Runway Visitor Park in Manchester

Nice place to visit if like planes

Great day out plane spotting. Cafe does a great meal deal too!

Spectacular backdrop on both sides. Warm room within the concorde hanger made for a very comfortable evening. Great cake!

It’s the perfect spot for aviation enthusiasts and families alike. Watching planes take off and land up close was a thrilling experience, and the Concorde tour was a real highlight—so fascinating to see such an iconic aircraft up close. The facilities are excellent, with a well-maintained playground for kids and a café serving great food and drinks. The staff were friendly and knowledgeable, adding to the experience. Overall, a brilliant day out with plenty to see and do. Highly recommend for anyone who loves planes or just wants a unique and fun outing

Great place for a different day out and good cafe.

A great venue for being able to watch the planes and all airport activity. A large cafe for a drink and food. Well worth a trip out.

Awesome place to have a drink, something to it and a bit of plane spotting. Loads to do for the kids. Prices are OK.

If you go on a weekend it can be busy but there is usually commentary to accompany the planes. We spent 1.5 hours here and the car park was £5. You can get a year pass if you go regularly. There is lots to do there with the shop, cafe, playground, Concorde. In the school holidays there are rides and other things to entertain children. You can usually go on the grounded aircraft and tours are available (pre book)

Went here with my son. The viewing platform was really good along with the small tower telling us what planes were taking off and landing, also where they were going to and coming back from. The café was good , also the shop and you could take a tour on the concord that was in the building where the café is.. We had a great couple of hours there.

Great facilities and viewing platforms. Everything you'd except from a airport viewing experience

We did the Concorde Platinum Tour on Friday 31st January 2025. The unbelievable but wonderful thing was just the two of us on the whole two hour tour! The tour went by with a blink of an eye, it felt more like five minutes than two hours! Gareth and Tony our tour guides did an amazing job and deserve a special mention. Gareth’s knowledge is second to none. I got the honour of sitting in seat 1A which would have been Queen Elizabeth II seat onboard Concorde and my partner in seat 1B. We really did enjoy the tour and say if you are thinking about doing it, then do it! We loved visiting the flight deck and getting to sit in the Captains seat. And thanks to Tony for the photos of us both. We also enjoyed the Champagne and walking beneath G-BOAC and getting lots of photographs while sipping Champagne, and again Gareth’s knowledge was above and beyond, he certainly knows G-BOAC inside and out literally. There is only one tour to do on G-BOAC and that is definitely the Platinum Concorde Tour, you will want to do it again just like we do and that is a 100% guarantee.

My favourite place to go, love watching the planes here and have a good shop. Really fun for aviation lovers ✈️

Always come here when visiting Manchester Airport on a spotting trip! Its easy to get to, has a nice café and various historic aircraft you can enjoy. Plus you can book tours of the Concorde (G-BOAC) and there's a nice Aviation Hobby Shop you can get souvenirs in!

Great experience seeing a string quartet here. Friendly staff, great space, hope to visit again.

Excellent view of the runway 👍🏻

Fantastic place, £5 for 2 hour parking, great viewing ramp and places to sit outside or an on site cafe and shop, free toilets also! Great place please keep parking costs low for all fans!

What a gem. Truly amazing, even on a winters day!

Expensive parking, expensive cafe but friendly staff and good facilities.

The picture looks nice and but by the time I have arrived it was just to close but I will go next time and take some photos

I first went here years ago and it was great but now they have built a building in front of it and the views are restricted from the car park. The cafe is pricey a bit like being in the terminal. I will take my family elsewhere to watch the planes in future

Amazing place to watch some planes. Stunning views

One of the best places to view planes in the Uk!

Amazing area to view planes and loads of parking

Cold wet misty day. Great to visit to see Concorde.

A great place to visit. Loved the concorde tour. Gareth and sandy are brilliant tour guides. Loved seeing the nose droop. Great place to see planes landing and taking off. Very hard to reach through public transport and i feel its the visitor park's responsabillity to keep keep in touch with Manchester airport regarding construction which could block footpaths and to warn guests or publish a detailed walking guide.

Outstanding views and a great spotting area. I'm a bit of an AV geek and spent most my time on the viewing veranda, which gives great views of aircraft taking off from 23L and 23R + landing and the aircraft which have landed exit the runway and pass closely. The staff there will play announcements of what at the aipprt and what's flying above+facts, the staff also will tell you what yhe aircraft is and where it has arrived from or going to e.g. Geneva. The Concorde is also available for a visit and will cost £6 for a 20moj tour. Beware! the gift ship can be expensive, £4.50 for a pen. Overall, great day, gor geeks or a family.

