ali said people should "spend a little time planning journeys before setting out".

Passengers at the airport have faced problems on arrival since March, with cancelled flights and long check-in queues frequently causing delays.

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On Friday, the site's new managing director Chris Woodroofe said he expected it to be back to pre-pandemic standards by the autumn, but warned that until then, passengers should arrive "not more than three hours and not less than three hours" before their flights.

A National Highways spokesman said the roadworks were part of an £85m upgrade between junction 6 at Hale Barnes and junction 8 at Bowdon.

He said the message was aimed at anyone travelling overnight from locations such as the West Midlands, North Wales and parts of Cheshire.

National Highways will divert traffic to the airport through Altrincham or via the M6, A57, M60 and M56 westbound

He said the M56 would be closed eastbound from Junction 7 at Altrincham to Junction 5 for Manchester Airport from 21:00 BST every day from 14 July to 5 August and would reopen on the following days at either 06:00 or 07:00.

Mr Ali said the diversions had been used previously and had worked well, but the reminder was being put out as activities at the airport were expected to ramp up over the remainder of the summer.

He said the "key message" for passengers was "to please spend a little time planning journeys before setting out and follow the diversion advice once you are approaching the airport".