Manchester Airport plane spotting: the Runway Visitor Park and Concorde
The Runway Visitor Park beside the runways at Manchester Airport is run as a visitor attraction and keeps Concorde G-BOAC. Her cabin can only be seen on a booked guided tour.
For Birmingham, Heathrow and the other airports, plane spotting in the UK compares what each operator publishes.
Manchester Airport plane spotting: where the park is
The Runway Visitor Park is run by MAG Airport Ltd and sits on Sunbank Lane, Altrincham, WA15 8XQ. The park's directions page says to leave the M56 at Junction 6, follow the A538 towards Wilmslow and turn left into Sunbank Lane opposite DHL. The airport's code is explained on the MAN page.
On its park information page the park lists a large picnic area, a coffee house, a play area and an aviation shop alongside the raised viewing area, and says weekend visitors get live commentary on the airport's operations.
Concorde G-BOAC at the park
The park's aircraft page names its Concorde as G-BOAC, "Alpha Charlie", the second Concorde delivered to British Airways, in 1976. Inside access is by guided tour only, booked through the park's website, and the park says the tours do not run daily, so check availability before you set off. Its park information page describes the tour as taking in the cabin, a walk under the wings and a view of the nose droop.
Concorde shares the park with other retired aircraft, and the Concorde story sets out her history and the other UK sites that keep one.
The other aircraft in the park
The same page lists four more airframes. RAF Nimrod MR2 XV231 made her final journey in April 2010, landing at Manchester, and Nimrod tours, like the Concorde ones, do not run daily. Trident 3B G-AWZK, a restored BEA airliner with 23,000 flying hours, has been at the park since 2003. An Avro RJX, maintained by the park's volunteer engineering team, is open to the public every day. The forward section of a Monarch Airlines DC-10 has been converted into a room seating up to 40.
The page also lists types you may see on the runway: Airbus A330, Boeing 777, Boeing 737 and Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Plane identification explains how to read and look up a registration mark, and plane spotting equipment and apps covers what to bring.
Hours, tickets and parking
The park opens at 8am. The main park closes at 4pm from November to February and at 8pm from June to August, with other months in between. Times, admission and parking charges are on the park's times and prices page. The same page says admission is free for visitors arriving by public transport, on foot or by bicycle.
Byelaws and drones near the runways
Manchester Airport's byelaws page says its byelaws came into effect on 12 June 2024, and that breaking them can mean a fine or removal from the site.
Drones are a separate matter. The airport's drone policy says it is an offence under the Air Navigation Order to fly within the Flight Restriction Zone of a protected aerodrome without permission, and that inside the zone you need permission from the airport authorities and air traffic control. To ask for it, the page directs you to its "Manchester Airport UAS Request" form, which is hosted on the NATS site.
From the shot to the wall
A frame of a landing 787 or the droop of Alpha Charlie's nose is the kind of shot the photography guide is written for, and turning plane photos into wall art covers the sizes. The photo print keeps the shot exactly as you took it.