As an aviation fan, this place is definitely a go-to for me. With this park being situated parallel to the taxiways, there are excellent opportunities to observe aircraft as they arrive or depart into Manchester. Up close views give you a chance to wave and pilots and passengers, and taking good photos too. There are excellent facilities there like the toilets, cheap cafe, shop, and playground. You can also get the chance to board famous aircraft of the past, including the Concorde. Entrance is no-cost for pedestrians, whereas if you're arriving by car you must pay a minimum of £5. Overall, and excellent provider of entertainment and maker of memories!

Decent place to go and watch aeroplanes land and take off. There is a cafe which serves food and drinks as well as small shop which sells aviation merch.

Great viewing area. Great shop. Friendly and helpful staff

Go to it all the time (well most) and it's great for snapping some great pictures and videos, and the concorde tour is amazing

It's very good place to look the planes taking off.

Excellent tour very informative, was great to see this magnificent aircraft.

Brilliant place. Can get really close to the runway and the chaps in the tower do a really good job of explaining the planes and their flight journey. There is a play area for kids and some rides to which you can pay for. The cafe is decent and the shop is well stocked. The indoor Concorde attraction is a must for aviation enthusiasts.

What a super place to watch the airplanes landing and taking off. Had no idea this place even existed. Really close to the runway so a great view. Parking very cheap. Nice cafe with brilliant views. Lots to see and do there. I was just wanting to watch my daughter’s airplane depart but had a fantastic time while I waited. Highly recommended

To live on 2024 with a lot of technology available and still unable to update your opening hours on Boxing Day.Drive over 70 miles to kiss some shut gates.Is people there stupid!?Or cannot make the difference between completely shut and opening and closing hours may be different.Several cars with people turn on to kiss your shut gates because you not able to provide some proper updates.Shameful.

Attended for a dear friend’s wedding, and was not disappointed in the slightest. Staff pulled out all of the stops for us, making it an amazing evening. Perfect location for the inner aviation geek in me (yes, I may have popped out to see a few planes once or twice!) and a perfect setting right underneath the famous Concorde airliner. Icing on the cake (not literally!) was the ability to actually go up, into the Concorde, and sit on the seats that people rode in, listening to the fascinating history of the marvel. Brilliant location and will be back.

Great vantage spot, good Cafe, good parking facilities (£5 for a couple of hours) and the home of the Concorde, some rides and ice cream stall are on offer for the kids, only down side the grass get a bit boggy so worth taking the wellies in bad weather.

A great place for all aircraft enthusiasts young and old! Our 3 year old was in awe of how up close you get to the busy runways The Concord Cafe well worth a visit with lovely staff and a delicious breakfast

A lovely place to visit with family and friends with some great views of the airplanes.

Great venue to have a Christmas party!

Worth a visit for every person who’s into aviation out there! the café was a bit dissapointing though, only fatty things to eat.

Lots of facilities, only been for selected events so yet to visit as it is :) staff super friendly ❤️

Nice place to stop off for a brew and see some aircraft

Nice view of runway with commentary

Nice for a day out if your interested in aircraft.

Great day out with kids. Pizza in cafe really good.

My favourite place to be, if interested in aircraft, the viewing points, the commentary given during busy periods, availability of hot drinks and food, toilets and a very well stocked aviation themed shop make for a relaxing place to spend a few hours. For children there is a well set out play area and numerous picnic tables to take a picnic. Too see Concorde up close is an amazing experience, makes you proud to be British.

Lovely place to visit and look around some older plane cockpits. Concord hanger is very impressive. Great place for a half day visit

Fun place to take the kids with a park and somewhere to eat there.

We visited the Runway Visitor Park at Manchester Airport as a family for our son’s birthday, and it was a fantastic choice—he absolutely loved it! With constant airplanes landing and taking off, it was a dream for any little plane enthusiast. The small fair was a nice touch, and we particularly enjoyed the train ride. Walking around Concorde was another highlight for our son, who couldn’t get enough of exploring the iconic aircraft. We had dinner there, which was decent, although possibly a little on the pricey side. Similarly, the £10 parking fee felt a bit steep, but overall it didn’t detract from the experience too much. All in all, it was a great day out, and most importantly, our son had an amazing time. If you’ve got a little one who loves planes, it’s definitely worth a visit!

good cafe with good service.good commentaey

Took my 5y old nephew here and we went on Concorde. Was really interesting and he enjoyed it too. You can watch a short historical infofilm before you go in. There’s a large cafe/restaurant and gift shop. There’s a large play area outside and picnic tables too. Take your own food to save costs. There’s clean toilets and great viewing area at the end of a runway. Can while away a few hours here happily. It’s currently costs £5 per 2hrs to park, bit steep but raises funds I suppose

Every time we seem to stumble on an A380 taking off or landing

Hadn't visited for 6 years. The facilities are much improved, and the announcements made the experience better.

