Manchester Airport is a significant hub for air travel in northwest England, often ranking as the third busiest airport in the UK after London Heathrow and Gatwick. The airport’s two long runways facilitate long-haul flights, providing passengers with an alternative to traveling through London or connecting at another European hub.
This year, Manchester features two routes that exceed 6,000 miles. The shorter of these routes is a 6,205-mile journey to Phuket International Airport in Thailand. TUI Airways Limited is the sole operator of this route, offering 32 flights in 2025 on a seasonal basis. These flights provide a total of 9,600 seats and 59,568,000 available seat miles (ASMs). TUI also serves Phuket from Birmingham Airport and London Gatwick.
TUI’s flights between Manchester and Phuket are weekly. Flight BY104 departs every Tuesday from Terminal 2 at Manchester Airport at 16:40 local time and arrives in Phuket at 11:55 the following morning. The return flight BY105 leaves Phuket at 13:55 every Wednesday and arrives back in Manchester at 20:45.
The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner operates this route with a seating capacity of 300 passengers, featuring both economy and premium economy classes. This aircraft configuration includes nine-abreast seating in economy and seven-abreast seating in premium economy.
The longest route from Manchester is to Singapore Changi Airport, covering a distance of 6,810 miles. Singapore Airlines operates this route exclusively with its Airbus A350-900 aircraft. The airline has scheduled 523 flights on this corridor for the year, averaging five round trips per week.
Singapore Airlines’ A350-900 features three classes with a total of 253 seats. The business class offers flatbeds arranged four abreast; premium economy consists of comfortable recliners arranged eight abreast; while economy class provides standard seating arrangements with added comfort features.
Additionally, Singapore Airlines’ service from Changi to Manchester extends onward to Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport as part of a fifth-freedom flight agreement. However, this extension will cease operation after March 30th due to changes reported by Simple Flying last summer.
Overall, these long-haul services enhance Manchester’s role as an important gateway for international travel from the UK.