Great place to go to see more go on @worldwideaviation on TikTok

What an amazing experience! Visit to see Concorde and tour was fabulous. Staff were so knowledgeable and passionate. We would certainly recommend a visit.

Never fails this is the perfect spot for some plan spotting from novice to expert the kids also love it loads to do food and drink available too as well as a picnic area you get good views of the aircraft.

Great place to watch runway 23R-05L with planes landing and taking off regularly. Has a cafe,gift shop and a Concorde experience in which u board their Concorde and have a talk giving in Concorde.

Fantastic day. Had the technical tour of Concorde. The guys showing us around were knowledgeable and entertaining and the experience was quite special. As an added bonus we were there the day they operated the nose cone which was something very special indeed. Would thoroughly recommend.

I had a wonderful time with Concorde G-BOAC. Big thanks to my tour guides Gereth and Tony, both amazing guys, there knowledge is impressive. Almost know as much as me ha ha. Well worth the £40. A glass of champagne or orange juice was wonderful finish to. I would 100% recommend. Thanks Again.

Great for people who want the experience of the airport without wanting to board a plane to Ibiza. Not a lot of variety for die hard avgeeks but still a great watch. Transport can be a little tricky for newbies as there are quite a few turns after exiting the motorway that are easy to miss. There's also a cafe which doubles as a hangar displaying the Concorde ( if you don't know, the Concorde is a very famous plane with a droop snoot.) There is also a gift shop, picnic area, and a guy who does commentary on weekends. I would advise downloading the flightradar24 app (not sponsored) to keep track of in and outbound flights. Great visit no matter how vast your plane knowledge. There are also older planes on display including the front of a dc-10 and you can go inside of a renovated Avro rjx.

We took our grandaughter, who is 7, and we all had a great time. There is plenty to do and see, but beware the fairground rides are very expensive at £3.50 and £4.00 for a ride. Parking is £5 for up to 2 hours.

Good for an hour or so entertainment

Absolutely fantastic, a visit on the iconic bird Concorde. What a great find this was, we had a brilliant time there. Pleasantly greeted on arrival, and advice was freely given. One day we will not forget in a hurry, added bonus of being right next to the runway. Here you get to see the ✈️🛫 and 🛬,then they taxi right in front of you. You even get a certificate to say that you have been 👍👍

Excellent Concord experience which included free parking, but the parking fees seem a bit steep otherwise: £4 up to 2 hours, then £10 for more than 2

Fantastic experience for all the family. A good sized picnic area and a lovely cafe too

Brilliant way to watch the planes both land and take off. There us a shop cafe and playarea.

Excellent venue to watch the planes. Cafe is a touch expensive and car park has puddles as big as lakes! Nice atmosphere.

Amazing facility, lots of friendly and enthusiastic staff. Plenty of parking. Well stocked shop. Lots of space and good viewing areas. Limited viewing areas with cover. Lots of seating and picnic benches when weather allows. Cafe was large with plenty of tables and reasonably priced.

Superb location and proximity to the runway. Well worth a visit!

If you're into plane watching this is a good day out, beware of the parking cost, I walk here during my lunch break.

I have two young children who loved seeing the planes so close up! Great play area and outdoor space… as well as seeing and exploring on the old planes too. The price of parking is pretty steep!

If you love aircraft your gonna love this place they have rides for children you can go on concorde and there is a cafe

The Nimrod is in excellent condition, which I toured with Derek - who was exceedingly knowledgeable and enthusiastic. Nimrods were a de Havilland Comet spin-off and after about two years of flight testing, entered service in 1969. (The Comet's prototype first flew in 1949!) The final Nimrod was retired in 2011. With such a long lifespan, the poky internal space is thus one of slightly haphazardly accrued features. I think this adds to its retro-charm and makes for a more interesting tour. P.S. don't forget to check out the "nuclear option!"

Love this place. Full of like minded plane enthusiasts plus always lots of families. Great value.

Concorde Platinum experience was great, lots of info given. Glad to be able to touch the real seat used by celebrities and the Royal family and real seats pilots used (seats were covered by a plastic film last time I was on a Concorde G-BOAD, Intrepid museum, New York, US). Even got the experience to see the nose droop twice, it moved faster than I expected! Great to see it preserved so well in those regard. Access to the location is poor, no public transport nearby, but I would not mind paying two taxi rides to see a real Concorde.

Nice place to spend half a day with a play area and cafe and concorde tours. Toilets were clean.

Absolutely brilliant day out Get close up to the aircraft Excellent amenities Would recommend to all

Great place to watch that planes taking off and landing

For plane enthusiasts it's a great way to see the planes take off. Plenty of space to move around. I use a mobility scooter but everywhere is lovely and flat and paved. The cafe is good aswell and doesn't take the mick with it's prices. Meal deal was £6 ...you got a nice sandwich...bag of crisps choc bar and a hot chocolate which is great value as far as I'm concerned

Amazing seeing planes land & take off from soo close

Literally on the runway getting to watch all the planes, great fun, little cafe for a nice warm coffee to warm your hands while you wait for the a380 to arrive!

Was raining but good in a way not too packed. Good cafe. Good way to spend the day

Went as a family of 7, ate in the Concorde Cafe came to £58 which i appreciate it sounds alot as that was just the food but you got plenty for your money and it was lovely. Staff lovely and polite and very apologetic for the delay, we waited 30-40 minutes but didn't mind as we had a great advantage point of the runway. Youngest loved the playpark, plenty of choices for her to choose from. The runway park itself was clean and tidy. Spent a good three hours here. Would recommend

This is a great place for aviation enthusiasts! There's plenty of good spots for viewing and now additional commentary which is informative especially with eta updates if popular aircraft, such as the A380, are running late. I've visited many times over the years, starting when Concorde was parked outside. Sadly now, it's tucked away inside a building and, on my last visit, hidden behind curtains due to a wedding. It's a shame such an iconic aircraft isn't more visible. The Avro, however, is free to visit and you get a great view of the flight deck and many of its 'innards' Yes, £12 to park your car is expensive if you're travelling alone in the vehicle, as I was, however, it's a very fair price for 5 hours, especially if you've a the family in the car. The cafe too is quite expensive, about £2.70 for a bottle of pop, but you can bring your own picnic to keep costs down. Plenty of things in the playground to keep the kids amused.

Great Views, most staff are not happy to talk to customers.

Quick raxi ride from the airport, lovely and clean, plenty of areas to sit or stand, undercover area to picnic, great cafe and shop was well stocked for souvenirs, shame concorde wasn't open as there was a private function only downer as we had travelled up from Surrey just have to come up again all in all a lovely relaxing time.

Great place to watch airplane landings

Had a great time here,lots of families enjoying watching take off and landings. Staff in the tower at the side were doing the commentary on the aircrafts

Its great when they are giving the information about the flights arriving and departing from the control box which is broadcast on the loudspeakers.

Enjoyable day at the visitor park with a running commentary about the planes.

No customer service. Website booked the wrong date for our Concorde tour. I asked for the 6th of October but it booked the 19th for some reason. Lady at reception said this was not the first time it had happened yet we were not entitled to a refund. Poor form from a greedy setup with no interest in good customer service.

Definitely improved over the years. Would recommend. Toilets need improvement / investment.

Great afternoon out for the kids, cafe and parking. £5charge to park

Absolutely amazing , can view planes after every 4 mins some are local airlines , the park is so good and the cafe is huge , the best time to spend with kids along with all facilities. Worth a visit once .

Great for a few hours, but bring your own food if possible a little pricey.

AMaZiNg.. bae flagship Concorde inside. Brilliant, had brief tour need to go back for full tour.

As well as the topics I have covered, there are rides (for payment, not open on our visit), a cafe, shop, and a conference centre which includes an undercover retired Concorde .

Manchester Airport's Runway Visitor Park is a fantastic spot for plane enthusiasts! The views are incredible, with great vantage points to watch aircraft take off and land up close. The facilities are well-maintained, with ample parking, a café, and even a Concorde on display! Whether you're a casual visitor or a die-hard aviation fan, this place is a must-visit. Make sure to check out our latest vlog on YouTube, where we capture the excitement of plane spotting at Manchester Airport. Watch it now for some amazing footage and tips for your next visit!

Excellent few hours Great place to chill out cafe a bit on the pricey side